Piracy Act 1640

Recital that many Subjects, expert Seamen, and others, were detained in Captivity, and forced to renounce the Christian Religion, &c

and that Money had been since the King's Accession taken from the Subject without Consent of Parliament.; Reasons for passing this Act.; Additional Duty of Customs of One in the Hundred on all Duties to be laid on Goods exported and imported, as herein mentioned, for Three Years, to be received by the Lord Mayor and Chamberlain of London, to be laid out in maintaining a Fleet, under the Direction of a Committee of the Lords and Commons respectively; Lord Mayor, &c. to be accountable to the said Committee.

Whereas many thousands of your Majesties good and loving subjects with theire Ships and Goods have of late time beene surprised and taken at Sea (as they were in theire lawfull trading) by Turkish Moorish and other Pirats and some of them to free themselves of the cruell and barbarous usage of those Pirats have renounced the Christian Religion and turned Turks and others yet kept in bondage are used with so extreame cruelty as they are in great danger thereby to lose theire lives unlesse they shall alsoe forsake the Christian Religion And diverse of those your subjects kept in bondage (being expert and skilfull Mariners) are usually imployed at Sea against others your good subjects and prove [X1 very] prejudiciall to them and hurtfull to the trade and merchandise of your Majesties Dominions And whereas as well your Majesties subjects as Strangers exporting or importing theire goods and merchandize into this Kingdome have ever sithence your Majesties accesse unto this Crowne beene charged with the payment of great sums of money under the name of Custom and that without consent of Parliament which had they beene legally taken ought to have been cheifly imployed to the safeguard of the Seas and preservation of your good subjects in theire trade of merchandize from the spoile of Pirats and other Sea Robbers but have been exhausted by evil Ministers and not applied to their proper uses so that your Highnes good subjects have beene exposed to the mercilesse cruelty of those Pirats and barbarous infidels And the Commons taking into further consideration your Majesties pressing wants and great occasions of moneys in these times of distemper aswell in the Kingdome of Ireland as other Kingdoms of forreign Princes so that there will be required some further aid to inable your Highnes to effect so great a Worke besides the present Tunnage and Poundage now granted to your Majestie have therefore for this present pressing occasion and for a time hereafter limited taken into theire Resolutions a further way of raising a supply of moneys for the providing and setting forth to the Seas a Navie aswell for the enlargement and deliverance of those poore Captives in Argier and other places if Almightie God shall [X1 so] please to give that blessing unto theire enterprises as alsoe for the preventing of the like future dangers unto your good people theire persons ships and Merchandizes Do therefore pray your Most Excellent Majestie that it may be enacted And be it enacted by authority of this present Parliament That where any Subsidy Custome or other dutie after the nine and twentieth day of September in the yeare One thousand six hundred fourty one and before the foure and twentieth day of June then next following shall be laid or imposed by authority of Parliament upon any Goods Wares or other Merchandize of what nature kinde or qualitie soever to be exported out of or imported into this your Majesties Realme of England or Dominion of Wales that one other sum of One in the hundred according to the rates to be established by Parliament within the time aforesaid over and above the said custome subsidie or dutie so to be laid or imposed shall be raised levied and paid from and after the tenth day of December in the yeare One thousand six hundred fourty one aforesaid of and from all and every such Goods Wares and other Merchandize to be imported into or exported out of this your Majesties said Realm of England or Dominion of Wales the said summe of one in the hundred to be raised levied and paid for the space of three yeares next after the said tenth day of December and no longer And received and taken by the Lord Maior and Chamberlain of London for the Time being theire Deputies or Deputie and by them the said Lord Maior and Chamberlain of London for the Time being to be layed out payed and imployed for providing and setting out to sea and maintaining of one or more Fleet or Fleets of good and serviceable Ships and other necessaries to be used and imployed for the purposes aforesaid in such sort as by order of a Committee of the House of Lords and a Committee of the House of Commons in Parliament of this your Majesties Realme of England shall be directed And such Lord Maior and Chamberlain of London who shall receive or disburse any the moneys aforesaid shall be accountable and account for all and every theire receipts and disbursements afore mentioned to the said Committee or to such person or persons as the said Committee shall order and appoint

Editorial Information

X1 interlined on the Roll.