March, 1644/5
[3 March, 1644/5.]
Whereas the County of Essex in obedience to an Ordinance of
Parliament, intituled, An Ordinance for putting the Associated
Counties into a posture of Defence, hath raysed a considerable
number of Horse, Foot, and Dragoones, and must be at great
charges in maintaining of adjute Officers, to order and exercise
the said Forces, and other trained Regiments, and in providing
other things requisite for the defence and safety of the said
County, And without the raising of Moneys to defray the said
charge, the County cannot be put into such a Posture as is
necessary.
Charge of £300 monthly on Essex.
It is therefore Ordained by the Lords and Commons in Parliament assembled, and by Authority of the same, that for the intents and purposes aforesaid, there shall bee monethly charged,
rated, taxed, and leavied upon the said County, from the first of
February, 1644. the summe of three hundred pounds a moneth,
untill the first day of December next, if this unnaturall War shall
so long continue.
Ord. 15 Feb. 1644 applied.; Committees Powers.
And be it further Ordained, that every person or persons, that
were, or are to be assessed or taxed by vertue of an Ordinance
intituled, An Ordinance for raising and maintaining of Forces
for the defence of the Kingdome, under the Command of Sir
Thomas Fairfax, shall be assessed and taxed by this Ordinance,
in the same manner as they are or may be assessed and taxed by
vertue of the said recited Ordinance, and shall be lyable to as
great forfeitures, and penalties, for the not paying the summe or
summes to be assessed, as they should or might have been, if the
same had been assessed by the said recited Ordinance, and the
Committees named and trusted in the said last recited Ordinance
to take care for the assessing, collecting or leavying of any
moneys in the said County, are named and trusted in this Ordinance, and have as full power and authority given them by this
Ordinance to nominate and appoint Collectors and Assessors, and
to leavy, distraine, fine, imprison, or sequester, as they or any of
them have by vertue of the said last recited Ordinance.
To whom moneys to be paid and how disposed.
And the said Collectors shall pay the severall summes by them
collected, to the high Constables of the severall Hundreds, and
the Mayors or other head Officers of Corporations respectively,
within the said County, who shall pay over the said moneys to
such Treasurers, as shall be appointed by the Lord-Lievtenant,
Deputy-Lievtenants, of the said County, or any three or more of
them who are to issue forth the same, for the use and service of
the said County, by the Vote of the Major part of the said
Deputy-Lievtenants present, or any three of them present, and by
their Order in the pursuance thereof under their hands, and not
otherwise.
Allowances to Collectors, etc
And it is further Ordained, that threepence in the pound shall
bee allowed for every summe of money which shall be collected
and payd, whereof one penny shall be for the Collectors, one penny
for the high Constables and Mayors, or other head Officers of
Corporations, and one penny for the Treasurers.
Treasurers to keep Register; Power to Committees to call Treasurers, etc., to account.
And the Treasurers shall keep a Register book of the severall
summes received and payed by them, and the said Committees,
or any three of them, have hereby power given them, to call all
Treasurers, Mayors, and other head Officers of Corporations, high
Constables, Collectors, and others, that have, or at any time shall
be thought to have any of the said moneys in their hands, or any
moneys due upon the Ordinance, for the new posture, to an
accompt, and if any of them shall refuse to accompt, or to pay in
their moneys wherewith they are charged, then the said Committees, or any three of them, shall fine them double the summe
charged upon them, which if it be not payd within six dayes after
the summe is set, and notice thereof left, at his or their dwelling
house, It shall be lawfull to distraine for the same, and if there
be not sufficient distresse wherewith to satisfie, then the said
Committees may imprison the offender herein, and sequester his
estate untill the money charged, and the fine sett, be leavied and
payd.
Penalty on negligent officers.
And in case the said Treasurers, Mayors, and other head Officers
of Corporations, high Constables, or Collectors to be nominated
as aforesaid, shall refuse or neglect to leavy, or receive the
summes of money to be assessed, and sett by vertue of this Ordinance, or the Ordinance for the new posture, It shall be lawfull
for the Committees, or any three of them, to fine the said
Treasurers, Mayors or other head Officers of Corporations, High
Constables, or Collectors, not exceeding the summe of ten pounds,
and to leavy the same by way of distresse, and the sale of their
goods, or by imprisonment as they shall thinke fit.