March 1643
[25 March, 1643.]
Commissioners to repay themselves £20,000 out of Customs with interest.; And not to be dismissed without Order of Parliament until repaid; Commissioners to defalk quarterly £2,500, and other allowances during employment
Whereas Thomas Andrews, John Fowke, Richard Chambers,
and William Berkley, Aldermen of the City of London, Maurice Thompson, Francis Allen, James Russell, and Stephen
Estwick Merchants, according to divers propositions voted
and assented unto by the Honourable House of Commons
the 14 of January last, are by an Ordinance of both Houses
of Parliament, Ordained and constituted to be Collectors or
Commissioners, enabled to receive all such summes of money as
shall at any time hereafter be paid for customs, or advanced
by way of Loane, or otherwise for and in respect of goods and
Merchandizes exported out of, and imported into the port of
London, and all other ports within the Realme of England,
dominion of Wales and Town of Berwick, and have advanced
by way of Loane for the supply of the pressing necessities of
the Navy the summe of twenty thousand pounds lawfull money.
It is now ordeined by the Lords and Commons in Parliament,
that the said Commissioners shall repay unto themselves by way
of defalcation out of the one half of the said Receipts the aforesaid
summe of 20000l., with interest for the same after the rate of
8l. per cent. for a yeare, at the end of six moneths next to
be elapsed and expired, to be accounted from the one and
twentieth day of January last when the said money was paid.
It is likewise ordeined by the said Lords and Commons, that the
said Commissioners shall continue in the said employment for
one entire yeare, to begin from the 25 of March 1643. And
shall not be displaced nor dismissed from the said imployment
without Order of both Houses of Parliament, nor untill they be
reimbursed the said 20000l. advanced and lent as aforesaid, and all
other summe and summes of money which they shall at any time or
times here after further advance, or disburse with interest, after the
rate of 8l. per cent. per annum for the same, and be likewise paid
all such allowance and salary for the said service as shall be in
areare and unpaid at the time of such their dismission and
discharge. And that the said Commissioners shall quarterly
defalke the summe of two thousand five hundred pounds and
all such other allowances as the former Commissioners have
had out of the said Collections and receipts, for their performance
of the service aforesaid, during the whole time of their said imployment and shall be allowed the same upon their accompts, and
as for all payments to be from time to time made by the said
Commissioners or their Deputies aswell to Merchants and
others for customes of goods exported which formerly were
imported according to the orders annexed to the last Booke of
rates, as also to Clerks and every other person which they shall
find necessary to be imployed in this service under them the said
Commissioners or their deputy or deputies by their appointment
and Order shall issue the said payments out of the receipts
aforesaid and be likewise allowed the same in their Accompts.