House of Lords Journal Volume 1: 29 March 1544

MEMORANDUM, quod die Sabbati, videlicet, 29 die Martii,

Proceres tam Spirituales quam Temporales, quorum nomina subscribuntur, presentes fuerunt:

Commission for the Royal Assent granted.

HODIE, quum omnes Proceres, Robis Parliamentaribus induti, in suo quisque loco sederent, et Prolocutor de Domo Communi, una cum omnibus qui ad hoc presens Parliamentum summoniti fuerant, et Militibus et Burgensibus, ex Mandato Ducis Norff. accersitis, presto essent, et jam universi tam Proceres quam Communes Regle Majestatis Adventum expectarent, Dux Norff. solus, supra medium Bancum sedens (quia Cancellarius nondum convaluit), exponit omnibus, Regiam Majestatem, magnis et urgentissimis quibusdam Negotiis adeo esse impeditam, ut non queat impresentiarum commode interesse, quemadmodum decreverat; "nihilominus," inquit, "sua Majestas, perpendens secum quanto tempore hic morati sitis, nullos interim subterfugientes Sumptus, quum Respublica vestram Operam desideraverit, tum preterea quum enixe laboraveritis in condendis novis Legibus, quas omnes sua Majestas ad amussim recognovit, primum jussit me, suo nomine, vobis indicare, quod sue Majestati non minus est cordi animadvertere, vos tam bonos esse Subditos quam vobis est utile tales esse. Deinde, laudare jussit vestra hec Studia, et honestos Affectus, quos geritis erga Rempublicam vestram, rogareque ut perpetuo vosmettales prebere velitis, quemadmodum sua Majestas bonos Subditos amare nunquam desinet. Postremo, sua Majestas imperavit mihi humillimo Subdito suo, ut, suo nomine, vobis hic presentibus declarem, quibus Legibus, seu Statutis, a vobis in hac presenti Parliamentari Sessione, pro vestra parte stabilitis, sua Majestas velit Regium suum Assensum adhibere, sine quo Legis vigorem obtinere non debet, sicuti vos probe nostis, quicquid vos sanciendum censueritis; quanquam non tam verbis meis Serenissima sua Majestas velit Regium suum Assensum declarari, quam hiis suis Literis Patentibus et declarari, et presentibus vestris Ordinationibus adhiberi." Et cum hiis dictis, protendit Clerico Parliamentorum quasdam Literas, sub Magno Sigillo Anglie Patentes, quas ipse publice legit.

The Commission read.

Litere autem scripte fuerunt in hec verba:

"Henry the Eighth, by the Grace of God, King of England, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, and of the Church of England, and also of Ireland, in Earth, the Supreme Head; To Our Right Trusty and Right Well-beloved the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and to Our Trusty and Wellbeloved the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses, the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, Greeting.

