May, 1649
[23 May, 1649.]
Be it Enacted by the Commons in Parliament assembled, that
Major General Skippon, Col: Francis West, Lieutenant of the
Tower of London; Thomas Hubbert, Solomon Smith, Maurice
Thomson, Hilary Mempris and George Cooper, Esqs; Col: John
Ven, Col: Francis Zachary, Col: William Willoughby, Col: John
White, Lieut: Col: William Levet, Michael Sausome Gent. Capt.
John King, Capt. Manning, Capt. John Taylor, Capt
Henry West, Capt. Robert Hackwel, Capt. Robert Dennis; Mr.
Coke of Stepney; Mr. William Pennoyer, Mr. George Wilmore,
Mr. Edward Ausby, Mr. Richard Tyler, Mr. John Hazel, Mr. John
Hoxton, Mr. Robert Crowley, Mr. Fulk Wormlayton, Mr. Thomas
Hall, Mr. Osmond Coppin, Mr. Thomas Fawson, Mr. Thomas
Nash, Mr. Richard Loton, Mr. Abraham Jesson, Mr. Francis
Reinoldson, Mr. Anthony Grace, Mr. Abraham Clark and Mr.
John Beck, Gent. are hereby made and constituted a Committee;
and that they, or any five or more of them, shall have power,
and are hereby authorized, to act, settle and order the Militia
within the Hamblets of the Tower of London; and by their
Warrants or otherwise, to require the assistance of all Constables,
Headboroughs, and other Inhabitants whatsoever; and for the
refusing of their or any of their assistance therein, to imprison
their persons as they shall see cause. And be it further
Ordained and Enacted, That the said Committee, or any five or
more of them, shall have power to assemble and call together all
the Inhabitants within the said Hamlets, and them to charge
with Horse or Foot Arms, according to their respective abilities
and capacities, as occasion shall serve. And it is further
Ordained, That the said Committee, or any five or more of them,
shall hereby have full power and authority to assemble, muster,
array and weapon, or cause to be assembled, mustered, arrayed
and weaponed, all such Horse and Foot Forces within the said
Hamblets, and to form them into Companies, Troops and
Regiments; and to make, nominate and appoint, Colonels,
Lieutenant Colonels, Maiors, Captains, and all other Officers of
War, and to grant Commissions unto them, authorizing them
respectively to train, muster & discipline according to order of War,
the said Horse and Foot Forces; and to lead, conduct and imploy
them for the suppression of all Rebellions, Insurrections, Tumults,
or Invasions that may happen within the said Hamblets from
time to time; and further to authorize them with the said
Forces, to oppose seize, secure, disarm, kill and slay, all such
persons as shall cause or make any Tumults, Insurrections or
Invasions, or levy any force against the Authority of Parliament;
and to Lead and Conduct them out of the said Hamblets, for
the purpose aforesaid, if by Parliament they shall be thereunto
ordered or required. And it is futher Enacted and Ordained,
That the said Committee, or any five or more of them, shall
have hereby full power and authority to impose a Fine, not
exceeding Forty shillings, on every person that shall be charged
to finde or serve on Horse, and twenty shillings on every Foot
Soldier, for every day that they shall make default of their aforesaid Service, and to levy the same respective fines by distress,
and for non-payment thereof, or want of sufficient distress, to
Imprison their persons by the space of Ten days, and not longer,
for every such default: And also, That the said Committee, or
any five or more of them, shall hereby have full power and
authority to disarm all Papists, Delinquents, and disaffected
persons, and all such as shall raise and endeavor to raise any
Tumults, Insurrections or Invasions, and to secure and Imprison
their persons if they see cause; and to put the Arms of Papists
and Delinquents, into the Hands of such well-affected persons
as they shall think fit to serve with the said Arms, and to cause
them to pay to such as shall so serve with their Arms, such
reasonable sallary as they shall think fit, not exceeding two
shillings the day and nights duty; and for default of payment
thereof, to levy the same by distress, or to Imprison their persons
as aforesaid: And for the raising of moneys necessary for the
managing of the said Service, and for the payment of sundry
debts contracted by the former Committees for the Militia in the
said Hamblets, the said Committee, or any five or more of them,
are hereby authorized to gather in, or cause by what persons or
instruments they think fit, to be gathered in, the Arrears
of all former Assessments made by all or any of the former
Committees of the Militia there, by vertue of any former Ordinance of Parliament whatsoever; and also to cause a new Rate and
Assessment to be made upon all persons, Lands and Goods within
the said Hamblets, not exceeding the sum of Five hundred pounds;
and to have and use all such power, and give such allowance for
the collecting and receiving of all the said Arrears, and of the said
new Assessment to be made as aforesaid, as is given to the respective
Commissioners named in the Ordinance of the Three and twentieth
of June, One thousand six hundred forty and seven, For the raising
of moneys to be imployed towards the maintenance of the Forces
within this Kingdom, under the Command of his Excellency the
Lord Fairfax. And it is further Enacted and Ordained, That if
any person or persons shall finde him or themselves agrieved
that he or they are over rated, and shall within six days after
demand made, complain to the said Committee, That then the
said Committee, or any five or more of them, shall have power
to relieve such persons, as they shall see just cause. And it is
further Enacted, That if any Constable, Headborough, or other
Peace Officer within the said Hamblets, shall sleight, neglect or
refuse the Service and Authority of Parliament, or to ayd and
assist such as are lawfully deputed and authorized by the Parliament, or their Committees, for the Sevice of the State, That then
the said Committee, or any five or more of them, upon complaint
and just proof made thereof unto them by two witnesses, shall be
hereby impowered and authorized to remove and displace any
Constable, Headborough, or other Officer so offending as aforesaid;
and to nominate and place such other faithful and well-affected
persons in their stead, as they shall think meet: And to present,
and cause such persons as shall be by them so nominated and
chosen as aforesaid, to be sworn by the next Justices of the Peace
within the said Hamblets, unto the aforesaid Offices, according
to Law.