To the right honourable the knights, citizens, and burgesses in Parliament assembled the great grievances and oppressions of James Child, late of the parish of Amersham in the county of Bucks, occasioned by the proceedings in the late times.

1689

Oxford Text Archive

To the Right Honourable the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses, in PARLIAMENT Assembled. The Great Grievances and Oppressions of James Child, late of the Parish of Amersham in the County of Bucks, Occasioned by the Proceedings in the late Times.

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To the Right Honourable the Knights, Citizens, and Burgesses, in PARLIAMENT Assembled.
The Great Grievances and Oppressions of James Child, late of the Parish of Amersham in the County of Bucks, Occasioned by the Proceedings in the late Times.

1. AMersham being a Burrough Town, and sending Members to Parliament, some of the Burgers that were designed to make an Interest there for a Parliament which should please the late King James, added near Twenty Poor People to pay Scot and Lot, which were not able, only to bring them in for Voices, and then privately without notice made a Rate, pretending for Repairs of the Church, although in truth there was no such thing, it being only done to lay the Burthen of those Additional Burgers upon others; whereupon the said James Child and some others refused to pay that Illegal Rate, and the Churchwardens thereupon Presented them in the Ecclesiastical Court, and they were put to near Three Hundred Pound Charges before they could obtain a Prohibition, which at last was granted upon the Motion of the Honourable Sir Henry Pollixfen, Knight.

2. King Henry the Fourth in the Ninth Year of his Reign grants a Charter of several Liberties and Priviledges to the said Parish of Amersham, and several other places in the County of Bucks, which Charter was Exemplified in the Seventeenth Year of King Charles the Second, at the Request of the said James Child, and others; and the Exemplification, by consent of the Persons concerned, put into the Hands of the said James Child in Trust for all Parties.

The late Lord Chancellour Jefferyes Combining with some Persons who Invaded the Priviledges granted by the said Charter, did in May 1684 contrive a Complaint to be made against the Charter aforesaid, and upon that Complaint Ordered the said James Child to deliver up the Exemplification, which he being a Trustee was unwilling to do, whereupon the late Lord Chancellour sent for the said James Child by a Messenger, and had him taken into Custody, where he remained several Days untill he was compelled to deliver the Exemplification up, and then the late Lord Chancellour Ordered the Exemplification to be Vacated, and the Charter to be taken off the Roll by the Name of a Schedule, upon pretence of a Forgery, although there was not the least colour or reason of such Proceedings; by reason whereof all Persons concerned have lost their Rights and Priviledges, if not Redressed by the present Parliament.

By the hard Usages aforesaid, the said James Child was put to exceeding Charges, which with the loss of his Time, and the Noise of his being a Prisoner, and that the late Lord Chancellour had Threatned his Ruine, made his Creditors call in their Moneys, whereby he was forced to Abscond, and to Sell an Estate worth above 2000 l for 1800 l and hath at this time a Wife and Eight Children and nothing to depend upon but the Charity of Friends.

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