January 1654: An Ordinance appointing a Committee for the Army, and Treasurers at War.

January 1654

[28 January 1653/4.]

Act of 24 Nov., 1653, for monthly assessment.; Names of Army Committee for execution thereof.; Treasurers at War; Act of 20 July, 1653.; Powers of Army Committee.; Assessment Commissioners, etc. to observe directions; of Army Committee; Treasurers at War likewise.; Army Committee to execute Act of 19 Oct. 1653.; Arrears.; Treasurers to have same powers as under Act of 20 July, 1653.; Receivers General to transmit sums received to Treasurers.; Assessment on Scotland to be for maintenance of Forces there; Sequestration and compositions moneys to be paid to Treasurers.

Be it Ordained and Declared by His Highness the Lord Protector, with the consent of his Council, And it is hereby Ordained, That for the more effectual putting in Execution of an Act of Parlament, Entituled, An Act for an Assessment at the rate of One hundred and twenty thousand pounds by the Moneth for six Moneths, from the five and twentieth of December 1653. to the four and twentieth of June then next ensuing, towards the maintenance of the Armies and Navy of this Commonwealth, and published in Print by Order of Parlament of the four and twentieth of November 1653. And for the Receiving, Disposing and Issuing forth of the Moneys payable by vertue thereof, and of all other Moneyes that by any Act, Ordinance, or Order of Parla ment have been, or are hereby, or before the four and twentieth of June 1654. shall be appointed for, or towards the maintenance of the Armies of this Commonwealth, John Clerk, Edward Clud, Richard Lucy, Edward Horseman, James Philips, Edward Gill, John Hildesley, Jervas Bennet, Esquires, Captain Adam Baines, or any three or more of them, be a Committee for the Army, And that John Blackwell the younger, and Richard Dean, Esqrs. shall be and are hereby continued and authorized to be Treasurers at War for the said six moneths Assessment, from the five and twentieth day of December 1653. until the four and twentieth of June 1654. and for all other the summs of money for which they were appointed Treasurers at Warr by Vertue of an Act, Entituled, An Act appointing a Committee for the Army, and Treasurers at Warr published by Order of Parliament of the five and twentieth of July 1653. And the said Committee for the Army are hereby appointed, and authorized to have the Care and managing of the whole business of bringing in the moneys appointed to be Assessed, levyed, collected, and paid, in all and every the Counties, Cities and places in England and Wales, towards the said six moneths Assessments of one hundred and twenty thousand pounds a moneth, and of all other moneys due, and in arrear of any former Assessments; And for that purpose, and also for the issuing forth and disposing of the said six moneths Assessment, and all other the said moneys, in like manner as the Assessments and sums (for the ordering and disposing whereof, the persons named in the said last recited Act were appointed a Committee for the Army) were to be issued forth and disposed, that is to say for the issuing forth of forty thousand pounds by the moneth out of the said six moneths Assessment of one hundred and twenty thousand pounds a moneth to the Treasurer of the Navy; and for the issuing forth and disposing of all other monys to be by vertue hereof issued forth, and disposed by them for the same uses and purposes for which the six moneths Assessments, and other sums in the said last recited Act mentioned, were appointed to be by them disposed, or for such other uses as are hereafter mentioned, The said Committee for the Army shall have, and are hereby authorized to use, and put in Execution, all and every the powers and Authorities, in as full and ample manner to all intents and purposes as the Committee of the Army had or were mentioned to have by vertue of the said last recited Act for the management of the Matters and affairs thereby committed unto them, and to proceed therein according to the powers, rules and limitations in the said Act expressed. And the said Committee for the Army shall be, and are hereby further impowred, and authorized to have and put in Execution the several Powers and Authorities which were by two several Orders of Parlament of the fourteenth of April 1652. expressed to be given to the then Committee for the Army, for the disposal of the Arrears of all Assessments in the said Orders mentioned. And shall be, and are hereby impowred to confirm or alter any Order, or warrant, which (being made by the then Committee for the Army, relating to the said Orders of Parlament, or either of them) have not, or shall not before the passing of this Ordinance be fulfilled, observed, and fully executed. And also the said Committee for the Army shall, and are hereby impowred and authorized to proceed in the satisfying the remainder of the Arrears due for service in Scotland, before the twentieth of October 1651. and in defaulking such sums of money as upon Examination shall appear to have been paid to any person, for himselfe, or others, in lieu of those Arrears, more then ought to have been paid according to the directions of an Order of Parlament of the eighth of August 1653. made in that behalf. And the said Committee for the Army shall likewise have all and every the powers and Authorities, which the Committee for the Army had, or were mentioned to have by the Act herein last