House of Commons Journal Volume 11: 27 January 1696

Lunæ, 27 die Januarii ;

7° Gulielmi Tertii.

Prayers.

Darwent Navigation.

A Petition of the Inhabitants of the Parish of Worksop, in the County of Nottingham, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That the making the River Darwent, in the County of Derby, navigable, will hinder the Trade of the said Town, and spoil their Market; People out of the West bringing down Lead, which they send to Bawtry, and carry back Wheat and Malt: And that, if a Stop be put to the Employment of Land-carriage, many Families must perish, the Market will be lost, and Rent of Lands must fall: And praying, that they may be heard, at the Bar of the House, touching the Premises.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee, to whom the Bill for making the said River navigable is committed.

Ditto.

A Petition of several Inhabitants in Northampton, and other Towns of that County, trading to the Town and County of Darby, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That the Bill, now before the House, for making the River Darwent, in the County of Derby, navigable, will be to the great Damage of the Petitioners; for that they are necessitated to fetch Coals out of Derbyshire, and that Part of Leicestershire next it, which would be at an intolerable Expence, but that the Petitioners go loaded with Corn to Derby Market, where they sell it: That this Navigation will bring down the Price of Corn, by the Glut that will be brought to Derby out of other Countries; which will disable the Petitioners to pay their Rents; and will lessen the Breed of strong Horses, with which Leicestershire and Derbyshire use to furnish the Petitioners, by reason of a Discontinuance of the Tillage, which will also be lessened in those Counties: And praying, That they may be heard, by Counsel, against the said Bill.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee, to whom the said Bill is committed.

Ditto.

A Petition of the Gentry, Freeholders, Tradesmen, and others, in and about the Borough of Newcastle under Line, in the County of Stafford, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That the Petitioners conceive, the making of the River Darwent, in the County of Derby, navigable, will be a great Advantage to all the Towns and Places adjacent; and will much encourage Trade by lessening the Rate of Land-carriage; and will be a Means to preserve the Highways, which are almost unpassable in Winter: And praying the Consideration of the House in the Premises.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee, to whom the Bill for making the River Darwent in the County of Derby, navigable, is committed.

Darwent Navigation.

A Petition of the Gentry, Freeholders, and Farmers, in and near Utoxeter, in the County of Stafford, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That the making the River Darwent, in the County of Derby, navigable, will be a great Improvement to Trade, and the Rent of Lands in the Towns and Countries adjacent; and the Roads thereby preserved, which are rendered useless in Winter by the Carriage of Lead, Mill-stones, and other ponderous Commodities, by Land, to the River Trent; and many other Conveniencies will attend this Navigation, without doing Damage to any-body, but who may receive a reasonable Satisfaction: And praying the Consideration of the House in the Premises.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee, to whom the Bill for making the said River navigable is committed.

Ditto.

A Petition of several Inhabitants in Northampton, and other Towns of that County, trading to the Town and County of Derby, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That the Commerce between the Counties of Derby, Leicester, and Northampton, is for Coals and Corn, by Land-carriage: That a Bill is now before the House, for making navigable the River of Darwent, in the County of Derby, which will hinder their said Commerce; for that the Town of Derby will, by the said Navigation, be cheaper supplied with Corn from other Countries than the Petitioners can afford to carry it thither; and thereby the Petitioners will become necessitated for Coals, which they used to bring home in their Return; and, of consequence, it must lessen the Rents of Lands, by lessening the Price of Corn: And praying, That they may be heard, by Counsel, against the said Bill.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee, to whom the said Bill is committed.

Ditto.

A Petition of several Gentlemen, Freeholders, and others, in the County of Derby, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That through the River Darwent are several common Fords, daily crossed by Carts, for fetching Coals from the North Side, to the Inhabitants on the South Side, of the said River, and returning, from the South Side to the North, with Lime and Plaster: That there is no common Bridge betwixt the Town of Derby, and the Mouth of the Darwent, where it falls into the River Trent: That the Bill, now in the House, for making the River Darwent, in the County of Derby, navigable, must, of necessity, spoil the said Fords; and, consequently, seclude one Part of the Country from Commerce with the other; and many other Inconveniencies will attend the said Navigation: And praying, That they may be heard, by Counsel, against the same.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee, to whom the said Bill is committed.

Ditto.

