June 1644

[13 June, 1644.]

Power to Committee for Salop to execute former Ordinances for Sequestrations and raising of Moneys.; To nominate necessary officers.; Paptists' and Delinquents' Estates to be sequestered.; Committee's Names.; Power to seize and sell all goods of Papists, Delinquents, and Malignants, and use proceeds for maintenance of Forces.; Persons that conceal Papists' or Delinquents' goods to be punished as Malignants.; All that owe moneys to Papists, Malignants, etc., to pay them in to proper persons. Power to Committee to raise moneys, arms, etc., by loan.; And to contract with Lenders for interest not exceeding8 per cent.; To eject scandalous and malignant Ministers and School-masters, and appoint others.; Gentlemen nominated as Committee by former Ord., and that have neglected to serve, to be suspended.; Additional Commissioners.

The Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament taking into their serious considerations, the great oppressions under which the Inhabitants of the Countie of Salop have long suffered by reason of unsupportable Taxes, and unsufferable outrages, and plunderings of the forces raised against the Parliament, to the great distraction and almost ruine of the well-affected of that Countie; And the present condition of that Countie by reason of the great number of Irish Rebels, that have invaded it, and joyned with Papists, and other ill-affected persons, now in Armes in those parts, and the parts adjacent, doth threaten the extirpation of the true Protestant Religion, and the subversion of the fundamentall Lawes and Government of the Kingdome; For the prevention whereof and for the payment of such Forces as are there already raised, and for the raising of others, and reducing it to the obedience of the Parliament; In regard the Countrey is impoverished, and the Gentlemen of that Countie that have raised at their own charges severall forces of Foot and Horse now in the service of that Countie, are not able any longer to undergoe so excessive a charge. It is therefore Ordered and Ordained by the said Lords and Commons: That the Committee for the County of Salop appointed by Ordinance of Parliament of the tenth of April 1643, or any three of them shall have full power and authoritie, and are hereby authorised to put in effectuall execution within the said Countie of Salop, all the severall Ordinances of this Parliament hereafter mentioned. The Ordinance for Sequestration of Papists and Delinquents Estates, the Ordinance for Leavying of Money by way of Excize, or New Impost, the Ordinance for raising of Moneys by taxing such as have not at all contributed, or not according to their Estates; the Ordinance for the weekly Assessement. And all other Ordinances made this present Parliament for the advance of Moneys in the severall Counties of the Kingdome, but never could be put in execution in the Countie of Salop, in regard it hath been, and is under the Command of the King's forces; And that the said Committee, or any three of them shall have power, and authority to nominate and appoint all Officers that shall be necessarie for the speedy execution of the said Ordinances, and to Administer such Oathes, and give such allowance unto the severall officers, and persons imployed in the execution thereof, as by the true meaning of the said Ordinances are appointed, and also to call to accompt all such persons of that Countie, as have or shall receive any Moneys by Authoritie of Parliament, and the same and all other Moneys raised by vertue of the said Ordinances, to take and receive for the maintenance of such Forces, as the said Committee shall raise for the service of the said Countie, saving unto the Commissioners for the Excise, power and authoritie to nominate and appoint the officers for the Excise in the said Countie, according to a late Ordinance of Parliament in that case provided; And for the more speedy raising of Moneys for the present necessary service of that Countie: It is further Ordered and Ordained by the said Lords and Commons, That the personall estates of all Papists and Delinquents of that Countie; as have been, are, or shall be active in this unnaturall Warre against the Parliament, shall be seized, sequestred, and secured for the present service of that Countie; And for the more speedy putting of this Ordinance in execution, The persons hereafter mentioned shall be as a Committee, for the procuring and advancing of Moneys by way of Sequestration for the service of the said Countie, viz: William Pierepont, Esquire; Sir William Brereton and Sir John Corbet, Baronets; Sir Thomas Middleton, Knight; Robert Wallop, and Walter Long, Esquires; W. Berkeley, Alderman of London; Collonel Thomas Mitton, W. Arsherst, Harcourt Leighton, John Bradshaw, Humphrey Mackworth, Andrew Lloyd, Thomas Nichols, Humphrey Edwards, John Heylin, Samuel Moore, W. Spurfloe, John Corbet, Thomas Hunt, Robert Clive, Robert Charleton, Esquires; Leighton Owen, Thomas Moore, Silvanus Taylor, Samuel Kinaston, Arthur Ward of Cotton, Christopher Meredith, Francis Shute, Gent. And they or any three of them shall, and may by themselves or their Ministers authorized by any three of them in London, and within the Bills of Mortalitie, with the assistance of one or more of the Sequestrators of London, seize, sequester, and secure the Moneys, Plate, Goods, Jewels, Debts, and personall Estates in the custodie, or belonging to any such Papists, Delinquents, or Malignants of the said Countie, or the Estates of any other Malignants or Delinquents which shall amount to the value of three thousand pounds, which they shall discover within the City of London, and within twenty miles of the same within foure Moneths after this Ordinance shall be past, which have not been formerly but by them discovered; And also they, or any three of them shall, and may receive such evidence as shall be offered against such persons to prove their delinquencie, and the same certifie unto the Committee of Lords and Commons for Sequestration, or