July 1644: An Ordinance for raising and maintaining of Horse and Foot for the defence and preservation of the County of Wilts, and the Garrison of Malmsbury.

July, 1644

[15 July, 1644.]

Committee for Wiltshire.; Power to raise Moneys, etc., by Loan.; To give Acquitances; To put former Ords. for raising of money in execution.; To use such moneys for maintenance of Forces.; To let Sequestered Lands for repayment of moneys, etc., lent.; Public Faith for repayment to those that do not get full satisfaction.

Whereas the said County of Wilts, and the Inhabitants thereof for the space of almost two years now last past, have laine under the intollerable Pressures, Taxes, Impositions and Plunderings of the Enemies Forces, by meanes whereof they are now in a very sad condition; for remedy whereof there is great and urgent necessity that such a competent number of Horse, Foot, and Armes should be forthwith raised as may defend and preserve the said County, and maintain the Garrison of Malmsbury. The Lords and Commons in Parliament assembled taking the Premises into their serious consideration doe Declare, Order and Ordain, and be it hereby Ordered, Declared, and Ordained, That Philip Earle of Pembroke and Mountgomery, William Earle of Salisbury, Philip Lord Herbert, Charles Lord Cramborne; Denzill Hollis, Esquire; Sir Edward Hungerford, Knight of the Bath; Sir Francis Popham, Sir Neville Poole, Knight; Sir Edward Baynton, Knight; Edward Baynton, Alexander Poppam, Walter Long, Edward Poole, Robert Jennour, Thomas Hodges, Richard Whitehead, Thomas Moore, John Ash, Robert Nicholas, William Wheeler, Philip Smith, and Edward Ash, Esquires; Sir John Danvers, Knight; Edmond Ludlow senior, Edmond Ludlow, junior, Alexander Thistlethwayte, William Sadler, Edward Goddard, Thomas Bennet of Norton, Robert Hippisley and Edmond Warnford Esquires; John Goddard, Edward Martin, Gabriel Martin, Robert Long of Waddon, Thomas Goddard, Edward Stokes, Richard Talboys, Richard Gifford, William Jesse, Humphrey Ditton Thomas Baily, Robert Good, and Robert Brown, Gentlemen; shall be and hereby are nominated a Committee of and for the said County, and that they, or any three or more of them shall hereby have full power and authority to take the subscriptions of all such persons as will voluntarily lend or contribute any summe or summes of Money, Plate, Horse, or Armes towards the supplies and provisions aforesaid, and other necessaries for the advancement of the said service; which summe or summes of Money, Plate, Horse, or Armes, to be subscribed, lent, and contributed as aforesaid, the said Committees or three or any more of them, shall and may receive and imploy to and for the service aforesaid, and give Notes or Acquittances for the severall summes of Money, Plate, Horse, or Armes so received (which said Notes or acquittances shall be a sufficient specialty for the severall persons that shall lend or contribute any Money, Plate, Horse, or Armes as aforesaid, to demand repayment thereof or the value thereof, with such increase as shall be agreed upon, so as the same shall not exceed eight pounds per centum.) And for the better enabling the said Committees to make repayment of such Moneys, and the value of such Plate, Horse and Armes, as shall be lent for the purposes aforesaid, and for the raising, maintenance, and supplies of the Forces raised, and to be raised for the purposes aforesaid, from time to time as need shall require. Be it further Ordained by the Lords and Commons, That the said Committees, or any three or more of them shall have the power and authority to put in execution within the said County the severall Ordinances of this present Parliament hereafter mentioned: that is to say, The Ordinances for Sequestration of Malignants, Delinquents and Papists estates; the Ordinance for raising of Money by taxing such as have not at all contributed, or not according to their Estates; the Ordinance for weekly Assessements, and all other Ordinances made this present Parliament for advance of Money through the whole Kingdome of England, and Dominion of Wales, for the service of the King and Parliament, so farre-forth as any of them have not been already fully executed within the County aforesaid, except the Ordinance for Excise and new Impost, the proceed of all which Excise and new Impost raised, and to be raised within the said County, shall be payed unto the said Committee, or any three or more of them, to be issued and laid forth for the usages and purposes aforesaid, which shall be a sufficient discharge to the Commissioners of Excise in that behalfe. And the Commissioners of Excise are authorized, and hereby required from time to time to issue their Warrants to their inferiour Officers within the said County, for payment of the said Moneys accordingly: And that the said Committees, or any three or more of them, take care of the full and due execution of the said Ordinances, according to the tenour and true meaning of the same respectively, And for the more speedy raising of Moneys for the repayment of such summes, and the value of such Plate, Horse, or Armes, as shall be brought in by Subscriptions, as aforesaid, bee it Ordained by the Lords and Commons, that the said Committees, or any three or more of them, shall have hereby full power and authority to set and let the Lands, Tenements, and hereditaments of all Malignants, Delinquents, and Papists which shall be seized and sequestred according to the Ordinance of Parliament for Sequestrations within the said County, from yeare to yeare, or by Lease or Leases for the intents and purposes aforesaid, so long as the said Sequestration shall continue. And in case the said Subscribers or Lenders shall not receive full satisfaction of their principall Money and Interest to be lent and subscribed as aforesaid, out of the Estates of Malignants, Delinquents, and Paptist, and other provision as aforesaid, that then the said Subscribers and Lenders, and every of them, are by vertue of this Ordinance to have the publique Faith of the Kingdome for repayment of such summe and summes as shall be due unto them.