A Petition of the Gentlemen, Freeholders, and other Landholders, of the Market-Town of Loughborough, in the County of Leicester, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That many Families in the said Town are supported by the Land-carriage of Corn, Wool, and other Commodities, to the Town of Derby, and other Places thereabouts, and returning Commodities from thence: That if the Bill, now before the House, should pass, for making the River Darwent, in the County of Derby, navigable, the same will very much obstruct the Trade between this Town and Derby; and tend to the Impoverishing of the Petitioners: And praying, that they may be heard, by their Counsel, against the intended Navigation.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee, to whom the said Bill is committed.

Darwent Navigation.

A Petition of the Gentlemen, Freeholders and other Landholders, within the Hundred of Scarsdale, in the County of Derby, on behalf of themselves, and other Inhabitants of the said Hundred, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That a Bill, now depending in the House, for making the River Darwent, in the County of Derby, navigable, will be of great Damage to the Petitioners, many of them subsisting upon the Land-carriage of Lead, Iron, and other Commodities, from Place to Place, which the intended Navigation will utter . . take away; and will be many other ways prejudicial to the Petitioners: And praying, That they may be heard, by their Counsel, before the Passing of the said Bill.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee, to whom the said Bill is committed.

Plantation Trade.

Mr. Chadwick, according to Order, presented to the House a Bill for preventing Frauds, and regulating Abuses, in the Plantation Trade.

The Bill was read the First time.

Resolved, That the Bill be read a Second time.

Earl of Kent's Jointure.

An ingrossed Bill from the Lords, intituled, An Act to enable Anthony Earl of Kent, and Henry Grey his Son and Heir apparent, to make a Jointure for Jemima, Wife of the said Henry Grey, was read the Third time.

Resolved, That the Bill do pass.

Ordered, That Mr. Tredenham do carry the Bill to the Lords, and acquaint them, That this House hath agreed to the same, without any Amendment.

West Thorock Inundation.

A Petition of the Poor of Cobham College, and the Proprietors of Lands now under-water, in West Thorock, in the County of Essex, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That, in Novem. 1694, the now Petitioners did petition the House; setting forth, That, in December 1690, a general Inundation happened, which broke down the Banks, next the River of Thames, and overflowed above 1,000 Acres of Land from Purfleet to St. Clement's Church in West Thorock; and a great Shelf of Earth is thereby made in the Thames; and that the Water then and still continued on the Lands, although the Petitioners had expended above 3,000 l. to recover the . . . . And that the Lord Mayor, and Commissioners of Sewers, as Conservators of the said River, had decreed the Lands to pay 6d. an Acre, or their Lands to be sold, pursuant to several Acts of Parliament for that Purpose, towards repair of the Banks, and removing the Shelf, which was in Danger of prejudicing the Navigation; although the Repairs would cost above double as much as the Lands were worth: That the said Petition was referred to the Consideration of a Committee; who came to a Report, and several Resolutions, to this Effect; viz. That the Petitioners had fully proved their Petition; and that they were fit Objects of Relief; and that the Shelf in the River of Thames was a great Prejudice to the Navigation, and worthy the Consideration of the House; But some Persons, that had purchased the Petitioners Estates, who were minded to obstruct the Petitioners Proceedings, got the Matter re-committed, for Delay; which took such Effect, that, by reason of his Majesty's emergent Affairs abroad, the Parliament was prorogued before the Petitioners could have any Fruit of their said Proceedings: And praying the Relief of the House in the Premises; it being impossible for the Petitioners to repair the said Banks without the Assistance of the House.

And a Motion being make, and the Question being put, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to a Committee: And that they do examine the Matter; and report the same to the House;

It passed in the Negative.

Hayne's Estate.

Mr. Baldwyn reported from the Committee, to whom the ingrossed Bill from the Lords, intituled, An Act to enable Richard Haynes Esquire to settle a Jointure on his now Wife; and to exchange Lands with the Trustees of Thomas Stevens Esquire, deceased; was committed; That they had examined and considered the same; and made some Amendments; which they had directed him to report to the House; and which he read in his Place; and afterwards delivered in at the Clerk's Table: Where the same were once read throughout; and then a Second time, one by one; and, upon the Question severally put thereupon, agreed unto by the House; and are as follow; viz.

Press 4. L. 12, after "Barn," insert "Outhouse."

