March 1645: An Ordinance for charging and taxing a Monethlv rate of 300 pounds upon the County of Essex, for the safety and defence of the said County, and to continue untill the first day of December next, if this unnaturall Warre shall so long continue.

March, 1644/5

[3 March, 1644/5.]

Whereas the County of Essex in obedience to an Ordinance of Parliament, intituled, An Ordinance for putting the Associated Counties into a posture of Defence, hath raysed a considerable number of Horse, Foot, and Dragoones, and must be at great charges in maintaining of adjute Officers, to order and exercise the said Forces, and other trained Regiments, and in providing other things requisite for the defence and safety of the said County, And without the raising of Moneys to defray the said charge, the County cannot be put into such a Posture as is necessary.

Charge of £300 monthly on Essex.

It is therefore Ordained by the Lords and Commons in Parliament assembled, and by Authority of the same, that for the intents and purposes aforesaid, there shall bee monethly charged, rated, taxed, and leavied upon the said County, from the first of February, 1644. the summe of three hundred pounds a moneth, untill the first day of December next, if this unnaturall War shall so long continue.

Ord. 15 Feb. 1644 applied.; Committees Powers.

And be it further Ordained, that every person or persons, that were, or are to be assessed or taxed by vertue of an Ordinance intituled, An Ordinance for raising and maintaining of Forces for the defence of the Kingdome, under the Command of Sir Thomas Fairfax, shall be assessed and taxed by this Ordinance, in the same manner as they are or may be assessed and taxed by vertue of the said recited Ordinance, and shall be lyable to as great forfeitures, and penalties, for the not paying the summe or summes to be assessed, as they should or might have been, if the same had been assessed by the said recited Ordinance, and the Committees named and trusted in the said last recited Ordinance to take care for the assessing, collecting or leavying of any moneys in the said County, are named and trusted in this Ordinance, and have as full power and authority given them by this Ordinance to nominate and appoint Collectors and Assessors, and to leavy, distraine, fine, imprison, or sequester, as they or any of them have by vertue of the said last recited Ordinance.

To whom moneys to be paid and how disposed.

And the said Collectors shall pay the severall summes by them collected, to the high Constables of the severall Hundreds, and the Mayors or other head Officers of Corporations respectively, within the said County, who shall pay over the said moneys to such Treasurers, as shall be appointed by the Lord-Lievtenant, Deputy-Lievtenants, of the said County, or any three or more of them who are to issue forth the same, for the use and service of the said County, by the Vote of the Major part of the said Deputy-Lievtenants present, or any three of them present, and by their Order in the pursuance thereof under their hands, and not otherwise.

Allowances to Collectors, etc

And it is further Ordained, that threepence in the pound shall bee allowed for every summe of money which shall be collected and payd, whereof one penny shall be for the Collectors, one penny for the high Constables and Mayors, or other head Officers of Corporations, and one penny for the Treasurers.

Treasurers to keep Register; Power to Committees to call Treasurers, etc., to account.

And the Treasurers shall keep a Register book of the severall summes received and payed by them, and the said Committees, or any three of them, have hereby power given them, to call all Treasurers, Mayors, and other head Officers of Corporations, high Constables, Collectors, and others, that have, or at any time shall be thought to have any of the said moneys in their hands, or any moneys due upon the Ordinance, for the new posture, to an accompt, and if any of them shall refuse to accompt, or to pay in their moneys wherewith they are charged, then the said Committees, or any three of them, shall fine them double the summe charged upon them, which if it be not payd within six dayes after the summe is set, and notice thereof left, at his or their dwelling house, It shall be lawfull to distraine for the same, and if there be not sufficient distresse wherewith to satisfie, then the said Committees may imprison the offender herein, and sequester his estate untill the money charged, and the fine sett, be leavied and payd.

Penalty on negligent officers.

And in case the said Treasurers, Mayors, and other head Officers of Corporations, high Constables, or Collectors to be nominated as aforesaid, shall refuse or neglect to leavy, or receive the summes of money to be assessed, and sett by vertue of this Ordinance, or the Ordinance for the new posture, It shall be lawfull for the Committees, or any three of them, to fine the said Treasurers, Mayors or other head Officers of Corporations, High Constables, or Collectors, not exceeding the summe of ten pounds, and to leavy the same by way of distresse, and the sale of their goods, or by imprisonment as they shall thinke fit.