before recited. And all and every the Commissioners for Assessments, Receivers, Collectors, Sub-Collectors, and other persons concerned, or that shall be concerned in the assessing, levying, collecting and payment of any part of the Assessments, or other sums before mentioned, or in the taking or making of rates, or surveys for the Assessments, shall be, and are hereby required to observe such Orders and Directions, as shall be made, and given forth in those behalfs by the said Committee for the Army. And be it Ordained, and it is hereby Ordained, that the Warrants and Orders of the said Committee for the Army, to all, or any the purposes aforesaid, be by the said Treasurers at War, and by Sir John Wollaston, Knight, and the rest of the former Treasurers at War, and all others concerned therein, observed and obeyed accordingly; And the warrant or warrants of the said Committee for the Army shall be to all, and every the Treasurers at War aforesaid a sufficient discharge. And the said Committee for the Army shall be, and are hereby authorized and required, to Exercise, and put in Execution, all and every the powers and authorities given to the Committee for the Army by an Act of Parlament published in print by Order of Parlament of the nineteenth of October 1653. touching the stating and determining the Accompts of all Officers and Souldiers, &c. Provided that the said Committee for the Army do not state or make any Certificate for any sum claimed to be in Arrear and due before the fifteenth of January 1647. And be it further Ordained by the Authority aforesaid, that the said Treasurers at War hereby continued, shall have the same powers and Authorities to all intents and purposes, and shall have and take the like salary and allowances for six moneths, from the five and twentieth day of December 1653. or proportionably for so long time as they shall continue to be Treasurers at War, as they had, and as were appointed to be made unto them by the Act herein before recited, published in print the five and twentieth day of July 1653. And the respective Receivers General, that are or shall be appointed to receive any part of the said six moneths Assessments of one hundred and twenty thousand pounds a moneth, commencing the five and twentieth of December, 1653. shall forthwith after the receipt thereof transmit and pay, or cause to be paid, the monys by them so received, to the said Treasurers at War, or where, or to whom they shall appoint to receive the same. And the receipt of the said Treasurers at War, shall be to the respective Receivers General, and to all other persons, who shall by vertue of this Ordinance pay any moneys unto them, for the purposes aforesaid, a sufficient discharge. And the said Committee for the Army shall be, and are hereby authorized and required by their Warrant to Order and dispose the monethly Assessment laid upon Scotland (by resolve of Parlament, dated the twelfth day of November 1653.) for and towards the payment of the Forces, and other necessary contingencies of the Military service there; And the Treasurer, or Receiver General of the said Assessment is hereby ordered and required to observe such Warrant as shall be directed unto him by the said Committee for the Army for the purposes aforesaid. And the said Committee for the Army shall be and are hereby impowred to give Warrant for the satisfying, and allowing of all such sums of money as were disbursed by any Receivers General of the Assessments for the Army appointed before the five and twentieth of December 1651. or by any former Treasurers at War, by any Order of Parliament, or by any order or direction of any former Committee for the Army. Provided that such disbursements were ordered and made for such purposes and uses, for which the then Committee for the Armie ought to have given their Warrant, and did not give the same. And for as much as the Forces in England, Ireland and Scotland do necessarily require, and call for the monies appointed for their use out of the one hundred thousand pounds charged for the use of the Armie, by Order of Parlament of the first of Januarie, 1652. and arising by the sale of and Composition for Delinquents estates; and also for some further supplie to bee made for them; Be it therefore Ordained, that all and every such summe and summes of monie as shall, on and after the thirtieth day of January 1653. be paid unto and received by the Treasurers at Goldsmith's-Hall for Sequestrations or Compositions (except for pensions and paiments for the use of maimed Souldiers already appointed out of their receipts) shall be paid by the said Treasurers unto the Treasurers at War hereby appointed, untill the remainder of the said one hundred thousand pounds, or so much thereof, as shall not bee satisfied by the moyetie of the moneys arising by sale of Delinquents Estates upon the Act of Parliament for sale of and Composition for those Estates, shall bee fully satisfied. And also until the summe of one hundred thousand pounds more bee fully satisfied and paid out of the said receipt for the further supplie of the Armies. And the Treasurers for Sequestrations and Compositions are hereby required to make paiment of the remainder of the said first one hundred thousand pounds. And also of the other one hundred thousand pounds to the said Treasurers at War accordingly, whose Receipt shall be to the Treasurers for Sequestrations and Compositions a sufficient Discharge.

