WHEREAS Wee are credibly giuen to vnderstand aswell by the humble Supplication and Petition of our true & Loyall Subiects the Maior and Iurats of our Towne and Port of Hastings within our County of Sussex, being subscribed by our right trusty & wel beloued Counsellor Edward Lord Zouch Lord Warden of our Cinque Ports; As also by a Certificate vnder the hands of our right trusty & wel beloued Henry Lord Hunsdon, Sir Thomas Pelham Knight & Baronet, sir Nicholas Parker, & sir Iohn Wildegos Knights, Nicholas Eversfield Esquior, High Sheriffe of our Counties of Surrey and Sussex, Thomas Aynscombe, and Anthony Apsley Esquiors, Iustices of the Peace within our foresaid County of Sussex: That our said Towne of Hastinges hath béen & yet is the ancient Port Towne of the Cinque Ports, the which standing & being right ouer against the Kingdome of France vpon the maine Sea, hath hėeretofore not onely béene well inhabited with warlike people that haue manfully defended themselues against the sundry inuasions & attempts of the Enemy, but also it hath béen plentifully furnished with Fishermen & good Maryners, and other seruiceable Seamen, and well stored with Shipping, Barques, and Boats for seruice & for shipping, from whence not onely our owne Houshold, and our Citty of London, with diuers other places from time to time are plentifully furnished with Fish, but also Our Nauy Royall vpon any occasion is the better appointed, by reason of the skilfull Mar [...]ners and cunning Seamen; But the same Towne is lately very much decayed & ympouerished for want of a Peere there to succour and defend their shipping in fowle weather, whereby hath hapned vnto them of late yéeres infinite great losses both of shipping & men, and many Strangers frō time to time that sayle that way haue béen & daily are cast away, to the vndoing of many our Subiects, and the losse of many good Seamen. For preuention whereof, our poore subiects the Inhabitants of our said Towne & Port to t [...]eir great charge & ympouerishing made out a Peéere into the Sea with Timber & Rocks, that their Ships in any stormes might ride safe vnder the Peere, but the cost and charge of making & repairing the same from time to time hath béen so great & burthensome, that it hath in a maner vndone the said Towne, & driuen away many of the best & wealthiest men, to seat themselues elswhere, so that to this day not only the said Péere for want of reparations is fallen downe & quite destroyed, but also the said Town that is seated in a place of danger from inuasion of Forraine Enemies, which heretofore hath defended it selfe in many assaults, is now relinquished, and for the most part vnpeopled, and the trade of fishing there decayed, all passengers that way distressed & left destitute in stormy & tempestuous weather, and vndefended against Pyrats & other Enemies. Upon Our Princely consideration wherof, & minding to prouide for the preseruation of the liues of Our people, the maintenance of shipping, and the continuance of our Townes vpon the Sea coast, the in [...]rease of Fishermen & Mariners, and that the prouision of our Howshold, our Citty of London, and Countrey be not diminished: And taking also into Our Princely consideration, that our said Subiects the poore Inhabitants of Hastings, by reason of their great charge alre [...]dy from time to time bestowed in repairing the said Peere, are not able any longer, howbeit most willing, to contribute thereto, The effecting whereof by the opinion of men experienced in those affaires, will amount vnto the Sum of Two Thousand Pounds & vpwards, Wee haue thought good aswell vpon the humble Peti [...]ion of the said Inhabitants, as also vpon the recommendation of our foresaid right trusty & wel-beloued Counsellor, together with the humble request of all our foresaid Justices made vnto Us on their behalfes, to commend the furtherance of so néedfull & laudable a worke, vnto the charitable and serious consideration of all our louing and wel-disposed Subiects within certaine Counties & Citties of this our Realme héereafter mentioned: Not doubting, but that all good subiects (well weighing with themselues the publike good ensuing by this worke) will be ready and willing ▪and the rather for our good conmendation héreof) to extend their liberall contributions more then in ordinary Collections, towards the finishing of the said Peere, wherein they will declare their willingnes to augment the good and prosperity of this our Realme.
KNOWE Yée therefore, that of Our especiall Grace & Princely compassion, wée haue gíuen & granted, and by these our Letters Patents toe giue & grant vnto our true & Loyall Subiects the Maior & Jurats of our said Towne of sHastings for the time being, and to euery other person or persons that shall be deputed or assigned by them by a Deputation vnder their common Seale of the said Towne, full power, licence, & authority, to aske, gather, receiue, and take the Almes and charitable beneuolence of all our louing Subiects whatsoeuer aswell Spirituall as Temporall, English borne, Denizens, and Strangers within our Counties of Southampton, Wiltes, Dorset, Somerset, Devon, and Cornewall, with our Citty of Winchefier, our Isle of Wight, and Towne of Southampton, with our Citties of Salisbury, Bristoll, Bath, and Wells, and Exeter, with our Towne & County of Poole: And in all Townes corporate, priuiledged places, Parishes, Villages, and in all other places whatsoeuer within our foresaid Counties, and not elsewhere, for & towards the fortifying, repayring and finishing of the said Péere, and the better and more spéedy erecution of this Our Royall pleasure.
