July, 1644
[15 July, 1644.]
Committee for Wiltshire.; Power to raise Moneys, etc., by Loan.; To give Acquitances; To put former Ords. for raising of money in execution.; To use such moneys for maintenance of Forces.; To let Sequestered Lands for repayment of moneys, etc., lent.; Public Faith for repayment to those that do not get full satisfaction.
Whereas the said County of Wilts, and the Inhabitants
thereof for the space of almost two years now last past, have
laine under the intollerable Pressures, Taxes, Impositions and
Plunderings of the Enemies Forces, by meanes whereof they are
now in a very sad condition; for remedy whereof there is great
and urgent necessity that such a competent number of Horse,
Foot, and Armes should be forthwith raised as may defend and
preserve the said County, and maintain the Garrison of Malmsbury. The Lords and Commons in Parliament assembled taking
the Premises into their serious consideration doe Declare, Order
and Ordain, and be it hereby Ordered, Declared, and Ordained,
That Philip Earle of Pembroke and Mountgomery, William
Earle of Salisbury, Philip Lord Herbert, Charles Lord Cramborne; Denzill Hollis, Esquire; Sir Edward Hungerford, Knight
of the Bath; Sir Francis Popham, Sir Neville Poole, Knight;
Sir Edward Baynton, Knight; Edward Baynton, Alexander
Poppam, Walter Long, Edward Poole, Robert Jennour, Thomas
Hodges, Richard Whitehead, Thomas Moore, John Ash, Robert
Nicholas, William Wheeler, Philip Smith, and Edward Ash,
Esquires; Sir John Danvers, Knight; Edmond Ludlow senior,
Edmond Ludlow, junior, Alexander Thistlethwayte, William
Sadler, Edward Goddard, Thomas Bennet of Norton, Robert
Hippisley and Edmond Warnford Esquires; John Goddard,
Edward Martin, Gabriel Martin, Robert Long of Waddon,
Thomas Goddard, Edward Stokes, Richard Talboys, Richard
Gifford, William Jesse, Humphrey Ditton Thomas Baily, Robert
Good, and Robert Brown, Gentlemen; shall be and hereby are
nominated a Committee of and for the said County, and that
they, or any three or more of them shall hereby have full power
and authority to take the subscriptions of all such persons as
will voluntarily lend or contribute any summe or summes of
Money, Plate, Horse, or Armes towards the supplies and provisions aforesaid, and other necessaries for the advancement of
the said service; which summe or summes of Money, Plate,
Horse, or Armes, to be subscribed, lent, and contributed as aforesaid, the said Committees or three or any more of them, shall and
may receive and imploy to and for the service aforesaid, and give
Notes or Acquittances for the severall summes of Money, Plate,
Horse, or Armes so received (which said Notes or acquittances
shall be a sufficient specialty for the severall persons that shall
lend or contribute any Money, Plate, Horse, or Armes as aforesaid, to demand repayment thereof or the value thereof, with
such increase as shall be agreed upon, so as the same shall not
exceed eight pounds per centum.) And for the better enabling
the said Committees to make repayment of such Moneys, and the
value of such Plate, Horse and Armes, as shall be lent for the
purposes aforesaid, and for the raising, maintenance, and supplies of the Forces raised, and to be raised for the purposes
aforesaid, from time to time as need shall require. Be it further
Ordained by the Lords and Commons, That the said Committees,
or any three or more of them shall have the power and authority to
put in execution within the said County the severall Ordinances
of this present Parliament hereafter mentioned: that is to say,
The Ordinances for Sequestration of Malignants, Delinquents
and Papists estates; the Ordinance for raising of Money by
taxing such as have not at all contributed, or not according to
their Estates; the Ordinance for weekly Assessements, and all
other Ordinances made this present Parliament for advance
of Money through the whole Kingdome of England, and
Dominion of Wales, for the service of the King and Parliament,
so farre-forth as any of them have not been already fully
executed within the County aforesaid, except the
Ordinance for Excise and new Impost, the proceed of all which Excise and new
Impost raised, and to be raised within the said County, shall be
payed unto the said Committee, or any three or more of them,
to be issued and laid forth for the usages and purposes aforesaid,
which shall be a sufficient discharge to the Commissioners of
Excise in that behalfe. And the Commissioners of Excise are
authorized, and hereby required from time to time to issue their
Warrants to their inferiour Officers within the said County, for
payment of the said Moneys accordingly: And that the said
Committees, or any three or more of them, take care of the full
and due execution of the said Ordinances, according to the tenour
and true meaning of the same respectively, And for the more
speedy raising of Moneys for the repayment of such summes, and
the value of such Plate, Horse, or Armes, as shall be brought in
by Subscriptions, as aforesaid, bee it Ordained by the Lords and
Commons, that the said Committees, or any three or more of
them, shall have hereby full power and authority to set and let
the Lands, Tenements, and hereditaments of all Malignants, Delinquents, and Papists which shall be seized and sequestred
according to the Ordinance of Parliament for Sequestrations
within the said County, from yeare to yeare, or by Lease or
Leases for the intents and purposes aforesaid, so long as the said
Sequestration shall continue. And in case the said Subscribers
or Lenders shall not receive full satisfaction of their principall
Money and Interest to be lent and subscribed as aforesaid, out
of the Estates of Malignants, Delinquents, and Paptist, and other
provision as aforesaid, that then the said Subscribers and
Lenders, and every of them, are by vertue of this Ordinance to
have the publique Faith of the Kingdome for repayment of such
summe and summes as shall be due unto them.
