September 1643: An Ordinance for the due and orderly receiving and collecting of the Kings, Queens and Princes Revenue, and the arrears thereof.

September 1643

[21 September, 1643.]

King, Queen and Princes Revenue shall be seized on; By whom the same shall be received.; Committee for the Revenue to appoint persons in room of such as are sequestred.

The Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament taking into their serious considerations the many heavy pressures, and most grievous calamities which now lie upon this Kingdome by this bloudy and unnatural War raised against the Parliament, and that notwithstanding all their faithfull and constant endeavours for the preserving of His Majesty and the whole Kingdome from the most cruel and endless Designs of Papists, Delinquents, and ill-affected Persons; yet their counsels and practices are still so prevalent with His Majesty, and the hearts of many people so misled and beguiled by their false pretences and specious insinuations, that nothing can be expected but the extirpation and final subversion of our Religion, Laws, and Liberties, unless God of his infinite mercy prevent it, and incline His Majesties heart to the faithfull Advice of His great Councel of Parliament, which hath ever been, and is (under God) the chief support of his Royal Crown and Dignity, and the security of all that we have or can enjoy; and for that it is found by wofull experience, that divers ill-affected Persons, by pretence of His Majesties authority, have and do still daily seize upon divers and sundry great sums of Money, raised and collected in divers parts of this Kingdome by Acts and Ordinances of Parliament for the relief of the poor distressed Protestants in Ireland, the suppressing and subduing of those most barbarous and bloudy Rebels, and for defence of this Kingdome and Parliament, and do divert and imploy the same, and likewise His Majesties Revenue, and all other moneys of the well-affected Persons whatsoever by rapine or violence they can lay hands on; to the fomenting, nourishing, and maintaining of these miserable distractions, and unnatural War: And the Lords and Commons omitting no opportunity, nor neglecting any fitting means which they conceived might divert the said War here, so violently pressed forwards by Papists, Delinquents, illaffected Persons, and the Rebels of Ireland; did formely Ordain, That the Officers of the Receipt, Court of Wards and Liveries, Receivers, and others, should not repair unto Oxford, but attend their service here in the usual places: Yet in contempt of the same and other Ordinances, some Officers are gone to Oxford, divers convey sundry sums of Money thither, and others neglect their service, to the great prejudice and disservice of the Commonwealth: And to the intent that His Majesties Revenue might no more be misapplied, and that the same may be imployed for the good of His Majesty and the Commonwealth: The Lords and Commons therefore do Ordain, and be it Ordained by the said Lords and Commons, That all His Majesties, the Queens, and Princes Revenue, of what nature or kind soever, certain or casual, within the view or survey of the Court of Exchequer, Court of Wards and Liveries, Dutchy of Lancaster, Dutchy of Cornwal, or in any other Court or Jurisdiction whatsoever within this Realm of England, Dominion of Wales, and Port and Town of Barwick, together with all the Arrears thereof, and all other debts and sums of money whatsoever any way due to His Majesty, the Queen, or Prince, shall be seized upon and received by the persons hereafter named, or such others as at any time hereafter shall be appointed and nominated by the Committee for the Revenue, which said Persons or Receivers in each several County or Counties, Cities or places, for which they are or shall be appointed respectively, are hereby authorized and required by themselves, their Agents and Deputies, to take and seize into their hands and custodies, all and every His Majesties, the Queens, and Princes Honours, Mannors, Lands, Tenements, and Hereditaments, Rents, Arrerages of Rents, Revenues, and Profits whatsoever, within the said Realm of England, Dominion of Wales, and Port and Town of Barwick, and to let, set, and demise the same or any part thereof, from year to year; And shall have power to call before them all Stewards, Auditors, Receivers, Bailiffs, Collectors, or any other Officer or Officers whatsoever and to send for or take any Books of Accounts, Rentals, Copies, of Court-Roll, or any other Writings touching the premises, and thereby, and by all other ways and means which to them shall seem meet and necessary, to inform themselves of the said Revenues, Debts, and Arrears thereof, and of all things concerning the same, and to appoint any subordinate Officer or Officers and Ministers under them, for the better expediting of this service; which said subordinate Officers and Ministers are hereby authorized and enjoyned to perform and execute all and every their commands respectively in and concerning the premises, and shall have such allowances for their pains and charges in that behalf, as the respective Persons or Receivers appointed for the several Counties, Cities or Places shall think fit, the same being approved of by the Committee for the Revenue: And that all such Stewards, Auditors, Receivers, Bailiffs, Collectors, or any other Officer or Officers whatsoever, which have not submitted themselves to the commands and directions of any former Ordinance of Parliament, or to the Committee for the Revenue; and likewise all other such Officers, which shall not yield obedience to this Ordinance of Parliament, or to the Committee for the Revenue, shall stand sequestred from their several Offices respectively, and from the receiving and enjoying any profit or benefit of or for the same: And the Committee for the Revenue or any five shall have power, and are hereby authorized to nominate and appoint other meet, fit and trusty persons to supply and execute those Offices and Places which are or shall be Sequestred as aforesaid.

Farmers, Tenants, and others required to make payment.; Distrain; Who shall be Receiver General.; Quictus est.; Assistance.

