July 1653: An Act Appointing a Committee For the Army, And Treasurers at War.

July, 1653

[27 July, 1653.]

For the more effectual and speedy bringing in, and orderly issuing forth and disposing of the Moneys payable upon the Six Moneths Assessment, of One hundred and twenty thousand pounds a Moneth, continued from the Four and twentieth day of June 1653 to the Five and twentieth day of December following, by a Declaration and Order of his Excellency the Lord General Cromwel, with the Advice of his Councel of Officers, Entituled, A Declaration and Order of his Excellency the Lord General Cromwel, and his Councel of Officers, for the continuance of the Assessment for six Moneths, from the 24th of June, 1653, to the 25th of December following, at the rate of One hundred and twenty thousand pounds by the Moneth, towards the maintenance of the Armies and Navies of this Commonwealth: And of all and every other sum and sums of Money, set apart and appointed by any Order, Ordinance or Act of the late Parliament, for the use and payment of the Forces of this Commonwealth, in England, Ireland and Scotland, or that shall be set apart and appointed for their use, before the Five and twentieth day of December aforesaid; Be it Enacted by this present Parliament, and it is hereby Enacted by the Authority thereof, That William Sidenham, Richard Norton, Colonel John Clerk, William Lockart, Edward Clud, Ralph Wolmer, John Pine Richard Lucy, William West, George Fleetwood, Richard Cust, Edward Horsman, William Neast, Robert Bennet, John Anlaby, James Philips and Richard Price, Esqs; or any five of them, shall be, and are hereby appointed and authorized to be a Committee for the Army: And the said Committee for the Army, or any five of them, are hereby appointed and authorized to have the care and managing of the whole business of bringing in the moneys appointed to be assessed, levied, collected and paid, in all and every the counties, cities, towns and places in England and Wales, towards the said six Moneths Assessment of One hundred and twenty thousand pounds a moneth; and of all other moneys due and in arrear from the said counties, cities, towns and places, upon any Act, Order or Ordinance of the late Parliament appointing moneys for the use of the said Forces; and shall have full power, and are hereby authorized to set down and Give such order, as they shall think meet and fit for the full assessing, reassessing, due collecting, levying and payment of all and every the said Assessments, sums of Money and Arrears; and such Orders and Directions as shall be therein Given by the said Committee, or any five of them, shall be observed and obeyed by all and every the Commissioners, Receivers, Collectors, Sub-Collectors, and other persons that have been or shall be intrusted with or imployed in the assessing, levying, collecting, receiving or payment of all or any part of the Assessments or Sums beforementioned. And the said Committee for the Army, or any five of them, are hereby further authorized and impowred, upon any complaint to be made of any neglect of duty, or other miscarriages of any person or persons already imployed, or that shall be hereafter imployed or concerned in the assessing, levying, collecting, receiving or payment of any part of the Assessments or Sums before mentioned, to here, examine and determine of and concerning the same, and as well therein, as in all matters of difference between any the counties, cities, towns or places aforesaid; or between any the Hundreds, Divisions, Townships or Hamblets therein, to order, conclude, adjudge, execute and do, as they in their good discretion shall think fit: And to punish all and every such person, or persons as shall neglect or abuse any Trust committed, or that shall be committed unto them, in or concerning the premises, be it by Fine or Imprisonment of the parties offending, the Fine not exceeding twenty pounds, to be imployed to the use of the Army; and to cause the full and speedy assessing, collecting and bringing in of all the aforesaid moneys, either by making Dispatches, giving Directions, Rules or Instructions, appointing of Forces, or otherwise to cause obedience thereunto.

And be it further Enacted, and it it hereby Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the said Committee, or any five of them, shall and are hereby Impowred and Authorized, to nominate, appoint and imploy in the execution of the Trust hereby committed unto them, such Clerks, Agents, Messengers, or Servants, and to make and give unto them such Salaries, Allowances and Satisfactions as they shall think fit.

And be it further Enacted, and it is hereby Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the said Committee for the Army, or any five of them, shall have Power, and are hereby Authorized to use their endeavors for the borrowing of such Money, as they shall finde necessary for the supply of the said Forces, not exceeding the sum of Two hundred thousand pounds, and to give power by their Warrant to the Treasurers at War, to repay the same with Interest (after the rate of six pounds for every Hundred pounds by the year, for so long time as the same shal be forborn and unpaid) out of any such moneys as either are or shall be appointed for the use of the said Forces.

And be it Enacted, and it is hereby Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the said Committee for the Army, or any five of them, shall be, and are hereby authorized from time to time, to order, direct, appoint and send such sum and sums of money into Ireland and Scotland, for the use and payment of the Forces in either of the said places, out of the said six Moneths Assessments, of One hundred and twenty thousand pounds by the Moneth: or out of any other Sums that have been or shall be appointed for the use of the Army, as they shall from time to time finde necessary to be allowed and sent to any of the said Forces; and to Imprest and take up all such Carriages by Land, and such Ships or Vessels, not being in Pay or Service of the Commonwealth, as they shall finde necessary for the safe Carriage or Transporting of any such Treasure, as shall be by them appointed and assigned to be sent into Ireland or Scotland, for the use of the Forces there, or to any other place for the use of any other Forces in the service of the Commonwealth; and to pay for such Carriages and Ships, as they shall have occasion to use for the purposes aforesaid.