"We have seen, and perfectly understand, divers and sundry Acts and Ordinances, annexed and affiled to these Presents, agreed and accorded by you Our loving Subjects, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and the said Commons in this Our present Parliament assembled, and severally indorsed by you as hath been accustomed; The first of the said Acts concerning the Establishment of Our Succession in the Imperial Crown; An Act concerning the Trial of Treasons committed out of our Dominions; An Act concerning the Partition of Wapping Mershe; An Act concerning Coopers; An Act for the Ratification of Our Style; An Act for the due Payment of Fees and Wages of Knights and Burgesses in Wales, for the Parliament; An Act concerning the Assurance of the Prebend of Est Bedwyn to the Earl of Hertf. Great Chamberlain of Englande; An Act for the Remission of Loan; An Act touching the repairing and amending of certain decayed Houses and Tenements, within divers Towns, as well in England as in Wales; An Act concerning the Appearance of in Nisi Prius; An Act, That the Demesne Lands and Tenures in Walsingham, belonging to the late Priory there, may be lett by Copy of Court Roll; An Act for the repealing of a certain Statute, concerning the bringing in of Salt Fish and Stock Fish; An Act for the Examination of the Canon Laws by Thirty-two Persons, to be named by Us during Our Life; An Act for the Ratification of the Jointure of the now Queen of England; An Act for paving of Cambridge; An Act concerning the Qualification of the Statute of the six Articles; An Act for an Exchange between Us and the Duke of Norff.; An Act concerning the making, repairing, and amending, of the Conduits in London; An Act for the Ratification of our Award between the Lord Dacre and the Heirs General of Sir James Strangwishe; An Act for an Exchange between Us and William Wollascote; An Act for the Reservation of Tenures upon Houses with Orchards or Gardens belonging to the same, and also upon Lands not exceeding the clear Yearly Value of Forty Shillings; An Act concerning the Exchange between Us and Robert Dacres and Anthonye Denye, Esquires; An Act for the Preservation of Woods; An Act for Our General Pardon; An Act concerning Our Purchase of certain Lands of William Bonham, Esquire. And albeit the said several Acts and Ordinances, by you, Our said Subjects, the Lords and Commons, in this Our present Parliament assembled, be fully agreed and consented unto, and seem very necessary and profitable for the Surety and Common Wealth of this Our Realm, which nevertheless be not of any Force or Effect in the Law without our Royal Assent given and put to the same Acts and Ordinances, and every of them; and forasmuch as, for divers great and urgent Causes and Considerations, We cannot conveniently at this present be Personally in Our Royal Person in the Higher House of Our said Parliament, being the Place accustomed to give Our Royal Assent unto such Acts and Ordinances as have been agreed upon by Our said Subjects the Lords and Commons; We have therefore caused these Our Letters Patents to bemade, and have signed and caused the same to be sealed accordingly, and by the same do declare and notify, as well to you the said Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and the Commons aforesaid, as to all and singular other Our Loving Subjects, that We, by these Presents, do give and put our Royal Assent to all and singular the said Acts and Ordinances, and to all Articles, Clauses, and Provisions, in them contained, and be fully agreed and assented to all and every the said Acts, willing that the said Acts, and every Article, Clause, Sentence, and Provision, in them contained, from henceforth shall be of the same Strength, Force, and Effect, as We had been personally present in the said Higher House, and had openly and publicly, in the Presence of you all, assented to the same; commanding also, by these Presents, as well Our Chancellor of England to seal these Our Letters Patents with Our Great Seal, as our Right Trusty and Right Intirely Well-beloved Cousin and Counsellor, Thomas Duke of Norff. Our High Treasurer of England, to declare and notify this Our Royal Assent, in Our Absence, in the said Higher House, in the Presence of you the said Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons of Our Parliament, there to be assembled for that Purpose, and the Clerk of Our Parliament to indorse the said Acts with such Terms and Words, in Our Name, as is requisite, and hath been accustomed for the same, and also to inroll these Our Letters, Our Letters Patents, and all and every the said Acts, in the Parliament Roll, and these Our Letters Patents shall be to every of them sufficient Warrant in that Behalf; and finally declare and will, that, after this Our Royal Assent given, and passed by these Presents, and declared and notified as is aforesaid, that then immediately the said Acts, and every of them, shall be taken, accepted, and admitted, good, sufficient, and perfect Laws, to all Intents, Constructions, and Purposes, and to be put in due Execution accordingly, the Continuance or Dissolution of this Our Parliament, or any other Use, Custom, Thing, or Things, to the contrary thereof notwithstanding. In Witness whereof, We have caused these Our Letters to be made Patents, Witnessing Ourself at Westm. the 29th Day of March, the 35th Year of Our Reign."

Duke of Norfolk's Speech after the Commission was read and the Bill passed.

