House of Commons Journal Volume 11: 11 January 1696

Sabbati, 11 die Januarii :

7° Gulielmi Tertii.

Prayers.

Duties on Glass, &c.

A PETITION of Peregrine Henzell, John Henzell, Jacob Henzell, and Peregrine Tizack, on behalf of themselves, and the rest of the Glass-makers upon the North Side of the River Tine, was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That the Petitioners Ancestors, being the first Makers of broad Glass in England, did settle upon the River Tyne, where the Petitioners now carry on the said Art; but now, besides a Duty laid upon Glass, there being a Duty of 5s. per Chaldron laid upon all Coals water-borne, by an Act of the last Parliament, which they are necessitated to use; and several other Glass-works using no water-borne Coals, they will undersell the Petitioners; so that they must give over their Employment: And praying, That the said Duty of 5s. per Chaldron upon Coals, used for making Glass upon the said River, may be taken off.

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 . . . . . . . . . Glass Wares, Stone and Earthen Bottles, Coals, and Culm, for carrying on the War against France; and of the Doubts and Complaints relating thereunto.

Lady Fane's Estate.

An ingrossed Bill, from the Lords, intituled, An Act for enabling the Lady Katherine Fane to sell the Reversion of certain Fee-farm Rents, given to her by her Grandfather John Bence Esquire, was read the First time.

Resolved, That the Bill be read a Second time.

Stoner's Estate.

An ingrossed Bill, from the Lords, intituled, An Act for the enabling Thomas Stoner Esquire, Son and Heir of John Stoner Esquire, deceased, to make a Jointure and Settlement of his Estate in Marriage, notwithstanding his Minority, was read the First time.

Resolved, That the Bill be read a Second time.

Madely Manor.

Mr. Baldwyn reported from the Committee, to whom the ingrossed Bill, from the Lords, intituled, An Act for vesting the Manor of Madely in the County of Salop, in Trustees, for certain Purposes therein mentioned, was committed, That they had examined and considered the same; and directed him to report the same to the House, without any Amendments: And he delivered the same in, at the Clerk's Table.

The Bill was read the Third time.

Resolved, That the Bill do pass.

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

Leave of Absence.

Ordered, That Mr. Pocklington have Leave to go into the Country for a Fortnight, upon extraordinary Occasions.

Ordered, That all Motions for Members to have Leave to go into the Country, be made only between the Hours of Eleven and One a Clock.

Oaths of Supremacy in Ireland.

An ingrossed Bill, from the Lords, intituled, An Act for altering Part of an Act, made in the Third Year of his present Majesty and the late Queen Mary, intituled, An Act for the abrogating the Oath of Supremacy in Ireland, and appointing other Oaths, was read a Second time.

Resolved, That the Bill be committed, upon the Debate of the House, to Sir Wm. Williams, Mr. Tredenham senior, Mr. Whitacre, Mr. Molesworth, Mr. Monson, Mr. Attorney-General, Sir Henry Colt, Mr. Roberts, Lord Cornbury, Mr. Lownes, Sir Marm. Wyvell, Sir Harry Hobart, Lord Ashley, Mr. St. Johns, Mr. Bertie, Mr. Blofeild, Mr. Frewen, Mr. Harley, Mr. Travers, Mr. Gardner, Mr. Palmes, Mr. Slater, Mr. Ashby, Sir John Bolles, Mr. Granvill, Mr. Hedger, Mr. Haveningham, Mr. Foley, Mr. Phillips, Sir William Blacket, Mr. Moyle, Mr. Vaughan, Mr. Baldwyn, Mr. Ash, Lord Coningsby, Sir Wm. Ashurst, Mr. Price, Mr. Brewer, Mr. Jones, Lord Spencer, Mr. Foley junior: And they are to meet this Afternoon at Four a Clock, in the Speaker's Chambers.

A Member discharged from custody.

Ordered, That Sir Thomas Barnardiston, in Custody of the Serjeant at Arms attending this House, for absenting himself from his Service in Parliament, be discharged out of Custody, paying his Fees.

Preventing Escapes.

Mr. Brewer, according to Order, presented to the House a Bill for the preventing Escapes; and better Serity and Relief of Creditors.

The Bill was read the First time.

Resolved, That the Bill be read a Second time.

A Member discharged from custody.

Ordered, That Sir Robert Dashwood, in Custody of the Serjeant at Arms, for absenting himself from his Service in Parliament, be discharged out of Custody paying his Fees.

Lords desire a Conference.

A Message from the Lords, by Sir Miles Cooke and Sir John Franklyn:

Mr. Speaker,

The Lords desire a Conference with this House, this Morning at Twelve of the Clock, in the Painted Chamber, upon the Subject-matter of the last Conference.