And be it further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the said Committee for the Army, or any five of them, shall have power, and are hereby authorized by their Warrants from time to time to issue forth, and dispose of all and every such sum and sums of money, as are appointed to be paid and received towards the said six Moneths Assessment, of One hundred and twenty thousand pounds by the Moneth; or as have been appointed to be received, and are or shall be received for the use of the Army, by the Treasurers at War hereafter in this Act named; or by any other person or persons formerly appointed and constituted to be Treasurers at War, by virtue of any Act, Order or Ordinance of the late Parliament, for the use and payment of the Forces established or appointed by the late Parliament, or the Authority or Direction thereof, or by the Councel of State, or that shall be appointed by this present Parliament, or the authority or direction thereof; and for the payment and satisfaction of such provisions of Clothes or Victuals, as shall be by Order of Parliament, or by the Council of State from time to time contracted for, and bought for the use of the said Forces; and for the payment and satisfaction for such Drugs and Medicaments or other Necessaries for any sick or wounded Soldiers (whilest they continue in the Army) as the said Committee for the Army, or such number of them as aforesaid shall finde necessary to be by them bought and provided, for the use of all or any part of the aforesaid Forces, And for all other the incident charges of the Army, and other the purposes in this Act before expressed.

Provided, That the daily pay by such Warrants allowed to the respective Officers and Soldiers in England and Scotland, shall not exceed the Allowance made by the late Parliament, in the Establishment passed by them, commencing the Twentieth of October, 1651. And that the Monethly charge of the said Forces, shall not exceed the monethly sum appointed by the late Parliament, in their Order of the First of January, 1652.

Provided also, That no part of the One hundred and fifty thousand pounds, by Order of the late Parliament of the Seventh of April, 1652. set apart for the satisfaction of the Arrears due to the Army for Service in Scotland, shall be disposed or appointed to any other use, then for the satisfaction of the said Arrears, until such Arrears are satisfied, save onely, That in case it shall appear upon the clear stating and perfecting of the said Arrear, and computing the sums thereupon due and unsatisfied, that any part of the said One hundred and fifty thousand pounds can be spared for any other use; That then the said Committee for the Army, shall and may by their Warrants issue forth and dispose of the overplus money, which shall so remain over and above what shall be requisite for the satisfaction of the said Arrear, to any the uses and purposes before in this Act expressed.

Provided also, That the sum of Forty thousand pounds a moneth, shall out of each of the said Six moneths Assessment of One hundred and twenty thousand pounds, be set apart and appointed for the use of the Navy: and shall (together with all other sums remaining unpaid, of the moneys formerly appointed for the use of the Navy, out of the last Six moneths Assessment of One hundred and twenty thousand pounds a moneth, ending the 24th of June, 1653.) be by Warrant of the said Committee for the Army, paid to the Treasurers of the Navy for that use.

Provided also, That the said Committee for the Army, or any five of them, shall and may, and are hereby authorized by their Warrants, to issue forth and dispose of all or any part of the Assessments for the Army, appointed by any Act, Order or Ordinance of the late Parliament, before the 25th of December, 1651. which were in arrear, and not paid in to the Treasurers at War the seventh of April, 1652. and have since that time been paid, or shall hereafter be paid unto the former Treasurers at War, or unto any other persons that are or shall be appointed to receive the same, for the satisfaction and payment of such Freequarter and Provisions, as were taken by any the Forces that in the year 1651. marched out of Scotland into England, upon the Armies advance from Scotland to the late Siege at Worcester, or by any other Forces at the Siege of Worcester, in the time of their march, or during their continuance in Worcester-shire by reason of the aforesaid Siege.

And be it further Enacted, and it is hereby Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the said Committee for the Army shall in every Warrant granted by them, express for what purpose the money contained in the same is to be issued: And the Treasurers at War hereafter in this Act named, and all other former Treasurers at War, are hereby enjoyned and required to observe such Warrants or Orders, as they shall receive from the Committee for the Army, or any five of them, for the purposes aforesaid; which Warrant or Warrants, together with the Receipt thereupon, under the hand of the person or persons to whom any sum shall be directed to be paid, or his or their Assignee or Assignees, shall be to all and every the said Treasurers at War a sufficient Discharge.

And be it Enacted, and it is hereby Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That John Blackwel the younger Esq; and Richard Dean Esq; shall be and are hereby appointed to be Treasurers at War, for the receiving, paying and issuing forth of the said Six moneths Assessment of One hundred and twenty thousand pounds a moneth; and of the One hundred thousand pounds by Order of the late Parliament, of the first of January, 1652. appointed to be paid out of the moneys arising upon the sale of and Composition for Delinquents Estates, for the use of the Army: And of all other moneys that before the expiration of the said six moneths Assessment shall be appointed for the use and payment of the Forces aforesaid, and charges incident thereunto: And also for the receiving, paying and issuing forth of all other monies, that by any Act or Order of the late Parliament have been since the sixteenth of December, 1651. appointed for the use of the Army, and which have not been, or shall not before the Nine and twentieth of July, 1653. be received by the Treasurers at War formerly appointed to receive the same: And the respective Receivers-General, that are or shall be appointed to receive any part of the said six moneths Assssment, shall forthwith after the receipt thereof, transmit and pay, or cause to be paid, the moneys by them so received, unto the said Treasurers at War, or where or to whom they shall appoint to receive the same, and the Receipt of the said Treasurers at War shall be to the respective Receivers-General, and to all other persons who shall by vertue of this Act pay any money unto them for the purposes aforesaid, a sufficient discharge: And the said Treasurers at War, for their pains in receiving, paying, and issuing forth of all such moneys as shall be by vertue of this Act received by them, and defraying the necessary charges and expences they shall be put unto in the doing thereof: And in consideration that they shall execute the imployment of Treasurers at War for six moneths, from the Four and twentieth of June, One thousand six hundred fifty three, shall have and receive the sum of Twelve hundred pounds, together with such extraordinary Charges as shall be occasioned by the Portage or Transporting of moneys by Land or Sea, which the said Committee for the Army, or any five of them, are hereby authorized and appointed by their Order, to allow unto them from time to time as they shall think fit.