A Brief Register Part 2, Part 2 · Section 4 · Subsection 43
Retorn de vicount sur cest brief.
VIrtute istius brevis eligi feci duos milit. gladiis cinctos magis idoneos & discretos de comitat. meo viz. W. F. & V. S, qui plenam & sufficientem potestatem pro se & communitate comitat. praedicti habeant, ad faciendum & consentiendum iis quae ad diem & locum infra contentos de communi consilio regni Angliae ordinari contigerint: & praedicti W. F. & V. S. manucapti sunt per I. P. V. B. I. D. & R. N. ad essendum ad Parliamentum Dominae Reginae apud Westmonast. ad diem infra contentum, ad faciendum quod hoc breve in se exigit & requirit. li. Int. f. 595.
Feci etiam praeceptum virtute hujus brevis I. B. & A. S. Ballivis libertatis villae de G. in comitat. meo, quod de eodem Burgo eligi facerent, duos Burgenses de discretioribus & magis sufficientibus quod sint ad Parliamentum dictae dominae Reginae ad diem & locum infra content. ad faciendum & consentiendum …t praedictum est, qui quidem Ballivi sic mibi respondent; quod eligi fecerunt de praedicto Burgo de G. duos Bu…g. discretos & magis sufficientes ad essend. ad Parliamentum praedictum, viz. R. P. & G. I. ad faciendum & consentiendum ut supradictum est. Virtute etiam istius brevis ad proximum comi…at. meum post receptionem ejusdem, tentum apud V. tali die & anno in pleno comitatuillo proclamari feci omnia in isto brevi contenta, secundam formam & effectum hujus brevis, prout hoc breve in se exigit & requirit.
Residuum vero executionis istius brevis patet in quibusdam Indent. huic brevi consut. Li. Intr. 595.
HAEC Indentura facta tali die & anno inter G. A. armig. vic. Comitatus N. ex una parte, & I. B. & I. D. &c. ex altera parte testatur, quod secundum formam brevis huic Indent. consut. fact. proclam. in pleno comitatu meo tento apud G. tali die & anno praedicti I. B. I. D. & alii qui procl. praedictae in pleno comitat. praedict. interfuerunt, secundum formam statutorum in brevi praedicto specificatorum & secundum exigen. brovis illius eligerunt W. F. & V. S. milites, gladiis cinctos, pro comitatu praedicto, ad essendum ad Parliamentum in eodem brevi specific. qui plenam & sufficientem potestatem pro se et communitate comitatus praedicti habeant, ad faciendum & consentiendum prout breve illud in se exigit & requirit. In cujus rei testimonium, partes praedictae his Indenturis sigilla sua alternatim apposuerunt. Datum tali die & ann…. Plo. 120.
G. A. armig. vic.
Autiel Indenture serra fait inter vicount et Burgesses de D. sur election de lour Burgesses, &c Mutatis mutandis.
I have here given you the exactest, fullest, clearest Account of all the several forms and varieties of writs for electing Knights of Counties, Citizens and Burgesses for our Parliaments, and Great Councils, and of their retorns extant in our Records, ever yet presented to the World, hitherto unacquainted with most of them, of which our greatest Antiquaries have been in some measure ignorant: I shall now close up this Section with 2. m…morable rare Records in the Parliaments of 18 & 38 H. 6. touching the elections of Knights, not impertinent to my purpose, and worthy publication.
The first of them I find *See my I lea for the Lords, p. 396, 397.thus recorded, Rot. Parl. An. 18 H. 6. m. 13. n. 18. Memorandum quod pro eo quod 16 die Novembris, anno praesenti, lecto coram Rege & Dominis spiritualibus & Temporalibus in Parliamento praedicto tunc existentibus, & per illos plenius intellecto retorno ejusdem Brevis ipsius Domini Regis Gilberto Hore, nuper Vic. Cantebr. pro electione duorum Militum inter alia, qui ad Parliamentum praedictum pro Com. praedicto venire debuissent juxta formam in eodem Breve specificatam faciend. directi, satis evidenter constabat tunc ibidem, quibusdam certis de causis in eodem returno specificatis, nullos Milites ad veniend. ad Parliamentum praedictum pro eodem Comitatu pretextu brevis praedicti …ctos aliqualiter extitisse; Per ipsum Dominum Regem De avisamento et assensu eorundem Dominorum spiritualium et temporalium consideratum …t ordinatum fuit tunc ibidem, quod per quoddam aliud breve ipsius domini Regis de data dicti prioris Brevis, Vic. Com. praedicti detur specialiter in mandatis. Quod ipse facta Proclamatione in prox. Comitatu suo infra dictum Com. Cantebr. post receptionem brevis illius tenend. de die & loco tentionis Parliamenti praedicti, electionem duorum Militum gladiis cinctorum, ac omnia alia in eodem continenda juxta formam ejusdem Brevis faciat & exequatur. Et quod idem Vicecomes antequam ad hujusmodi electionem procedat, publicè in eodem Com. proclamari & inhiberi faciat, ne aliqua persona tunc ibidene armata, seu modo guerrino arraiata ad electionem illam accedat, nec quicquam quod in perturbatienem pacis ipsius. Domini Regis seu electionis illius cedere valea… ibidem, vel alibi faciat vel attemptet, nec quod aliqua persona se de electione illa intromittat, nec vocem suam in electione illa, tantummodo excepta persona quae vocem in hujusmodi electione infra Com. praedictum facienda juxta formam statuti in eoslem brevi specificati habere debeat, dare praesumat quovis modo sub periculo incumbenti, ac sub paena imprisonamenti corporis sui ad voluntatem ipsius Domini Regis. Et idem Vicec. personas quae praemissa seu aliquod praemissorum in aliquo contemnere praesumpserint, prisonae ipsius Domini Regis mancipet & committat in eadem salvo & secure custodiend. quos que idem Dominus Rexpro earum deliberatione, aliter duxerit demandand.
