THE SHIP WRITS.

APPENDIX IV.

PARTICULARS OF A WRIT OF THE

SECOND ISSUE, 1635, FOR DORSETSHIRE.

SHOW THE FORM OF THESE WRITS.

ΤΟ

DORSET. The king, &c., to the sheriff of our county of Dorset ; to the mayor, bailiffs, burghers, and community of the town of Poole, and to the sheriff of that town; to the mayor, bailiffs, aldermen, and burgesses of the borough of Dorchester; to the mayor and burgesses of the town and borough of Wareham (and so on for Weymouth and Melcombe, Lyme Regis, Bridport, Corfe, Shaftesbury, and Blandford Forum), and to the loyal men of those towns and boroughs, and their members, in the town of Poole, and the Isle of Purbeck, and the towns of Portland, Burton, Sherborne, Cranborne, and Sto-borough, and all other towns, boroughs, townships, hamlets, and other places in the said county of Dorset, greeting.

'Whereas we are informed that certain pirates, enemies of the Christian name, Mahometans, and others in bands have nefariously taken and despoiled ships and goods and merchandise, not only of our own subjects, but also of the subjects of our allies, in the sea which has used of old times to be defended by the English nation, and have taken them off at will, and have reduced the men in them to a miserable captivity. And whereas we see them daily preparing a navy further to molest our merchants and harass the kingdom, unless a more speedy remedy be applied, and their endeavours

be met with stronger opposition. Considering also that the peril which threatens from all sides in these warlike times, renders it necessary for us and our subjects to hasten as speedily as possible the defence of the sea

kingdom,-

sea and the

'We wishing, with the help of God, to provide for the defence of the kingdom, the safeguard of the seas, the security of our subjects, the safe conduct of ships and merchandise coming to our kingdom of England, and from the same kingdom passing to foreign parts, especially since we and our ancestors, kings of England, have hitherto been lords of the said sea, and we should much regret if this royal honor should in our time perish, or in anything be diminished. And inasmuch as this burden of defence which relates to all should be borne by all, as by the law and custom of the kingdom of England has hitherto been the case.'

After this recital of the reasons for the levy, there follows a direction to equip one ship of war of 500 tons (portagii quingenti doliorum) with men, skilled masters, and strong expert sailors, 200 at the least, and cannon and small arms and gunpowder (tormentis tam majoribus quam minoribus, pulvere tormentario), and spears, darts, and other necessary ammunition sufficient for war, with double equipage, and also with provision and necessaries for twenty-six weeks at least-to be at Portsmouth on such a day, &c. &c.

Regulations are added for the assessment of the proportion of the burden to be borne by the different towns in the county; for the sub-assessment of the contributions to be paid by the men of each town, according to their condition and ability, towards the payment of the sum assessed upon the town; and for the appointment of collectors.

The writ concludes with an injunction not to collect more than is absolutely necessary for the purpose in hand. Foedera, xix. 658 et seq.

APPENDIX V.

THE SHIP WRITS. DISTRIBUTION OF SHIPS TO THE

SEVERAL COUNTIES.

The following List of the 'distribution of ships to the several counties of England and Wales, with their tonnage and men, as the same was ordered to stand' in the year 1639, is taken from Stevens, Hist. of Taxes, p. 258. A similar list for 1636, that is for the writs of 1635, is given in Anderson, Hist. of Commerce, ii. 362, and may be compared with the writs in the Foedera, or in Rushworth, ii. 335 et seq., where the sum set on the corporate towns in each county is given. The charge for that year is calculated at 10l. per ton, viz., for a ship of 500 tons 5,000l. The proportion of men to tonnage is always two men to every five tons:

INDEX.