Of the existence of these skivins in England no suspicion has previously been expressed. Mr. Round, indeed, points out that Dr. Gross, in his _Gild Merchant_, considers these governing officers as a purely continental institution.
Twelve years later (1205-1206) we learn from another document, preserved in the same volume, that '_alii probi homines_' were associated with the Mayor and échevins to form a body of twenty-four (that is twelve skivini, and an equal number of councillors).
In these documents there is no mention of aldermen, and further information is required as to when the Court of Aldermen first came into existence. This point will be discussed later on in this chapter, when the position of the alderman as a governor is considered.
Mr. Round holds that the Court of Skivini and '_alii probi homines_,' of which at present we know nothing further than what is contained in the terms of the oaths, was the germ of the Common Council. He prints the oaths and compares the oath of the twenty-four with that of the freemen in the present day.[214]
The striking point in this municipal revolution is that the new privileges were entirely copied from those of continental cities, and that the names of Mayor and échevins were French, thus excluding the aldermen who represented the Saxon element. Still, as time went on, the aldermen obtained their natural position in the government of London, and the foreign name of échevin sank before them.
The intimate connection between Normandy and England made it certain that Englishmen would seek inspiration from Normandy. Mr. Round has devoted considerable attention to Monsieur Giry's valuable work, _Les Etablissemens de Rouen_, and shows that there is conclusive proof of the assertion that the Commune of London derived its origin from that of Rouen. The _vingt-quatre_ of the latter city formed the administrative body annually elected to act as the Mayor's Council. Mr. Round further found that the oath of this 'twenty-four' bears a marked resemblance to the oath of the London Commune discovered by him. 'The three salient features in common are--(1) the oath to administer justice fairly; (2) the special provisions against bribery; (3) the expulsion of any member of the body convicted of receiving a bribe.[215]