WHEREFORE Wée do by these our Letters Patents will and require all our Sheriffes in their seuerall Shires & Counties, all Justices of Peace in their seuerall Diuisions, and all Maiors, Bayliffes, and other head Officers within any Citty▪ Towne corporate, or ther Jurisdiction; And also all Parsons, Vicars, Ministers, and Curats of Parishes, Churches, & Chappels, not onely of their owne parts to be helping with their liberall deuotion towards the said good & laudable worke, but also to recommend our speciall pleasure, and the furtherance of the repaire of the said Péere, in their seuerall Seissons, Citties, Townes, Liberties, Parish Churches, Hamlets, or Villages, for the better obtayning of liberall contribution thereunto. And wee will & command all and euery the chiefe Constables of euery Hundred, and where no chiefe Constable shall be, then wée require the Justices of Peace or other head Officer of any such place, that at such time & times, as the said Maior & Jurats for the time being, or any person by them deputed vnder their common Seale of the said Towne, shal come & repaire to you or any of you, with these our letters Patents vnder our great Seale of England, that forthwith vpon sight theof, you receiue & take the Briefes or Copies therof, and them deliuer, or cause to be deliuered to the Minister or one of the Churchwardens of euery Parish within your seuerall Hundreds, limits, or beurds, to be published by y e Minister of euery such Parish the next Sabboth day after the receipt therof ▪if with conueniency it may be done) otherwise the next Sabboth day following. And wee will & require you the said Parsons, Vicars, and Curats, for the better stirring vp of a charitable deuotion, deliberately to publish & declare the Tenor of these our Letters Patents or the Briefe therof, within your Parish Churches and Chappels to all our louing Subiects within the time before prefixed, and that when no other Collection shall be made, Exhorting & perswading them to extend their liberal contributions in so good & néedfull a worke. And wée require you the Churchwardens of euery Parish where such Collections are to be made as aforesaid, that ymmediately after y e publishing of these our Letters Patents, or the Briefe therof, you carefully collect & gather from seat to seat the beneuolence of all our louing Subiects, aswell strangers as others, and such as are absent from Church to repaire vnto their houses for their beneuolence, and to set down in writing in a paper Booke the name of the Parish, together with the seuerall names & Sums of those which giue and contribute in any Citty, Towne, or Hamlet, and the sum totall which shall be by you so gathered, to be by the Minister & your selues endorsed on the Back-side of the Briefe, in words at length, and not in figures, vnder your handes: And the sayd Briefes so endorsed, and the sum or sums of money so gathered, together with the said paper Booke, you the Churchwardens of euery Parish, or Petty Constables, or other inferior Officers, aswell in euery Citty, Towne corporate, priuiledged places, or elsewhere, shall returne vnto the Justices of Peace, Head Officers, or chiefe Constables from whom you receiued your charge, or to their Successons within Ten daies after such Collection made. And you the said Justices of Peace, Head Officers, and chiefe Constables, to deliuer the said Money, Paper Booke, & Briefes to our High Sheriffe of the same County at the next Quarter Sessions. And you our High Sheriffe to deliuer, or cause to be deliuered the foresaid Money, Paper Bookes, and Briefes the next Terme following after such your receipt vnto our trusty & wel-beloued Subiect Robert Tichborne Cittizen & Lynnen Draper of London, at his house in Cheap-side, who vpon the receipt thereof, shall giue vnto our said High Sheriffe an Acquittance for his discharge. And you the said Robert Tichborne from time to time vpon demaund, to deliuer vnto our foresaid subiects the Maior & Jurats of Hastings aforesaid, or to their Deputie, or Deputies authorised vnder their common Seale, all such Sum & Sums of Money, together with the said Paper Bookes, Briefes, taking from them, or any of them, an Acquitance for the same, wherby it may appeare vnto Us, that there hath béen no default or neglect of this Our Royall pleasure, for the performance of so good and néedfull a worke. Any Stature, Lawe, Ordinance, or prouision héeretofore made to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding.
IN witnesse whereof, wée haue caused these our Letters to be made Patents for the space of One whole yéere next after the date héereof to endure.
Printed by Thomas Purfoot.
Note. It is his Maiesties pleasure, for the better furtherance of this necessary worke, (in regard it is a Towne Defence, and hath been often assualted by the Enemy) that the Churchwardens of euery Parish, shall haue a speciall care in performing of the Collection, according to the intent and true meaning of the Letter Patents, whereof this is a true Briefe.