House of Commons Journal Volume 7: 24 August 1659

Wednesday, August the 24th, 1659.

Leave of Absence.

ORDERED, That Sir William Brereton have Leave to go into the Country for Thirty Days.

Call of the House.

Ordered, That the House be called, on Monday Morning next.

Oldsworth's Petition.

The humble Petition of Michael Oldsworth Esquire was this Day read.

Ordered, That this Petition be referred to a Committee, to examine the Matter in this Petition; and to state Matter of Fact; and report it, with their Opinion therein, to this House: Viz. unto Mr. Solicitor Reynolds, Mr. Trenchard, Mr. Holland, Colonel Morley, Mr. Robinson, Earl of Salisbury, Colonel Downes, Mr. Leman, Mr. Haye, Mr. Pigott, Mr. Millington, Colonel Martyn, Mr. Anlaby, Mr. Garland, Colonel West, Mr. Nutt, Mr. Goodwin, Mr. Dunch; or any Five of them: And are to meet on Friday in the Afternoon, at Three of the Clock, in the Inner Court of Wards.

Committee of Inspections.

Ordered, That Mr. Sey be added to the Committee of Inspections.

Clerk of Parliament.

An Act for making Thomas St. Nicholas Esquire Clerk of the Parliament; and authorizing him to take into his Possession the Records, Books, Papers, and Writings, in the Custody of Henry Scobell, Esquire, late Clerk of the Parliament; was this Day read the Second time.

Resolved, That the Salary for the said Thomas St. Nicholas, as Clerk of the Parliament, be Five hundred Pounds a Year, as Mr. Scobell formerly had.

Ordered, That the said Bill be committed unto Mr. Solicitor Reynolds, Sir Henry Mildmay, Mr. Holland, Mr. Nutt, Earl of Salisbury, Mr. Oldsworth, Colonel White, Mr. Millington, Colonel Morley, Sir John Bourchier, Colonel Waite, Mr. John Goodwin, Sir Wm. Strickland, Mr. Leman, Mr. Garland, Mr. Ralegh, Colonel White, Mr. Robinson, Colonel Lister, Mr. Martyn, Mr. Piggott; or any Three of them: and are to meet in the Duchy-Court, on Friday, at Three of the Clock in the Afternoon.

Clerk-Assistant.

The humble Petition of Ralph Darnall Esquire, Clerk-Assistant, was this Day read.

Ordered, That the said Petition of Ralph Darnall Esquire Clerk-Assistant to the Parliament, be referred to the same Committee to whom the Act for settling the Office of Clerk of the Parliament on Tho. St. Nicholas Esquire is committed, to prepare a Bill for settling the said Office of Clerk-Assistant upon the said Ralph Darnall, for his Life, as is desired by the Petition.

Ordered, That the Sum of Four hundred and Fifty Pounds, being the Arrears of the Salary of Two hundred Pounds a Year, settled, by Order of this Parliament, upon Ralph Darnall Esquire, Clerk-Assistant to the Parliament, for Two Years and One Quarter, ended on the 24th Day of June 1659, be forthwith paid unto the said Ralph Darnall, or his Assigns, out of the publick Revenue, by the Council of State: And the Acquittance of the said Ralph Darnall, testifying the Receipt thereof, shall be a sufficient Discharge in that Behalf.

Cinque Ports.

Ordered, That the Act for settling Courts of Justice in the Cinque-Ports be read on Friday Morning next.

Commissary-General.

The House being informed, That Dr. Staines was at the Door;

He was called in: And, being come up to the Clerk's Table, Mr. Speaker acquainted him with the Trust reposed in him by the Parliament; and that the Parliament expected faithfulness from him to the Parliament and Commonwealth: And thereupon delivered him a Commission to be Commissary-General of all the Forces in England and Ireland.

Assessment.

Ordered, That the Bill for an Assessment, after the Rate of One hundred and Twenty thousand Pounds, by the Month, on the Three Nations, be brought in To-morrow Morning; and then read the First time; nothing to intervene.

Irish Adventurers.

The House did, this Day, resume the Debate upon the Amendments to the Bill for settling Lands in Ireland on the Adventurers and Soldiers.

The Clause in the Amendments, touching ratifying Judgments, &c. upon the Claims of Protestants, chargeable out of the Estates of any Papist or Rebel, was, upon the Question, agreed unto.

The Clause for settling the Manor of Carrick upon John Reynolds Esquire, and his Heirs, was, upon the Question, agreed unto.