Committees may appoint all necessary officers for execution of Ord.; Issue moneys by Warrants.; Call Collectors, etc., to account on Oath.; Make allowances to all employed in execution of Ord.

And be it further Ordained that the said Committees, or any three or more of them shall have full power and authority to name and appoint such Solicitors, Treasurers, Collectors, and other Officers within the said County as they shall thinke fit and convenient, for the better putting in execution of all and every the aforesaid of Ordinances of Parliament, and of this present Ordinance of Parliament, as well for the more speedy and better putting in execution of the said Ordinances, and the receiving of all or any the said Moneys; as also for issuing out of the same for the purposes aforesaid by Warrants under the hands of the said Committee, or any three or more of them they shall appoint, and to call to an accompt from time to time upon Oath, all such Sollicitors, Collectors, and other persons who shall receive any Moneys, Plate, Horse, or Armes, by vertue of this present Ordinance of Parliament, for the services aforesaid, and to give such fitting and reasonable allowances unto such persons as shall be imployed in the execution of the Ordinances aforesaid, and of this present Ordinance, or any of them for their charges and paines therein, as the said Committees, or any three or more of them shall thinke fit.

Proviso.

Provided, that such allowance shall not exceed the respective Rates allowed by the said severall Ordinances in other Counties of the Kingdome, for putting the said Ordinance in execution.

Power to Committee to call to account all that have not fully accounted.

And the said Committees, or any three or more of them, are hereby enabled and authorised, to call to accompt upon Oath, all such person and persons of the said County, as have received any Moneys by authority of Parliament which they have not yet fully accompted for and made even payment of. And the said Committees, or any three or four of them, are also hereby authorised to administer the severall Oaths specified in the former Ordinances to such Commissioners or persons as have not already taken the same.

Committees to take Musters.; Soldiers and Troopers to make good Horses and Arms lost, unless in active service.

And be it further Ordained by the Lord and Commons, That the said Committees, or any three or more of them, shall hereby have full power and authority, to take and survey the Musters of all such Souldiers, their Horse and Armes, as shall be raised and imployed in the service of the Parliament within the said County, and that every Souldier and Trooper shall make good, and be responsible for all their Horse and Armes, unlesse the same shall be lost in the service of the Parliament.

Power to administer National Covenant and to execute Ord. for observation of Lord's Day.

And be it further Ordained by the Lords and Commons, That the said Committees, or any three or more of them, shall have power and authority, and are hereby required to administer the late Nationall Covenant, appointed to be taken by the three Kingdomes, of England, Scotland, and Ireland, to all persons within the said Countie, who ought to take the same by the late Ordinance and Instructions for that purpose, and have not already taken it; and shall also hereby have power to put in execution the late Ordinance made for the better observation of the Lord's Day.

To eject scandalous and malignant Ministers and Schoolmasters, and appoint others in their stead

And be it further Ordained by the Lords and Commons, That the said Committee, or any three or more of them, shall have power to call before them all Ministers and Schoolmasters within the said County, that are Malignants or scandalous in their lives, or Fomentors of this unnaturall Warre; or shall wilfully refuse obedience to the Parliament, or shall have deserted their ordinary place of Residence, not being imployed in the service of the King and Parliament; and they shall have power to send for any witnesses, and examine any complaints, or receive any testimony against them upon oath of any persons that shall be produced to give evidence against them, and upon such proofes of the aforesaid crimes, the said Committees, or any three or more of them, have hereby power to remove and reject all such scandalous Ministers and Schoole masters, and in their places to nominate and appoint, such learned, able, and godly persons, as they with the approbation of the Assembly of Divines 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 and receive to their owne use, the Profits and Revenues belonging to the said severall Churches and places, in as large and ample manner as the severall Ministers and persons in the said severall places have formerly used to doe; And all Majors, Sheriffs, Constables, and other his Majestis Officers and Ministers, are hereby required to be ayding and assisting to the said Committee, as aforesaid in the execution of this service.

Indemnity.

And it is lastly Ordered, Declared, and Ordained, That the good endeavours of the said Committees in the execution of the premisses, are and shall be taken as reall, and publique testimonies to the publique Weale; And themselves and such others as shall Act and be ayding and assisting to them, according to the true meaning of this present Ordinance, shall be for so doing saved harmlesse and indempnified by the power of Parliament.