January 1642/3
[27 January 1642/3.]
Whereas His Majesty, by the Advice and Instigation of a
wicked Council about His Person, hath raised Forces against the
Parliament, and hath actually made War against His Great
Council and His good Subjects of the Kingdom, which Forces,
so raised by His Majesty, for the most Part are consisting of
Papists, notorious Delinquents, and other malignant Persons, by
whom the well-affected of this Kingdom are ruinated in their
Estates, and divers Outrages committed upon their Persons;
and forasmuch as Sir Ralph Hopton, and his Adherents, Rebels
and Traitors, combining together in Pursuance of this most horrid,
wicked, and unnatural Design, hath levied divers Forces in the
County of Cornwall, and in a Warlike Manner already entered
into the County of Devon, and besieged, robbed, spoiled, plundered, and pillaged, divers Towns and Places in the said County,
and divers Rapes, Murders, and other Misdemeanors, have
acted and committed upon divers of His Majesty's good Subjects
there, and many of them hath utterly destroyed; and forasmuch
as that now Ruin and Distraction is threatened, not only by that
hellish and accursed Crew, but also by the Welch and other Forces
raised by His Majesty, and in His Name, to the County of Som'sett,
and other the adjacent Counties; the said Counties also being
in Danger by the Invasion of a Foreign Enemy: For prevention
whereof, amongst other the said Counties, the well-affected and good
Subjects in the said County of Som'sett, for Defence of themselves
and the Western Parts, against all such their Enemies, Rebels, and
Traitors, having associated themselves, and raised divers Forces,
both of Horse and Foot, which must be maintained upon the
Public Charge; the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament
do Order, Declare, and Ordain, That the Receivers for the
Subscriptions appointed for the County of Som'sett, upon the
Propositions for raising of Horse, Money, and Plate, for the
Defence of the King, Kingdom, and Parliament, and all
Collectors, Sub-collectors, and others intrusted for the Levying
and Receiving of the said Collections and the said Propositions
in and for the said County of Sumersett, shall forthwith pay in
all such Sum and Sums of Money as by them, or any of
them, hath been collected and received, and not paid in to the
Treasurers in London, according to the said Ordinance, for the
Propositions as aforesaid, unto John Ash Esquire, and Roger Hill
of Taunton Gentleman, Treasurers, hereby appointed to receive
the said Sums so raised and levied as aforesaid, to be employed
to the Uses and Purposes limited and appointed by the said
Ordinance for Subscriptions upon the said Propositions, and to
no other Use, Intent, or Purpose; and that the said Monies, so
subscribed, raised, and gathered as aforesaid, shall not be issued
out by the said Treasurers hereby appointed, but by
Warrant to them made by the Right Honourable the now
Earl of Stamford, Sir John Horner, Sir Thomas Roth,
Sir Francis Popham, Alexander Popham, Hugh Rogers,
Christopher Walker Wm. Strode, Richard Cole, John Francis,
John Harington, John Hippesley, James Ash, John Ash,
John Pym, Henry Samford, William Seaborne, Thomas
Hippesley, Henry Henley, John Preston William Long
or any Three or more of them, under their Hands and Seals,
limit, appoint, and declare; (fn. *) and that the Warrant or Warrants
of the Persons aforesaid, or any Three or more of them, in
Manner as aforesaid, for the issuing out of the said Monies,
together with the Acquittance or Acquittances from the Person
or Persons which shall be appointed by the Persons aforesaid, or
any Three or more of them, for the Receipt of the said Sum or
Sums of Money, according to this Ordinance, shall be a sufficient
Discharge to the Treasurers hereby named for so much as shall
be in such Acquittance or Acquittances, for the
Issuing out and Payment of the said Sum or Sums of Money
respectively; and that the Treasurers shall not at all pay any
Sum or Sums of Money to be by them received, upon any other
Direction, Warrant, or Command whatsoever; And further it is
Ordered and Declared, That the said Receivers appointed by
virtue of the said Ordinance for the Propositions, who were
thereby required to pay, or cause to be paid, the said Monies by
them received, to the Treasurers in London named in the said
Propositions, for so much of the said Monies as they shall pay to
the Treasurers hereby nominated and appointed for the County
of Somersett as aforesaid, having their or either of their
respective Acquittance or Acquittances, shall be discharged, any
Act or Thing heretofore made to the contrary notwithstanding.
Provided, that this Ordinance shall not extend to impeach or
diminish any Order or Ordinance of both Houses of Parliament
formerly made, for disposing of any of the said Monies, or other
Orders made to the Town of Taunton, or other Place in the said
County of Somersett, having thereby obtained an Allowance for
Fortifications out of their own respective Subscriptions and Contributions upon the said Propositions.