House of Commons Journal Volume 8: 2 June 1660

Saturday, 2d June, 1660.

Proceedings against the Regicides.

THE House being informed, by a Letter to Mr. Trelawney, a Member of the House, dated at Looe, the 29th of May last, that John Carew, being one of those who are ordered to be secured, having sat in Judgment upon the late King, when Sentence of Death was pronounced against him, being lately in Cornwall, was entertained by one Henry Chubb, an Officer of the Customs, at his House near Looe, and that, although the said Chubb had received an Order from the Commissioners of the Customs, for seizing of all such Persons, yet, on Pretence, that he intended not to go beyond Sea, and that the Order did not reach him, he suffered the said Mr. Carew to escape; who also took Advantage of getting away, on Pretence that the Warrant, for Seizure, concerns John Carey, not John Carew;

Ordered, That the Warrant, for apprending John Carey, be amended, and made John Carew; and that the Serjeant at Arms attending this House, and all other Officers, be required to seize and secure the Person of the said John Carew, as they, or any of them, shall have Opportunity.

Resolved, That the said Henry Chubb be forthwith sent for, in Custody, by the Serjeant at Arms attending this House.

Ditto.

Resolved, That this House doth approve of what his Excellency the Lord General hath done, in sending of Colonel John Jones, one of the Persons who sat in Judgment upon the late King, when Sentence of Death was pronounced against him, to the Tower of London; and of Colonel Morley, Lieutenant of the Tower of London, his safe keeping of the said Colonel John Jones Prisoner in the Tower.

Ditto.

Mr. Pryn reports a Proclamation, requiring the several Persons who sat upon the late King, when Sentence of Death was pronounced against him, to render themselves within Fourteen Days, next after the publishing of this Proclamation; or else to be excepted out of the Act of general Pardon, Oblivion, and Indemnity; which was this Day read the First and Second time; and agreed unto, to be the Form of a Proclamation, to be presented to the King's Majesty.

Ordered, That the Lords Concurrence be desired herein; and that Mr. Pryn do carry it to the Lords.

Proceedings against Regicides.

Ordered, That William Lilley be forthwith sent for, in Custody, by the Serjeant at Arms attending this House, in order to his being examined, for discovering the Person who was employed in putting to Death his late Majesty King Charles; which Examination the Committee to whom Mr. Thurloe's Business is referred, is to take care of.

Members to take Oaths.

Ordered, That the Lord Steward be desired to administer the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy to some of the Members of this House, on Monday Morning next; and that his Lordship will be pleased, that a Commission be prepared, impowering some of those Members of this House who shall so take the said Oaths, to administer the same to the rest of the Members of this House.

Resolved, That no Member of this House do, after this Day, sit in this House, before he hath taken the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy.

Privilege-Words against a Member.

Colonel White informs the House of some Words charged by Mr. Clapham, a Member of this House, to be spoken by him, to the Effect, "That if no other Man would cut off the King's Head, he would do it himself;" which he denied to be true.

Mr. Clapham, standing up in his Place, did acknowledge, that he had been informed so much; and that the Person who informed it, said it in the Presence of other Persons; and that the Substance of what the Person said was, that Colonel White, who married Sir Edward Barkham's Daughter, did, at the Table of Sir Edward Barkeham, utter these Words, "If there wanted one to cut off the King's Head, he would cut it off himself," or to that Effect:

Ordered, That it be referred to the Committee to whom Mr. Thurloe's Business is referred, to examine this Matter, and to state Matter of Fact, and report it to this House: And they are to meet this Afternoon: And that the Person who gave the Information, be forthwith sent for in Custody: To which Purpose, his Name is to be communicated to Mr. Speaker: Which was done accordingly; and a Warrant signed by Mr. Speaker.

Resolved, That Mr. Speaker do presently deliver the Warrant for apprehending the Person who gave the Information against Colonel White, unto the Serjeant at Arms attending this House, to be forthwith executed: And the Serjeant is hereby required to keep the Name of the Person summoned, secret.

Pardon and Oblivion.

The House resumed the Debate upon the Act of general Pardon, Oblivion, and Indemnity.

Receivers, &c.

The Question being propounded, That the Time for Receivers, &c. to be accountable, be from 1648;

And the Question being put, That That Question be now put;

The House was divided.

The Noes went forth.

So it passed with the Negative.

Resolved, That this House doth agree with the Committee in this Amendment, "that Receivers, Collectors, &c. do account from the 30th of January, 1642."

Resolved, That, upon the whole Debate of the House, it be referred back to the former Committee, to consider and agree upon Expedients, to be tendered to this House, for securing such Treasurers, Receivers, and Collectors, as have already accounted, from further Charge and Vexation; as also for clearing of Officers and Soldiers of any of the Armies, and the Heirs and Executors of such as are deceased: And they are to sit this Afternoon at Three of the Clock, in the Speaker's Chamber.

Resolved, That the Time, for calling Persons to Account, extend to the Space of Two Years next coming, and no longer.

Speech, &c. of Member sent to the King.

Mr. Denzill Hollis informs the House, that, he having been sent, with other worthy Members of this House, to the King's Majesty, some Aspersions have been cast upon him, as if he had, in his Speech to the King's Majesty, transgressed the Instructions given by this House.

Resolved, That Mr. Hollis have the Leave of this House to print his own Speech to his Majesty, together with his Majesty's Answer thereto, which he hath Leave given him by his Majesty to print, and also the Instructions of this House, for his Vindication.

The Members thanked,

Resolved, That the Gentlemen, the Members of this House, who were employed to his Majesty with a Letter from this House, have the Thanks of this House, for their eminent Service performed in that Employment to his Majesty.

Mr. Speaker gave them the Thanks of this House accordingly:

Gentlemen, I shall not need to tell you, what Notice the House hath taken of the eminent Service you have performed, in your late Employment to his Majesty; you have brought home the Ark, the Glory of England, his Majesty's Person, in Safety; and truly, if ever a Service deserved to be called a Service of ever-blessed Memory, this is such a Service. Therefore the House hath commanded this Service to be singled out from all your former eminent and worthy Services; and to do it per Excellentiam, as much exceeding all that ever hath been done before for this Nation. And since the Merit thereof is such that no Thanks can be proportionable thereunto, but the Thanks of this House, I am therefore commanded in the Name of this House, and of all those they represent, the Commons of England, to return you their very hearty Thanks.

Privilege-Words against a Member.

The House being informed, that Mr. Wm. Garrett, the Person who informed against Colonel White, was at the Door; he was called in; and being at the Bar, and examined by Mr. Speaker, he denied that he ever heard Colonel White speak the Words, whereof he was accused; but said, he heard it reported (but being asked by whom he made no Answer thereunto) and particularly, that he heard it reported, that the Words were spoken at Sir Edward Barkham's Table, in a Discourse betwixt his Cousin Deane and Colonel White; and that the Words reported were to the Effect, "That rather than the King should want a Headsman, he would do it;" and that he hath several times heard the Report; and that it is a Twelvemonth since he last heard it.