L. 13, after "Brownes," insert "now in the Occupation of the said Richard Haynes."

L. 15, leave out "Parrocks," and insert "Puddocks."

L. 18, leave out "Four," and insert "Five."

L. 21, after "Tenements," insert "Stable and Orchard."

L. 26, after "Hill," insert "now in the Occupation of Obadiah Witherley."

Stoughton's, &c. Estate.

Mr. Whitacre reported from the Committee, to whom the ingrossed Bill from the Lords, intituled, An Act for vesting the Estate late of Sir Nicholas Stoughton and Sir Laurence Stoughton Baronets, deceased, in Trustees, to be sold, for the Payment of their Debts and raising Portions for the Daughters of Sir Nicholas Stoughton, deceased, was committed, That they had examined and considered the same, and made an Amendment; which they had directed him to report to the House; and which he read in his Place; and afterwards delivered in at the Clerk's Table: where the same was twice read; and, upon the Question put thereupon, agreed unto by the House; and is as followeth; viz.

Before the Saving, add Clause A: That nothing in the Act shall avoid any Settlement made by Sir Laur. Stoughton for the Benefit of his late Wife, now the Wife of Watkinson Payler Esquire.

Bamfeild's Estate.

A Bill to enable certain Trustees, therein named, to make, renew, and fill up, Leases of the Estate of Sir Coppleston Warwick Bamfeild Boronet, during his Minority; and for laying out the Monies, raised thereby, in Purchases to be settled to the same Uses the said Estate now is; was read the First time.

Resolved, That the Bill be read a Second time.

Duties on Glass, &c.

A Petition of the Makers of broad Glass, Glass Bottles, and other Glass Wares, in and near Stourbridge, in the County of Worcester, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That, heretofore, the Petitioners used to employ many Thousands of People in getting Woodashes, Clay, and other Materials used in making Glass Wares, which they always sold, until, by an Act of the last Parliament, a Duty was laid upon Glass Wares, and Coals; since which, they have not sold half the Quantity as they sold before; which much lessens the broad Glass Trade: That the Glass-Bottle Trade is quite stopped; the Makers, who used to sell, 20d. the Dozen, Quart Bottles, cannot now sell for above 2s. the Dozen, notwithstanding the said Duties: so that their said Trade will be ruined, and many Thousands of Families, whose sole Livelihold depends thereon, will be impoverished: And praying the Consideration of the House, and speedy Relief in the Premises.

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee appointed to consider of the Act, made the last Parliament, for granting to his Majesty certain Duties upon Glass Wares, Stone and Earthen Bottles, Coals, and Culm, for carrying on the War against France; and of the Doubts and Complaints relating thereunto.

Jenkins' Estate.

Mr. Price, according to Order, presented to the House a Bill for vesting the Estate of Newce Jenkins, an Infant, in Trustees, to be sold, for Payment of Debts, and for buying another Estate: And the same was received.

Ordered, That the Bill be read upon Wednesday Morning next.

Supply Bill; Land Tax.

The House, according to the Order of the Day, proceeded in the further Consideration of the Report from the Committee of the whole House, to whom the Bill for granting to his Majesty an Aid of 4s. in the Pound, for One Year, for carrying on the War against France, was committed:

And several other of the Amendments, made by the Committee, to the said Bill, were severally read a Second time; and, upon the Question severally put thereupon some were agreed, and others disagreed, unto by the House.

And an Amendment, touching the Clause relating to the Universities and Hospitals, being read a Second time;

And the Question being put, That the House do agree with the Committee therein;

The House divided.

The Noes go forth.

So it passed in the Negative.

And some other Amendments were made to the Bill at the Table.

Ordered, That the Bill, with the Amendments, be ingrossed.

Recovery of Small Tythes.

A Message from the Lords by Sir Miles Cooke and Mr. Pitt:

Mr. Speaker,

The Lords have agreed to the Bill, intituled, An Act for the more easy Recovery of small Tythes, with some Amendments: To which they desire the Concurrence of this House: Also,

Elections— Double Returns.

That they have agreed to the Bill, intituled, An Act to prevent false and double Returns of Members to serve in Parliament, without any Amendments.

And then the Messengers withdrew.

Committees.

A Motion being made, and the Question being put, That all Committees be adjourned;

It passed in the Negative.

And then the House adjourned till To-morrow Morning, Nine a Clock.