And the said Persons or Receivers nominated or to be nominated as aforesaid, their Agents and Deputies within their several limits respectively, shall have power, and are hereby authorized and required to enter into all and every his Majesties, the Queens and Princes Honours, Manours, Lands, Tenements, and Hereditaments, Courts and Offices, and to receive such Rents, arrearages of Rents, Herriots, Issues, Profits, sums of money, Debts, and other duties, as are or shall be due and payable for or out of the same: And the Fee-farmers, Farmers, and the Tenants thereof, Officers and all others are required to pay the same accordingly, to the said Persons or Receivers, or to such other Officers or Receivers, as shall be thereunto appointed by vertue and according to the direction of this Ordinance, and to no other person whatsoever. And the said Fee-farmers, Farmers, Tenants, and all others which shall pay any Rent, sum of money, or other thing, according to this Ordinance, shall be protected and saved harmless from any forfeiture, penalty, or dammage, which he or they may incur by not payment of his or their said Rent, sum of money, or other thing, according to his or their Grant, Lease, Copy, or other agreement, by the power and authority of both Houses of Parliament. And if any Sheriff, Receiver, Collector, or any other Officer of any Court whatsoever, shall refuse to pay the moneys from time to time remaining in their hands, any Fee-farmer, Farmer, or Tenant, shall refuse to pay his or their rents, or any others shall refuse to pay their particular debts to the hands of the said Persons or Receivers in the several and respective Counties, Cities and Places, at such times as the same shall become due and payable, or to the Receiver General hereby appointed, then the said Persons or Receivers for the several Counties, Cities and Places, shall have power to distrain for the same, and to take all other advantages for non payment thereof, as his Majesty, the Queen and Prince their Officers or Ministers might have done, and they shall have power to sue for and recover any debt, sum of money, or other duty owing to his Majesty, the Queen or Prince by any person whatsoever, and also to give discharges and acquittances for any Rent, sum of money, debts, duty, or other thing, which they shall receive by vertue of this Ordinance, and shall be accomptable from time to time for the same, and for all such other things as shall be had, received, or taken by them, their Agents or Deputies, and for all their Receipts and Payments, and other Acts for or in respect of the premisses to the Committee for the Revenue, or to such as they shall appoint; and shall pay in from time to time all such sums of money as they or any of them shall receive by vertue of this Ordinance, unto Thomas Faulconbridge Esquire at Westminster (who is hereby constituted and appointed Receiver-General of all such sums of money as shall be received or raised by vertue of this Ordinance) and shall be from time to time subject to the further orders and directions of the Committee for the Revenue; And the Acquittances of the said Receiver General, and of the said Persons or Receivers in the several Counties, Cities and places, Courts and Offices respectively, shall be as good and sufficent discharge for the sums of money therein contained, as if the same were paid into the receipt of the Exchequer, or into any other usual Court or place. And the Barons of the Exchequer, and all other Offices and Ministers of the same, and other Courts and places respectively, are hereby required and authorized to give full allowances thereof, and thereupon to make forth quietus est, and other discharges according to the course and custome of the several Courts and places. And the said Persons or Receivers, their Agents and Deputies, shall have power to call to their aid and assistance the Trained Bands, Voluntiers or other Forces, and any other Officer or Minister of Justice, of or within their several Counties, Cities or places respectively, or any other person or persons dwelling in or near the place, to compel obedience to this Ordinance, where any resistance shall be made, or as oft as need shall require, and shall have power to punish such person or persons as they shall finde refractory, negligent, or faulty in the said service, by fine and imprisonment, such fine not exceeding the sum of twenty pounds, or to certifie their names to the Committee for the Revenue who shall have power to send for them, or any of them, and commit them to such Prisons and places as they shall think fit, until they shall conform themselves to this present Ordinance of Parliament. And the said Trained Bands, Voluntiers, and other Forces, their Commanders and Officers, and also the several Constables, Headboroughs, and other Officers and persons within their several and respective limits, are hereby required and enjoyned to be aiding and assisting to the said persons or Receivers, their Agents and Deputies, as oft as they shall be thereunto required.

How the Revenue shall be disposed.

And it is further ordained and declared by the said Lords and Commons, That all and every the said Revenues, Rents, Profits, Debts and sums of money whatsoever, shall be imployed to and for such uses and services as are or shall be directed by the Committee for the Revenue.

And it is likewise further Ordained, That all and every the said Persons or Receivers, Receiver-General, Auditors, and other Officers, and Ministers imployed in this service by the Committee for the Revenue, or any five of them, shall have such allowances for their necessary charges and pains in and about the premisses, as the said Committee shall think fit; and that as well they as all others who shall be imployed in the said service, or shall do any thing in execution or performance of this Ordinance, shall be therein protected and saved harmless by the power and authority of both the said Houses.

And lastly, it is Ordained; That the said Committee for the Revenue, or any five of them, shall have power, and be hereby enabled to do and execute any other act or acts, thing or things, they shall think fit for the better and more speedy collecting, levying, advancing, and receiving of all and every the said revenues, debts, and sums of money before mentioned.

Colledges Hospitals, Schools, &c., provided for.

Provided and be it further Ordained, That all and singular such revenues, rents, issues, fees, profits and sums of money and allowances whatsoever, as have heretofore usually been and now ought to be paid and disposed unto or for the maintenance of any Colledge or Hospital (whose revenues, or any part thereof, have not been imployed for maintenance of the War against the Parliament) Grammar School, or Schollers, or for, or towards the reparation of any Church, Chappel, Highway, Cawsey, Bridge, Schoole-house, or other charitable use, which are chargeable upon or ought to issue out of, or be paid for, or in respect of any the Honours, Mannors, Lands, Tenements, or Hereditaments, Revenues or profits aforesaid, shall be and continue to be paid, disposed, and allowed of, as they were and have been heretofore.