Harley MS 1243

Various state papers and parliamentary journals bound together.

ff. 1-107: Journal of the House of Lords, 26 November 1696 to 23 January 1697, with reference to the attainder of Sir John Fenwick. Also includes the following business: Charles Mordaunt, then Earl of Monmouth, later of Peterborough, committed prisoner by the Lords to the Tower of London; reputation of the Duke of Shrewsbury cleared in regard to his correspondence with Matthew Smith; innocence of Captain George Porter in relation to the murder of Mr Norton justified; the late Duchess of Norfolk (i.e. Jane Howard, Duchess of Norfolk (née Bickerton) (1643/4-1693)).

ff. 108v-114: Act 16. Charles I Cap. 1, for annual Parliaments.

ff. 115-119: Judgement and sentence passed on Andrew de Hercla, Earl of Carlisle, 18. Edw. II, and the related King’s writs, transcribed from the record in the Exchequer at Westminster. Latin and French.

ff. 120-128: Argument against the county registers of records and deeds by the Honourable William Pierpoint. Ca. 1708?

ff. 129-143: Paper on selection of members of Parliament by George Savile, Marquess of Halifax. Headed: ‘Some cautions offered to the consideration of those who are to chuse Members to serve in the next Parliament’. This manuscript copy dated 24 April 1694 in the hand of Robert Harley. Published anonymously, London, 1695.

ff. 144-146: Copy of ‘An Act for the Declaration of Elizabeth Burgh’s children to be bastards’. Act passed ann. 34 Hen. VIII.

ff. 147-217: Various papers on public affairs, especially taxation and revenue, in a single hand preceded by a contents list (ff. 147-148), as follows:

• Account of the Commons selection of Edward Seymour as Speaker, 6 March 1678/9, and the King’s refusal to admit him, with messages between King and Commons, etc. (by a Member of Parliament) (ff. 149-152).
• Discussion of King’s power of refusal of a Speaker chosen by the House of Commons, by the same author (ff. 153-157).
• List of peers who protested against the abdication of King James (f. 157v).
• Arguments offered by the Commons to the Lords upon a Conference; for bringing first the Earl of Danby (later Duke of Leeds) to his trial; and afterward the Earl of Powis, Viscount Stafford, and the Lords Petre, Arundell of Wardour, and Bellassyse; as also for excluding the Bishops from voting in the same (ff. 158-162).
• List of Pensioners reported to Parliament, 23 May [no year given] (ff. 163r).
• Minutes from the Council-Book, 28 January 1675/6, on the Kings resolution to retrench his expenses for some time to the yearly sum of £1,175,315:1:6, with the scheme for regulating it (ff. 163v-164v).
• Considerations on the alleged necessity of raising the value of coin, or stopping export of foreign coin and bullion (f. 165).
• ‘Some considerations about an excise’. Drawn up by a member of the House of Commons after 1689, containing arguments against an excise (ff. 166-169).
• Duties on beer, tobacco, salt, linen, silks, spices, drugs, stuffs, etc by the Commons in November 16— [no year given] (f. 170).
• Abstract of the farmers of the County Excise during the reign of Charles II, with farmers’ names, rents set and agreed, by and between Sir John Talbot, Sir James Smith and others who managed the system, and the farmers (f. 171r).
• Colonel Birch’s Report 1689, on the produce of the excise over the preceding years.
• Computation of the several branches of the Revenue, made since 1689 (f. 172r).
• Account of the Kings Revenue, as delivered to the House of Commons 1663, by Sir Philip Warwick, Secretary to the Lord Treasurer (Thomas Wriothesley Earl of Southampton) for inspection by the King’s appointment (ff. 172v-173r).
• Proportion of provision for 28 men for six months (f. 173v).
• ‘A Proposition for the advantage of His Majesties Revenue, and for carrying on the Fishery-Trade, by an Imposition or Excise upon Salt, with the Manufactures allso of Hemp and Flax’, by John Collins (ff. 174-176).
• List of the regiments in King James II’s army (f. 177).
• The King’s warrant for payment of money to the East India Company for salt-petre, dated July 1683 (f. 178r).
• The King’s warrant to the Commissioners of the Admiralty to grant out commissioners against the King of Bantam, or any other prince making war against his subjects in East India. Dated July 1683 (f. 178r).
• Clause brought in by way of rider to the ingrossed bill for declaring the hereditary revenue, passed and sent up to the Lords, 1690 (f. 178v).
• Notes from Major Wildman’s Report (f. 179r).
• Account of gold and silver coined in the Mint within the Tower of London, from 20 July 1660 to 21 December 1666, and to 31 December 1689 (f. 179v).
• Account of gold and silver coined in the Mint within the Tower of London, 1599 to November 1676, divided into four parts, showing how the coin increased proportionally to trade and navigation in the first three quarters, and decreased in the last quarter, since the East India Company was set up in 1657 (f. 180).
• Account of gold and silver coined 21 December 1675 to 31 December 1689, with notes (f. 181).
• Account of gold and silver coined 31 July 1689 to 31 March 1690 (f. 182).
• Silver entered out for Holland, 2 October 1689 to 31 December next (f. 183r).
• Mr Rosseau’s account of the governor of the Netherlands advancing the coin of that country. Dated Brussels, 12 April 1690 (f. 183v).
• ‘An Account of pieces of eight, forreign silver and gold exported to Holland, Flanders, and East India, in the last five years’, i.e. 25 March 1685 to 25 March 1690 (f. 184).
• Proposal for vesting in King William III about three million acres of profitable land belonging to Catholics in Ireland, by Samuel Terrell (185r).
• ‘Proposalls for encouraging the manufacture of linnen in England’ (ff. 185v-186r).
• Accounts of French linen, Low Country linen, and wines, as they paid duty 1690, and must pay in future (ff. 186v-189).
• Precedents enquired after and found, upon the Lords sending down to the Commons, 22 May 1690. The Bill of Grace, with a Message of their having added thereunto these Words ‘Nemine Contradicente’ (ff. 190-191r).
• Account of the weight of gold and silver bullion coined in the Mint in the six years to 20 December 1672 (f. 191v).
• Account of the value of gold and silver bullion coined in the Mint, 20 December 1648 to 21 December 1674, with the yearly medium (f. 192r).
• Account of the medium of gold and silver coined in the Mint in the 12 and a half years to 20 December 1672 (f. 192v).
• Account of gold and silver coined in the Mint from 20 December 1648 to 21 December 1672 (f. 193r).
• Part of the petition or information of the working goldsmiths to the House of Commons on the practice of melting down the milled moneys and exporting the same as foreign silver (f. 193v).
• Mr Neale’s answer to the above, 10 April 1690 (f. 194r).
• Reasons against an excise on iron (ff. 194v-195r).
• Account of the quantities of iron imported in the Port of London and the out ports, during certain years of King James II’s reign (f. 195v).
• Names of the Lords protesting against the Act for recognising the King and Queen, with their reasons; and for avoiding all questions concerning the Acts made in Parliament assembled at Westminster, 15 February 1688 (f. 196r).
• Proposal for raising £200,000 p.a. through excise tax on several commodities (f. 196v).
• Proposal at a Committee of the whole House, 1690, to prevent Ministers giving ill advice (f. 197r).
• Abstract of various statutes relating to the matters in the petition of the goldsmiths above, about melting coin, etc. (f. 197v).
• Abstract of the Corporation Bill (ff. 198-201).
• Resolutions of the House of Commons on a report of Mr Foley from the Committee for Grievances, 16 March 1688 (f. 202r).
• Account of several sessions of Parliament begun at Westminster, 8 May 1661 (ff. 202v-212).
• Computation of the charge of the first year’s government of King William III (f. 213r).
• Account of the revenue of the crown, 1687 (ff. 213v-214r).
• Proposal to raise the King two million pounds for his immediate use, without affecting the lower sort of trading people or causing too great a burden on his subjects, by laying an imposition on all houses for one year, over £10 p.a. in London and Westminster, and £8 p.a. in the country (ff. 214v-215).
• ‘To reduce 1,200,000 of the money given upon land, to be paid in twelve months, so into money as that it may currently pass to all intents and Purposes as well as ready Money itselfe’ etc. (ff. 216-217).

ff. 218-352: Three tracts in a different hand, with a preliminary contents list (which includes 7 other items not present):

• ‘The original Institution, Power, and Jurisdiction of Parliaments, comprehending the Nature and Method of all Parliamentary Transactions collected out of the Tower Records, the Journalls of both Houses, &c. being a private Manuscript found among the Papers of the late Judge Hales in his owne hand-writing’ (ff. 219-250).
• 'Observations on the Case of Customes, cited in the book called Cookes 12th Reports, pag: 17, 18’ Anonymous (ff. 251-274).
• Report by Arthur Annesley Earl of Anglesey, Lord Privy Seal, on several conferences held between the two Houses of Parliament, 19 and 20 April 1671, on the Bill concerning Impositions on Merchandises, etc. (ff. 275-352).