Committee may call receivers and collectors to account.; And order them to pay in moneys in hand to Treasurers.; 6 l. per cent. interest, if unlawfully detained,; Treasurers may receive and issue out all moneys appointed by Committee.; Persons neglecting warrants of Committee to suffer sequestration.

And bee it further Ordeined that the said Committee for the Army shall bee, and hereby are impowred (by themselves or such others as they shall appoint) to call to Accompt any Receivers, Collectors, Sub-Collectors, or other persons who have received any summe or summes of monie, paiable, or received by virtue of any Act, Ordinance or Order of Parlament for the British Forces in Ireland, or for the relief or use of any the distressed British Inhabitants of Ireland or for other service or relief of Ireland: and all persons concerned in such Accompt, are required to observe the Orders and Directions of the said Committee for the purpose aforesaid. And the said Committee are hereby impowred to issue forth their Orders or Warrants to any person or persons who have any of the said monies in their hands, requiring them forthwith to paie in the same unto John Blackwell the younger, and Richard Deane Esquires, Treasurers at War, whose receipt shall be a discharge for the monies which shall be so paid unto them; and if it shall appear unto the said Committee, that any person or persons have wilfully deteined in their hands any summe or summes of monie as aforesaid, and not performed their dutie and trust in the due disposal thereof, the said Committee for the Armie (if they shall see cause) are hereby Authorized to award and order such person or persons to paie Interest for the same, after the rate of Six Pounds per cent. for so long time as they have deteined the monie in their hands. And bee it further Ordeined, that John Blackwell the younger, and Richard Deane Esquires, Treasurers at Warr, are hereby appointed and authorized to receive all such summes of monie (appointed for the British forces, or distressed Inhabitants of Ireland) as shall bee, by the said Committee, by virtue hereof, ordered to bee paid unto them, and to issue forth the same for the uses for which the said monies were raised and received. And have been by any Act, Ordinance or Order of Parliament disposed and appointed, according to such order as shall bee by the said Committee for the Armie given therein; And the said Committee for the Armie shall give their warrant for the disposal thereof for the uses aforesaid, according to such direction as they shall in that behalf receive from the Lord Protector and his Council. And bee it further ordained, that if any Receiver-General, Collector, Sub-Collector, or other person or persons shall neglect or refuse to observe the Order, or Warrant of the said Committee for the Armie, and not pay in the monie of them required, that then upon Certificate thereof from the said Committee for the Armie unto the Commissioners for Sequestrations, the said Commissioners are hereby required to sequester the Estate of such person or persons, real and personal, until such time as the Warrant or Orders of the said Committee shall bee wholly observed and fulfilled.