July, 1644
[10 July, 1644.]
Names of Committee for Leicester Militia.; Power to raise Forces.; Appoint Officers.; Levy Tax for maintenance of Forces.; And nominate Collectors and Treasurers.; Persons to be rated in respect of estate in County.; In case of Lands let, who to pay Tax.; Injuries to be rectified by Committee.; Penalties for faulty Assessors, Collectors, etc.; Treasurer to keep Register.; Allowance to Collectors and Treasurers.; Sums imposed on Landlords to be paid by Tenants and defalked by them out of next Rents.; Indemnity to tenants.; Said Forces not to be withdrawn without consent of Committee.; Indemnity to Committee, etc.
Whereas the Countie of Leicester is in very great danger
by the frequent Incursions of the Enemies Forces and
Garrisons in and neere it; by reason whereof, neither the
persons nor the goods of the Inhabitants and well-affected to
the Parliament, are secure in any part of the Countie.
For prevention of further danger and mischiefe, and for the
better securing of that Countie, by reducing and putting the
same into a better condition and posture of defence, The Lords
and Commons in Parliament assembled, taking the premisses
into their serious consideration, have thought fit to Order and
Ordaine, and be it Ordered, Ordained, and established as
followeth, That Thomas Lord Grey of Groby, Theophilus Grey,
Esquire; Sir Arthur Haselrig, Sir Arthur Lister, Sir Edward
Hartopp junior, Knights; Thomas Babington the elder,
William Bembridge, Peter Temple, Arthur Standley, Henry
Smith of Witchcock, Thomas Haselrig, Francis Hacker, John
Goodman, and William Hewer, Esquires; William Stanley,
Richard Ludlam, and Edward Cradock, All of them
Inhabitants of the said Countie of Leicester, shall be and are
hereby appointed to be a Committee for the Militia of the
said County; And that the said Committee or any five or more
of them shall have power from time to time (upon any
emergent occasion as to them shall seeme fit) to raise and continue
such forces of Horse and Foot out of the respective Townes,
Townships Liberties, and places in the said Countie as shall
appeare to be needfull for the necessary defence of the Towne
and County, and also for the suppressing and destroying of the
Enemy, And further the said Committee or any five of them shall
have power to nominate and appoint Commanders, Collonels
Captaines and Officers over the said Forces; And further to
enable them to raise, maintaine and pay such Forces. The said
Committee, or any five of them are hereby authorised to Assesse,
Taxe, or nominate Assessors, to take Tax or Leavy upon the respective Townes, Townships, Liberties, persons and places within
the said Countie in an equall way according to their Faculties
and abilities, or according to the most usuall proportions of
rates in the last weekly Assessements, there weekly to be Collected, or otherwise such summe or sums of mony as they shall
judge fit and requisite for the said Forces not exceeding the sum
of six hundred pounds by the week; And to nominate Collectors, and one or more Treasurer or Treasurers, which Collectors are by them to be appointed to leavy the said summes,
together with the necessary charges which shall be expended in
the Collecting thereof by way of Distresse and sale of the goods
of the person or persons so assessed, in case he or they refuse to
pay the same within three dayes after demand given or left in
writing at the usuall dwelling of him or them, And the said Collectors may call to their assistants, the Constables and Headboroughs, or any of the companies of Voluntiers, or other Officers
in the said County, and to pay them reasonable allowance, not
exceeding twelve pence in the pound out of the Offenders estates
who are hereby required to be ayding and assisting to the said
Collectors in the premisses, as they will answer the contrary
thereof. And be it Ordained, that every person shall be rated
for the state he hath in the severall places in the said Countie;
And if Land be lett or sett neere the value thereof, such person
or persons to whom the rent thereof belongeth to be solely chargeable therewith; But if the same be lett under value then the
summe taxed to be apportioned betwixt the partie and him who
receives the rent as the taxers shall thinke fit, And if they or any
of them shall doe injurie in making the said assessments, the
same to be rectified by the said Committee, or any five of them
according to their discretions, And if any Assessors, Collectors,
or Constables, shall refuse the said service, or prove negligent
or faulty therein, the said Committee, or any five of them shall
have power to commit such assessors, Collectors, or Constables
to prison, for one moneth. or to sett a fine upon him or them as
they shall thinke fit, not exceeding the summe of ten pounds
upon every offence, the said fine to be leavied by distresse and
sale of the offendors goods. And it is Ordained that the
Treasurers appointed by the said Committee shall keep a
Register book of the summes received and paid out by them, so
that they may give a just and perfect Accompt thereof unto the
said Committee, when they shall be by them required, And for
the better encouragement of the said Collectors and Treasurers;
It is Ordained that two pence in the pound, shall be allowed unto
the said Collectors for every summe of Money collected and paid
by them to the said Treasurer or Treasurers, and one penny in
the pound for the said Treasurer and Treasurers for every summe
of money received and disbursed by them according to this Ordinance; And it is also Ordained, that whatsoever summes of
money are or shall be set or imposed by vertue of this Ordinance
upon any Landlords, for, or in respect of any Lands or Hereditaments held of them, the said summes of money shall be paid
by their severall respective Tenants, and they shall deduct and
defaulk the same out of the next Rents payable by them to their
Landlords. And for their so doing, the said Tenants, their
Heires, Executors, Administrators, or Assignes, from any Graunt,
Covenant, Condition or Writing, Obligation, or other matter
whatsoever made to the contrary, shall by vertue of this Ordinance be fully discharged. And it is Ordered and Ordained by
the authority aforesaid, that the said Forces raised, and to be
raised, shall not be drawne forth or kept, or continued forth upon
any service without the knowledge and consent of the said Committee, or the Major part of them, or without particular directions of Parliament. And be it lastly Ordained, that the said
Committee, Treasurers, Collectors, Assessors, and every of them,
and every other person that shall be ayding and assisting to
them, or any of them, in doing any thing by vertue of this Ordinance shall be defended, and saved harmlesse therein by
authority of both Houses of Parliament.