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dignified Clergy and incumbents of livings were of the latter sort.

"Wherefore being extremely sensible, how heavy the burden of the said debts has lain upon the poor Clergy, upon the account of which many persons have refused to take institutions of their livings, lest they should be obnoxious to the great debts contracted by several of their predecessors, and thereby ruin themselves and families; and we being no less sensible how great the expectation of the world has been (ever since our incorporation,) and especially of the poor Clergy, to see and taste some of the happy fruits of your Majesty's unparalleled Bounty to the Church; we thought we could not better consult your Majesty's honor, nor answer the ends of our establishment and trust, than by finding out some expedient for the present ease and relief of the poorest of the Clergy; and perceiving that the revenue, and the debts and incumbrances thereupon, bore so near a proportion to each other, that little or nothing could be spared from thence to be distributed among the incumbents of the smallest livings, the only method remaining was by way of augmentation, to discharge all livings of such a value, from the payment of First Fruits and Tenths, and all arrears thereof for ever; and accordingly we most humbly applied for, and obtained your Majesty's gracious permission, to bring into Parliament a Bill or Bills, for the discharging small livings from the payment of Tenths and First Fruits-and this hath been the work of two or three winters last past; and we find that out of near 10,000 benefices in England and Wales, about 4,000 are now discharged, by virtue of the late Acts of Parliament made for that purpose, and that in conse

quence of the said discharge, the yearly revenue of Tenths only, which before did amount to about 12,500l., is now sunk to about 9,500l.; and the revenue of First Fruits is also fallen proportionably to the number of livings returned to be under the improved yearly value of 50l. which pay First Fruits :-and to the end that we might render the remaining part of your Majesty's Bounty as effectual as possible, for your most gracious purposes, we have frequently ordered prosecutions in your Majesty's Court of Exchequer against all persons whatsoever that are in arrear for their First Fruits or Tenths, and several are now actually under prosecutions; but it having been represented to us by the officers of your Majesty's Exchequer, that they would not send out process against the incumbents of any livings till they had distinguished, by the Bishops' returns, which were chargeable, and which not; nor could the Bishops execute such process till new books of Tenths were made, and new rolls of livings chargeable with Tenths sent down to them. We desired the Barons of your Majesty's Exchequer, to give the necessary orders to the officers of the First Fruits, to prepare a new book of Tenths, which has been the whole business of the last year; and till that was done, we have been obliged to stop process against all incumbents of livings with cure of souls; but we actually prosecuted and recovered several sums of money from several Dignitaries of the Church, or their executors.

"We have also from time to time received several proposals for the improving and rendering more effectual your Majesty's great charity to the Clergy, and the same are now under consideration; but upon this

occasion we humbly beg leave to represent to your Majesty, that the obligation we lie under by our constitution of holding no Court without the assistance of a Bishop, a Privy Counsellor, and a Judge, or Queen's Council, has so often put a stop to our doing any business; either in winter, when your Majesty's service in Parliament, Councils, or Courts of Justice, requires their attendance; or in summer, when the Lords the Bishops are visiting their respective dioceses, and the Judges in their circuits, and your Majesty's Court and Council removed from town; that we most earnestly beseech your Majesty to allow us to consider of, and propose to your Majesty some proper methods to obviate those, and other inconveniences of our present constitution. By order of the Governors,

JOHN CHAMBERLAYNE,

January 19, 1709-10.

L.S.

Secretary."

Applica

tion to the

a further Charter.

In March 1711, the Lord Archbishop of York was Queen for desired to represent to the Queen the inconveniences resulting from the present quorum of the Governors; namely, a Bishop, a Judge, and a Privy Counsellor, who must always be part of every Court, and the want of a new Charter on other accounts, which matters the Queen referred to the Attorney-general.

2d Charter.

Rules and Orders for the distribution of the Queen's Bounty were settled and agreed to by the Corporation; and being laid before Queen Anne, for her approbation, were afterwards confirmed by Her Majesty's letters patent, bearing date the 5th day of March, 1712; called the Second Charter.

tained in

The rules are twenty in number, and are declared Rules conby her Majesty to be the rules, methods, directions, 2d Charter. orders and constitutions, by which the Governors of the said Corporation, and their successors, should receive, manage, govern, apply and dispose the Royal Bounty, and other gifts and benevolences in the said letters patent mentioned, according to the true intent and meaning of the said Charter, and of the said letters patent. Reserving nevertheless to her Majesty, her heirs and successors, full and absolute power and authority from time to time, and at all times thereafter under the great seal, * to make any alterations in the said several and respective orders; and to give and make in like manner such other orders, rules and directions, for and concerning the better government of the said Corporation; and for the managing, governing, applying and disposing of the Royal Bounty to them granted; and for the augmentation of the maintenance of the Poor Clergy, according to the true intention of the letters patent of incorporation as to her Majesty and her successors should seem meet.

and new

set forth in

The second charter and the new rules from time 2d Charter to time made by the Crown, altering and extending Rules, &c. the rules contained in the 2d charter and for enlarg- Appendix. ing the powers of the Governors are severally set forth in the Appendix.

Livings

In the year 1713, the Secretary was ordered to pre- Lists of pare two lists of small livings, in order to their being under 101. augmented. The first, of such as did not exceed 107. per annum, to which, according to the rules contained

* By the Act 1 Geo. I. chap. 10, sec. 3, new rules and orders under the Royal sign manual are declared to be as good valid and effectual as if made or established under the great seal.

and 357. per

Annum.

New Charter published.

20th March 1713, 1st Distribu

in the second charter, two-thirds of the yearly income at that time were to be appropriated. And the second of livings not exceeding 351. per annum, that being then the value of livings to be augmented in conjunc tion with private benefactions.

At the latter end of this year (1713) the new charter and rules were laid before the Board, and 500 copies of the Charter, and 10,000 copies of the rules were directed to be printed, in order to be distributed among the Clergy and others, and the rules were published in the Gazette.

To this time, by reason of the incumbrances upon the revenue, very little each year, remained clear to tion of the be disposed of by the Governors; but now by degrees

Royal

Bounty ordered.

List of

Crown Liv

101. per

annum.

a competent sum being provided, on the 20th March, 1713, the Governors resolved upon the first distribution of the Queen's Bounty to the Poor Clergy, and ordered public notice to be given, that there was the sum of 5,600l. to be distributed in 28 shares of 2001. each, according to the rules of the Corporation; and the said rules were ordered to be again published in the London Gazette.

The Governors did at the same time direct, that a ings under list of all such livings in the gift of the Crown, as did not exceed 107. per annum should be procured, to the end they might have the preference of augmentation; pursuant to a rule contained in the second charter, which list was prepared and brought in accordingly. Act 1. G. I. At the beginning of the year 1714, Lord Chief Jusforth in se tice Parker (afterwards Lord Chancellor) laid before the board the draft of a new Bill, which afterwards passed into an Act 1 Geo. I. chap. 10, intituled, “ An Act for making more effectual her Majesty's gracious

Appendix.)

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