Parliamentary Interest in the Upkeep of Dover Haven
| Artifact Summary | |
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| Artifact type | |
| Creator/author | |
| Date | 1601 |
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Entry
1601.
[H. Townshend, Historical Collections or an exact Account of the Proceedings of the Four last Parliaments of Q. Elizabeth (1680), pp. 308-9, 323.]
[Thurs., Dec. 10.] Mr Swale said : ' There was a Doubt, whether the Tax for Dover-Haven should be continued by force of the Statute ; the Tax is of Three Pence a Tun for the burthen of every Ship : He said, That the Seamen and Merchants, for want of sufficient maintenance, were turned to Fisher-men. And the Fisher-man, if he made but two Tuns of Trayn-Oyl with the Blubber of New-found-Land Fish, this causes the Ship to be Taxed for the whole Burthen ; which is grievous to the Subject : Much Money hath been Levied, it comes to at least One Thousand Marks a Year, and the Haven never the better.
Nay, Mr Speaker, it is grown into a Proverb, If a Tax be once on foot, God sheild it continues not as Dover-Haven.' Mr Boys said: ' There was great Reason to continue the Tax, in respect of the continual maintenance of the Haven, which is the best in England for all Necessities : It will ship as many men in three hours, as any other Haven in a day. And he said, That besides former Expences, there is now above Four-Hundred- Pounds-worth of Stones for the Reparation thereof ready upon the Haven.' SHIPPING Sir John Fortescue said : ' The Proverb is, Tractent fabrilia fabri. The Gentleman that first spake, had not so good Instructions, as he might have had : There be Brew-houses and Bake-houses for the Provision of Victuals for Shipping ; the Haven will receive Ships of Three Hundred Tuns, and is most necessary for the passing of all Merchants : The Tax is small, and times may be when the Haven shall need a great Tax at one time ; And if this should be taken away, what then ? And therefore I think it most fit to be Continued.' Mr. Comptroller said : ' Me thinks we take a very Imprudent Course, to go about this present, to take away a Tax which maintains Dover-Haven : We are now in Dispute, how to defend our selves from the Dunkirkers, and to strengthen our own Havens. If we take away this Tax, we shall weaken this Haven, which is the most necessary Haven of England, and therefore, I would wish no man to wrong the State so much, and to be so respectless of the Good of the Navy, by speaking out of any particular humor of his own.' Sir Walter Rawleigh said : ' There be divers Havens which have been Famous, and are now gone to Decay, as Tynmouth, and Setow, and Winchelsey; Rye is of little Receipt ; Sandwich,
(as a Burgess of that Town said this Parliament, Mr Peake) is even a going. The Tax being imployed as it should be, I hold it both good and necessary ; and there is no Trade of Fisher-men to Newfound-land, but by this Haven of Dover, which if the Tax be taken away, and that go to Decay, Her Majesty shall lose one of the best, and most necessary Havens of England, which hath all the Commodities that Mr. Chancellor shewed, and lieth opposite to all our Enemies Countries, who may soon be with us, and we not able to resist them and help our selves, should we want this Haven. I think it therefore fit this matter should be Considered of, and Committed ; And so it was.' [Monday, Dec. 14.] Mr. Francis Moore brought in the Bill for continuance of some Statutes, and Repeal of some others, with two Provisoes touching Dover-Haven, (and the longer was accepted) . I leave it, quoth he, to the Consideration of the House, to take whether they list, or to refuse both. Mr Secretary Cecil said : ' If ever there was a time to look .
9* to the Ports and Havens, it is now. If you remember, what place is Ex opposito to Dover, what Neighbours we have, and how greatly the Haven doth stand us in stead, I believe you would be more willing to add, than to take any thing away from the maintenance thereof. I wish therefore, to end this Controversy, that this may be the Question, Whether of these two Provisoes shall be added to the Law ? But I think the greatest is best, and largest, and I should be loth to Detract any thing from that Contribution : So the greater was taken.'
1. FICTITIOUS CONTRACT MADE TO CONCEAL USURY, temp. EDWARD IV.
[Early Chancery Proceedings, Bdle 37, No. 38.]
To the right reverent Fader in god the Archebisshop of York and Chaunceller of Englond.
Mekely besecheth your gracious lordship Robert Richeman, cam to oon Stephyn Bramden of Wynchester and desired of the same Stephyn in the way of charite to lene to your seid Oratour that where he for his relyfe beyng in grete nede and povyrte v li. to a certeyn day nowgh past, and the same Stephyn Bramden, understondyng the nede of your seid Oratour, and that he was lykly to be cast into that lamentabull mysery of lakkyng his sustynaunce, uterly denyed to lend to your seid Oratour one penny, one lesse than your seid Oratour wold assent to geve to the same Stephyn unlawfull gayne for the lone of the forceid vli. And your seid Oratour by the cohercionn of grete nede and poverte graunted to doo and fulfill all that that shuld be desired by the same Stephyn Brandon [sic], trustyng alway that the same Stephyn in conclucion wold no thyng take but as good conscience requyred. And after the same Stephyn Brandon, only to colour his seid unlawfull gayne for the lone of the seid v li., desired a payer of Endentures to be made betwene hym and your seid Oratour, by the whiche endentures it is specified that the same Stephyn Brandon hath let to ferme to your seid Oratour c Shepe for the terme of v yeres, reservyng yerly xx s. to the same Stephyn duryng the terme of v yeres. And it is also conteyned in the same Endenture that your seid Oratour at the yend of the same v yeres shall pay to the133 forseid Stephyn v li. of lawfull money for the seid c shepe. And it was farther devysed by the same Stephyn that your seid Oratour and a nother person with hym shuld be bound by Obligacion to the same Stephyn in the somme of x li. to fulfill truly all thynges conteigned and specified in the forseid Endentures, of the which Endentures your seid Oratour in his grete nede sealed one parte. And also he and oone Nicholas Faukener were bound by Obligacion to the seid Stephyn in x li. to fulfill all thyng conteyned in the seid sealed and delyvered, the seid Stephyn lent to your seid Oratour vli. And howe be it, gracious lord, that your seid Oratour had Endenture. And after the seid writynge in fourme forseid made, never shepe, mony, ware of the seid Stephyn Brandon, but oonly v li., the which v li. your seid Oratour hath truly content and paied to the forseid Stephyn ; yet the same Stephyn seieth that he woll have v li. more for the lone of the forseid v li., or elles he will sue the forseid Obligacion of x li. ayenst your seid Oratour, which is contrarie to all good conscience ; nevyrtheles by the comenn lawe your besecher hath no remedie in the premysses. Therfor please your gracious lordship, the premysses consydered, to graunt a writte of subpena to be directed to the seid Stephyn Brandon, commaundyng hym by the same to appere byfore the Kyng in his Chauncery at a certeyn day by you lymytted, ther to be reuled as right and conscience requyreth : this for the love of god and in the way of charite.
plegii de prosequendo{ThomasFarleydeLondonn,mercer. Willelmus Edyng de eadem, Grocer.