From which memorable writ I shall observe,
1. That the Sheriff of a County after his Writ for electing Knights of the Shire received and proclaimed, may justly refuse to proceed to th… election, in case any Souldiers or others armed with weapons, and arrayed in warlike manner resort unto it, to interrupt or disturb the Election: And that this being retorned is a good excuse for the Sheriffs not electing the Knights?
2ly. That the King and Lords in that Age were sole Iudges of the Retorns of Sheriffs upon Writs for Elections, of the legality of them, and the elections made upon them (as I have *Plea for the Lords, p. 371, to 416.elsewhere largely evidenced by records) not the Commons House.
3ly. That they alone (not the Commons) gave order for new writs for electing Knights and Burgesses when, or where there was cause, and directions how to make them, as in this case and others.
4ly. That the Sheriff was here specially directed, to make publick Proclam. before the writ for election of knights for the shire, was read, to prohibit any person whatsoever to resort to the Election armed, or arrayed in warlike manner, or to do any thing in disturbance of the Kings peace, or of the election; and that no person should interpose, meddle with or give his voyce in the election in any kind, but such who had a lawfull right to do it according to the form of the Statute.
5ly. That if any person resorted to it armed, or did any thing that might either disturb the Kings peace, or election, or intermeddle therein, or gave his voyce who had no voyce by Law, that the Sheriff should forthwith imprison him for his offence, in the Kings prison, till the King himself give order for his release. Which I conceive all Sheriffs may still do in like Cases by vertue of the Statute of 3 Edw. 1. c. 5. concerning the freedoms of elections, which enacts and commands, upon great forfeiture, that no great man, nor other by force of arms, or menacing, shall disturb any to make free election. And if none may disturb the freedom of Elections by armed force; much less may they interrupt the Members from sitting in the House, or disturb them in the freedom of their debates, when elected, assembled in Parliament; under greater penalties and forfeitures.
The second is thus enrolled, Rot. Parl. An 38 H. 6. n. 11.
To the King our Soveraign Lord, Meekly beseeching your true Liegemen, Sheriffs of the Shires of this your noble Realm that were of the years past passed; Where it pleased your Highness to command divers of your said Beseechers, by your honourable Letters of privy Seal to proceed to election of their several shires of Knights of shires for this your present Parliament, for the good & hasty speed thereof, Please it your noble Grace to ordain, and to grant by assent of your Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and by the Commons assembled in this present Parliament by authority of the same; That all elections of Knights of your seid Shires in such wise chosen, and by your said Beseechers retorned, be as good and effectual as any election of Knights, by any of your seid Shires made or done by vertue of your seid Writ or Writs to every of your seid Beseechers direct. And that your seid Beseechers and their Under-Sheriffs and Clarks, and every of them, be quite and discharged against your Liege-people, of the penalties and forfeitures that they or eny of them be fellyn, or may be chargeable, by force of a Statute made the 23 year of your noble Reign, as for occupying or exercising their seid Office longer than a year for every maner elections of Knights, as well by force of your Writs, as by force of your letters of Privy-seal, as otherwise, and for retorns of the same, and for all maner retorns of Citizens and Burgesses in their several Shires for this present Parliament, by every of them retorned before the last day of this present Parliament. Provided alway, that by this Act they nor none of them be excused or discharged of eny other offence or thing done by them in eny of their seyd Offices. Alway forseyn that no man be amerced for eny suyt begon by him against eny of your seyd Beseechers to recover the seyd penalties for eny occupation of the seyd Office for the premises.
Le Roy le voet.
The occasion of this Petition and Act then passed is thus expressed in the printed Statute of 39 H. 6. c. 1. That divers Knights of Counties, Citizens, and Burgesses were named, retorned, & accepted in this Parliament of 38 H. 6. some of them without any due or free election, others without any election at all, against the course of the Kings Laws, and the liberties of the Commons of this Realm, (by vertue of the Kings Letters of Privy…eal without any free election:) and that by the means & labours of divers seditious, and evildisposed Persons, only to destroy certain of the great faithfull Lords and Nobles, and other faithfull Liege-people of the Realm, out of hatred, malice, & greedy, unsatiable covetousness, to gain their Lands, Inheritances, Offices and Estates. For which undue elections, the Sheriffs being purposely kept longer in their Offices than they otherwise should have been, and fearing to be exemplarily punished by Actions upon the Statute brought against them, thereupon they petitioned the King, and procured this Act of Parl. for them and their Under-sheriffs present and future indemnities for these illegal Elections, and retorns of persons unduly elected, or nominated by the King alone, without any election by the people; for which misdemeanor of theirs, this whole Parliament, and all Acts made therein were repealed and made void the very next year and Parliament following, 39 H. 6. c. 1. from whence I shall observe,
1. That no Sheriffs or Officers, can be secured, in. dempnified against undue elections, and retorns of Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses, nominated to them by the King, or any others, but only by Act of Parliament. 2. That such undue elections & retorns as these are usually made by the procurement and labour of seditious, and evil-disposed persons, out of malice, hatred, or insatiable covetousness, and for pernitious ends and designs. 3ly. That Parliaments unduly elected, and packed by policy or power, prove alwaies abortive, and are repealed, as void and pernitious in conclusion; of which we have seen pregnant instances in this and other late Parliaments, worthy our saddest considerations.