And then the Messengers withdrew.

Resolved, That the House do agree to a Conference with the Lords, as their Lordships do desire.

And the Messengers were called in again; and Mr. Speaker acquainted them therewith.

Ordered, That the Managers who managed the last Conference do manage this Conference.

Wye and Lugg Navigation.

A Petition of several of the Inhabitants of the Town of Monmouth was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That they conceive Trade and Commerce by Navigation, to be advantageous to all Places; and that they do not oppose the County of Hereford in their Endeavours to make the Rivers Wye and Lugg navigable; (fn. 1) [so as the Town of Monmouth may not be any way chargeable therewith.]

Ordered, That the Consideration of the said Petition be referred to the Committee, to whom the Bill for makeing the Rivers Wye and Lugg, in the County of Hereford, navigable, is committed.

Encouraging Seamen.

A Petition of the Company of Watermen on the River of Thames was presented to the House, and read; setting forth, That there is a Bill now depending in this House, for the Increase and Encouragement of Seamen; which compels the Petitioners into a publick Register, to oblige them all to serve his Majesty at Sea, upon Pain to lose their Liberty of Rowing on the Thames, which is their only Livelihood: That Seamen are left to a voluntary Register; which will prove such an Inequality and Hardship to the Petitioners, that it may totally prevent the future breeding of Watermen: And praying, That they may be permitted to make a voluntary Register of themselves in their own Company, to be transmitted to the general Register.

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

Regulating Elections.

An ingrossed Bill for the preventing Charge and Expences in Elections of Members to serve in Parliament was, according to the Order of the Day, read the Third time.

An Amendment was proposed to be made, by leaving out the last Words, "and shall suffer and undergo such Pains, Punishments, Penalties, Imprisonments, Censures, Expulsions, and Incapacities, as the:"

And the same was, upon the Question put thereupon, agreed unto by the House.

Another Amendment was proposed to be made, by inserting "upon such Election:"

And the same was, upon the Question put thereupon, agreed unto by the House; and the Bill amended at the Table accordingly.

Resolved, Nemine contradicente, That the Bill do pass: And that the Title be, An Act for preventing of Charge and Expence in Elections of Members to serve in Parliament.

Ordered, That Sir William Williams do carry the Bill to the Lords, and desire their Concurrence thereunto.

Conference with Lords.

Then the Managers appointed went to the Conference.

And, being returned;

Mr. Boyle reported, That the Managers had met the Lords at the Conference; and that the same was managed on the Part of the Lords by the Earl of Bridgewater: Who acquainted them, That this Conference was desired to keep that good Correspondence, which was so necessary between the Two Houses; and said, That they were commanded to acquaint this House, That the Lords had agreed to the Amendment, made by the Commons, to the Lords Amendment to the Bill for regulating the Coinage, in the 6th Press, 13. L.: And the Lords desist from all their other Amendments disagreed to by this House, except the Two following; viz.

Press 11. L. 13. after "shall," add "at any time find necessary to."

L. 15. leave out "not being less than Four."

On which their Lordships do insist:

For that the Lords do think it of too dangerous Consequence, if his Majesty should find it necessary, for the Benefit of the remote Counties, to make use of more Mints, to oblige him to erect Four: For, since the only Expedient yet found to prevent Clipping, and false Coining, is to coin all the Money milled, if that Mystery or Art should be once discovered to false Coiners, which it is most likely to be, by employing so many Hands as must be used for Four Mints more; the Mischief of false Coining would be left altogether remediless for the future, and false Money perpetually made, to the Ruin of the Nation.

That the Earl of Bridgwater said further, That the Lords hold themselves obliged to take Notice of what was delivered from the House of Commons, at the Close of the last Conference, in relation to pecuniary Penalties, mentioned in the Clauses sent down from their Lordships; which, the Commons say, ought to have their Commencement only from the House of Commons: Their Lordships conceive this to be highly derogatory to the Rights of their House; but since the House of Commons thought fit to deliver a bare Assertion only, without shewing any Foundation for it, the Lords at present, will content themselves with as positive a Denial of it.

Supply Bill; Land Tax.

The House, according to the Order of the Day, resolved itself into a Committee of the whole House, to consider further of the Bill for granting to his Majesty an Aid of Four Shillings in the Pound, for One Year, for carrying on the War against France.

Mr. Speaker left the Chair.

Sir Tho. Littleton took the Chair of the Committee.

Mr. Speaker resumed the Chair.

Sir Thomas Littleton acquainted the House, That they had made a further Progress in the Matter to them referred.

And then the House adjourned till Monday Morning, Nine a Clock.