Ordered, That this Debate upon these Amendments be adjourned until Monday Morning next.

Ordered, That the Committee to whom this Bill touching the Adventurers and Soldiers in Ireland was committed, do sit at Two of the Clock this Afternoon; and do receive such Petitions and Matters as shall be offered to them; and examine the same; and report their Opinion to this House, What they conceive fit to be done therein.

Ordered, That it be referred to this Committee, to examine the Debts claimed to be satisfied out of Lands in Ireland; and to present something to the House, How they may be paid, after the Adventurers are satisfied.

Military Rewards.

A Letter from Colonel Wareing, Governor of Shrewsbury, from Shrewsbury, of the 22th of August 1659, was this Day read.

The Question being propounded, That the Sum of Twenty Pounds be given to John Roden, who took the Earl of Derby, and his Man, Prisoners;

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

It passed with the Negative.

Resolved, That the Sum of Ten Pounds be given unto John Roden, who took the Earl of Derby, and his Man, Prisoners.

Resolved, That the Sum of Ten Pounds be given unto *, who swam the River at Chester; and gave Intelligence, to Major-General Lambert, of the State of the Castle there.

Resolved, That it be referred to the Council of State, to see the said several Sums of Ten Pounds a-piece paid, accordingly.

Letter referred.

Ordered, That the Letter of Colonel Wareing be referred to the Council of State, upon the Debate of the House.

Debate adjourned.

Resolved, That the Debate now had, in this House, touching improving the Mercy, in defeating the Enemy, be adjourned until To-morrow Morning; nothing to intervene.

Sequestering Estates.

Mr. Robinson reports, An Act for seizing and sequeitering the Estates of Persons in the late Rebellion: Which was this Day read the First and Second time; and, upon the Question, committed unto Sir Henry Mildmay, Mr. Robinson, Colonel Martin, Mr. Solicitor Reynolds, Mr. Love, Colonel Dove, Mr. Holland, Colonel White, Mr. Richard Darley, Mr. Say, Colonel Bennett, Sir Peter Wentworth, Major Salwey, Sir Henry Vane, Sir Arthur Hesilrig, Colonel Lister, Mr. Anlaby, Mr. Ralegh, Mr. Trenchard, Mr. Millington; or any Five of them; And are to meet at Two of the Clock this Afternoon, in the Speaker's Chamber.

Ordered, That Mr. John Brewster be one of the Commissioners in this Bill.

Resolved, That Mr. John Browne, of the Charter-house, London, be one of the Commissioners in this Bill.

Victualing Ships.

Sir Henry Vane reports from the Council of State, A Letter from General Mountague, and the rest of the Plenipotentiaries from this Commonwealth; dated at Elsingnore the 10th of August 1659: Which was read:

And, Another Letter from Elsingnore, from Algernon Sydney, and Sir Robert Honnywood; dated the 11th Day of August 1659: Which was read.

Resolved, That this House doth approve of what the Council of State have done, in giving Order for Victualing the Fifteen Ships to be remaining at Elsingnore for One Month.

Resolved, That this Debate be adjourned till To-morrow Morning.

Sir G. Booth.

The House being informed, That Mr. John Gibbs, Minister of Newport-Pannell, was at the Door;

He was called in: And, being at the Bar, gave an Account to the Parliament, of the apprehending of Sir George Booth, the last Night, at Newport-Pannell.

Resolved, That Sir George Booth be committed close Prisoner to the Tower of London, for High Treason, in levying War against the Parliament and Commonwealth; and that no Person be suffered to speak with him, without Leave of the Parliament, or by their Direction; and that he be kept from having the Use of Pen, Ink, or Paper: and the Lieutenant of the Tower is hereby required and authorized to take him into his Custody, accordingly.

Ordered, That Lieutenant-General Fleetwood do forthwith send a sufficient Guard, for the safe Conducting of Sir George Booth to the Tower of London; and there to deliver him to the Lieutenant of the Tower, to be by him kept close Prisoner there.

Ordered, That it be referred to the Council of State, to inform themselves, What hath been done by the Persons who apprehended Sir George Booth, and guarded him; and to give them such Gratuity for their Pains and Service herein, as they shall think fit.

Ordered, That Sir Henry Vane and Sir Arthur Hesilrig do forthwith, upon Sir George Booth his coming to the Tower, examine the said Sir George Booth; and report his Examination to this House.

Ordered, That the Persons, taken in the Company of Sir George Booth, be forthwith sent for, and secured; and all their Papers and Writings about them seized upon, and safe kept.