Committees may appoint all necessary officers for execution of Ord.; Issue moneys by Warrants.; Call Collectors, etc., to account on Oath.; Make allowances to all employed in execution of Ord.
And be it further Ordained that the said Committees, or any
three or more of them shall have full power and authority to
name and appoint such Solicitors, Treasurers, Collectors, and
other Officers within the said County as they shall thinke fit and
convenient, for the better putting in execution of all and every
the aforesaid of Ordinances of Parliament, and of this present Ordinance of Parliament, as well for the more speedy and better
putting in execution of the said Ordinances, and the receiving of
all or any the said Moneys; as also for issuing out of the same
for the purposes aforesaid by Warrants under the hands of the
said Committee, or any three or more of them they shall appoint,
and to call to an accompt from time to time upon Oath, all such
Sollicitors, Collectors, and other persons who shall receive any
Moneys, Plate, Horse, or Armes, by vertue of this present Ordinance of Parliament, for the services aforesaid, and to give such
fitting and reasonable allowances unto such persons as shall be
imployed in the execution of the Ordinances aforesaid, and of
this present Ordinance, or any of them for their charges and
paines therein, as the said Committees, or any three or more of
them shall thinke fit.
Proviso.
Provided, that such allowance shall not exceed the respective
Rates allowed by the said severall Ordinances in other Counties
of the Kingdome, for putting the said Ordinance in execution.
Power to Committee to call to account all that have not fully accounted.
And the said Committees, or any three or more of them, are
hereby enabled and authorised, to call to accompt upon Oath,
all such person and persons of the said County, as have received
any Moneys by authority of Parliament which they have not yet
fully accompted for and made even payment of. And the said
Committees, or any three or four of them, are also hereby
authorised to administer the severall Oaths specified in the
former Ordinances to such Commissioners or persons as have
not already taken the same.
Committees to take Musters.; Soldiers and Troopers to make good Horses and Arms lost, unless in active service.
And be it further Ordained by the Lord and Commons, That
the said Committees, or any three or more of them, shall hereby
have full power and authority, to take and survey the Musters
of all such Souldiers, their Horse and Armes, as shall be raised
and imployed in the service of the Parliament within the said
County, and that every Souldier and Trooper shall make good,
and be responsible for all their Horse and Armes, unlesse the
same shall be lost in the service of the Parliament.
Power to administer National Covenant and to execute Ord. for observation of Lord's Day.
And be it further Ordained by the Lords and Commons, That
the said Committees, or any three or more of them, shall have
power and authority, and are hereby required to administer the
late Nationall Covenant, appointed to be taken by the three
Kingdomes, of England, Scotland, and Ireland, to all persons
within the said Countie, who ought to take the same by the
late Ordinance and Instructions for that purpose, and have not
already taken it; and shall also hereby have power to put
in execution the late Ordinance made for the better observation of the Lord's Day.
To eject scandalous and malignant Ministers and Schoolmasters, and appoint others in their stead
And be it further Ordained by the Lords and Commons, That
the said Committee, or any three or more of them, shall have
power to call before them all Ministers and Schoolmasters within
the said County, that are Malignants or scandalous in their lives,
or Fomentors of this unnaturall Warre; or shall wilfully refuse
obedience to the Parliament, or shall have deserted their
ordinary place of Residence, not being imployed in the service
of the King and Parliament; and they shall have power to send
for any witnesses, and examine any complaints, or receive any
testimony against them upon oath of any persons that shall be
produced to give evidence against them, and upon such proofes of
the aforesaid crimes, the said Committees, or any three or more
of them, have hereby power to remove and reject all such scandalous Ministers and Schoole masters, and in their places to
nominate and appoint, such learned, able, and godly persons,
as they with the approbation of the Assembly of Divines shall
thinke fit, and shall cause all such Ministers and Schoolemasters, so nominated appointed, and placed, to bee put in
possession of the said churches and Schooles, who shall and may
respectively, take and receive to their owne use, the Profits and
Revenues belonging to the said severall Churches and places, in
as large and ample manner as the severall Ministers and persons
in the said severall places have formerly used to doe; And all
Majors, Sheriffs, Constables, and other his Majestis Officers and
Ministers, are hereby required to be ayding and assisting to the
said Committee, as aforesaid in the execution of this service.
Indemnity.
And it is lastly Ordered, Declared, and Ordained, That the
good endeavours of the said Committees in the execution of the
premisses, are and shall be taken as reall, and publique testimonies to the publique Weale; And themselves and such others
as shall Act and be ayding and assisting to them, according to
the true meaning of this present Ordinance, shall be for so doing
saved harmlesse and indempnified by the power of Parliament.