Postquam vero Clericus Parliamentorum has Literas palam perlegisset, et universi pariter exultarent, omnia Bona precando, et omnem Felicitatem tam bono Principi, qui Subditos suos tam bonis Legibus munire dignatus sit, Dux Norff. "Videtis," inquit, "in quam bonam partem Regia Majestas vestros Labores accepit, qui Regium suum Assensum adhibere dignatus sit omnibus illis Statutis, quibus vos stabiliendis jam aliquot menses gnaviter insudastis, neque ullum Statutum omnino repell. sua Benignissima Majestas, de quo inter vos antea consensum sit, preter illud Statutum de reservandis Tenuris, quod quidem unicum Statutum Regie visum est Majestati, non admittere, proptereaque de eodem fore Argumento aliud Statutum in hac presenti Sessione sancitum est." Ideoque communi omnium Assensu, mandat. Clerico Parliamentorum ut illud Statutum de reservandis Tenuris, &c. protinus cancelletur; id quod illico factum est. Deinde Dux Norff. universos tam Magnates quam Communes allocutus, "Regia," inquit, "Majestas, nunc secum cogitans quam sit hoc tempus opportunum, ne dicere necessarium, ut ad suam quisque domum revertatur, gliscentibus undique Bellis (ut nostis) nimirum ut in tempore nisi conscribatur Exercitus, qui hac Estate sue inserviat Majestati, quum; Deo Auspice, Galliarum, Regia nisi sue Majestatis Patrimonium invadere certo secum proposuerit, he mora hic vestra, si diuturnius fieret, hiis Negotiis impedimentum sit, dedit Potestatem aliquot Nobilibus Viris, quos, per suas Literas Patentes, in hoc suos fecit Commissarios, ut, sue Majestatis nomine, presens hoc Parliamentum protinus dissolvant." Similiterque vocaverint Archiepiscopum Canterb. Anglie Primatem, Ducem Suff. Magnum Magistrum Hospitii Domini Regis, et Dominum Russell, Dominum Privati Sigilli, qui omnes super medium Bancum consedentes, mandarunt Clerico Parliamentorum, ut Literas Domini Regis Commissarias palam legeret, deinde suas ipsi partes exequerentur; Literarum autem tenoris erat qui sequitur.

Parliament dissolved by Commission.

"Henricus Octavus, Dei Gratia, Anglie, Francie, et Hibernie Rex, Fidei Defensor, et in Terra Ecclesie Anglicane et Hibernice Supremum Caput. Reverendissimo in Christo Patri Thome Cantuar. Archiepiscopo, totius Anglie Primati et Metropolitano, Precharissimisque Consanguineis suis Thome Duci Norff. Thesaurario Anglie, Carolo Duci Suff. Presidenti Consilii sui, ac Magno Magistro et Senescallo Hospitii sui, nec non Predilecto et Fideli Consiliario suo Johanni Russell, Militi, Domino Russell, Custodi Privati Sigilli sui, Salutem.

"Cum presens Parliamentum Nostrum, apud Civitatem Nostram Westm. sexto decimo die Januarii, Anno Regni Nostri tricesimo tertio inchoatum, et ibidem continuatum usque primum diem Aprilis tunc proxime sequentem; eodemque primo die Aprilis, post diversas Prorogationes et Continuationes, idem Parliamentum Nostrum tunc et ibidem usque Westm. predict. ad et in quartum decimum diem Januarii ult. preteritum, prorogatum fuerat; et ibidem ad et in instantem vicesimum nonum diem Martii continuatum existit. Sciatis igitur, quod, certis urgentibus Causis et Considerationibus ad presens nos specialiter moventibus, de Fidelitate, Integritate, Industria, et Circumspectione, vestris plurimum confidentes, de Advisamento et Assensu Consilii Nostri, assignavimus vos, conjunctim et divisim, dantes vobis, et cuilibet vestrum, conjunctim et divisim, Potestatem, Facultatem, et Auctoritatem, hac instante die Sabbati, ad presens Parliamentum Nostrum; nomine Nostro, duximus plenarie dissolvendum. Et ideo vobis mandamus, quod circa premissa diligenter intendatis, ac ea in forma predicta effectualiter expleatis. Damus autem universis et singulis Archiepiscopis, Ducibus, Marchionibus, Comitibus, Vicecomitibus, Episcopis, Baronibus, Militibus, Civibus, et Burgensibus, ac omnibus aliis quorum interest ad dictum Parliamentum Nostrum conventuris tenore presentium, firmiter in Mandatis, quod vobis in premissis faciendis agendis et exequendis pareant, obediant, et intendant, pro ut decet." In cujus rei Testimomum, has Literas Nostras fieri fecimus Patentes, Teste Meipso apud Westm. xxix die Martii, Anno Regni Nostri 35°.