any three of them; And after such certificate and allowance of the said Sequestrations by the said Committee, or any three of them, that then the last named Committee, or any three of them, shall and may sell and dispose of such Plate, Jewels, Goods, Debts and moneys for the maintenance of such Forces as are or shall be raised, as aforesaid, rendring an account thereof to the Parliament, or unto such as shall be by them appointed; And the aforenamed Committee, or any three of them shall have power and authoritie to seize, and sequester the Estates of all such Papists, Malignants, and Delinquents of the said Countie, wheresoever they shall discover any that have not been before sequestred, but by them discovered; And the same to improve, receive, and take for the service of the said County and give receipts for the said moneys, debts, and goods, which shall be a sufficient discharge unto such person or persons from whom the same shall be had or received, And it is further Ordered and Ordained, that if any person shall conceale the Arms, Plate, Goods, Jewels, Debts, or personall estate of any such Papists or Delinquents of that County, and shall not discover the same, and unto whom he delivered it (if he be thereunto required) to the said Committee or any three of them, if afterwards the said Committee doe discover that such person or persons did voluntarily conceale any such goods, or was privie to such concealment, he shall be therefore deemed, and taken as a Malignant, and shall forfeit treble the value thereof, and that then, and from thenceforth the said Committee, or any three of them, by them or their Ministers, are hereby authorized to seize, sequester, and secure, so much of the Moneys, Goods, Plate, Jewels, Debts, and personall estate of such person or persons as shall amount to the said treble value, and the same to certifie as aforesaid, and the same to sell and dispose of for the service of the said Countie, and the maintenance of such Forces as are or shall be raised by the said Committee; And all such persons that do owe any moneys unto any such Papists, Malignants or Delinquents, are hereby required forthwith to make payment thereof unto such person or persons as shall be authorized to receive the same, under the hand of any three of the said Committee; And it is further Ordered and Ordained, That the Committee hereby particularly named or any three of them, shall have power, and authority to send for the Gentlemen and others of the said County, and to use all the best means they can to procure them, or any of them, to lend, and Advance Moneys, Armes, and other provisions, for the reducing of the said County, to the obedience of Parliament; And such Moneys as shall be lent, to receive and give such Allowance for the repayment thereof, as by a former Ordinance for Association of the said County, with other Counties, is in that behalte provided, and to dispose of the same to the use of the said County: And it is further Ordered and Ordained, That if any person shall or will adventure, any Moneys, Horse or Armes, or other provisions for warre in the service of the said County, That the said Committee, or any three of them, shall have power and authority to contract with such persons, for such reasonable profit for his goods so adventured, as they can agree upon, so that the same doe not exceed eight pounds per cent. And that a note of such goods so adventured under the hands of any three of the said Committee, shall be a sufficient authority for such persons to require the same with the benefit contracted for from the Committee out of the sequestrations of that County, within six moneths after the same County shall be reduced to the Obedience of the Parliament. And it is further Ordered and Ordained, That the Committee for the County of Salop, or any five of them, shall have power and authority to call before them all Ministers and Schoolemasters within the said County, that are scandalous in their lives, or ill-affected to the Parliament, or fomenters of this unnaturall warre, or have deserted their place of residence, not being imployed in the service of the Parliament: And they shall have power to send for any witnesses and examine any complaint or testimony against them, upon Oathes of such persons as shall and may be produced to give evidence against them; And upon such proofes of the aforesaid crimes, the said Committee, or any five of them, have hereby power to remove and eject all such scandalous Ministers and Schoolmasters, and in their place, (calling to their assistance, any three or more of the ablest and Orthodox Divines of the said County,) to nominate and appoint such learned, able, godly and fit persons as they 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, receive and perceive, to their own uses, the profits and revenues belonging to the said severall Churches, in as large and ample manner as the severall Ministers and persons in the said severall places have formerly used to doe; And whereas certaine Gentlemen of the said County, were by Ordinance of Parliament of the tenth of Aprill, 1643. nominated as a Committee for the advancement of the Parliament service in that County, who have refused and neglected to engage themselves with other Gentlemen of the said County in the said service, by reason of which the said County hath much suffered, and the service much retarded, It is therefore Ordered and Ordained, That such Gentlemen of the said County nominated as a Committee by the said Ordinance, that have not as yet appeared in the service of the Parliament in that County, nor been assistant with the Committee according to the tenure of the said Ordinance, shall be suspended from executing any power, or sit with the said Committee; And for the better carriage of the said service, It is Ordered and Ordained that the persons hereafter nominated, shall bee added to the said Committee viz. Harcourt Leighton, Humphrey Edwards, Robert Clive Leighton Owens, and Robert Charleton of Apley, Esquires.