Civil List Act 1697

Reasons for passing this Act; Grant of Tunnage upon Wine imported during His Majesty's Life.

[X1 Whereas ] Your Majesties most dutiful and loyal Subjects the Co[m]mons of England in Parliament assembled being deeply sensible of the greate Blessings which by the Goodnesse of Almighty God Wee and all other the Subjects of Your Majesties Realmes and Dominions in the free Exercise of the true Christian Religion (the most valuable Benefitt which can be bestowed upon any Nation or People) as also in our Liberties and Properties do [fully ^t] enjoy under Your Majesties most auspicious Governm[en]t. and being desirous to make a gratefull Acknowledgement of Your Majesties unparalleld Grace and Favour to us Your Co[m]mons and particularly for the greate and succesfull Undertakings and Atchivements whereby Your Majesty hath been the happy Instrument of securing the aforesaid Blessings to us and our Posterities have therefore freely & unanimously resolved to increase Your Majesties Revenue dureing Your Majesties Reign (which God long continue) and do give and grant unto Your most Excellent Majesty the further Rates Duties and Su[m]ms of Money herein after mentioned and do humbly beseech Your Majesty That it may be enacted and be it enacted by the Kings most Excellent Majesty by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual & Temporal and of the Co[m]mons in this p[re]sent Parliament assembled and by Authority of the same That over and above all Subsidies of Tunnage and Poundage and over and above all additional Duties Impositions and other Duties whatsoever by any other Act or Acts of Parliament or otherwise howsoever already due or payable or which ought to be paid to His Majesty for or upon any Wines Goods or Merchandizes whatsoever imported or to be imported there shall be raised levied collected paid and satisfied unto His Majesty one other Subsidy called Tunnage for and upon all Wines which from and after the last Day of January which shall be in the Yeare of our Lord One thousand Six hundred ninety nine att any time or times dureing His Majesties Life shall be imported or brought into the Kingdome of England Dominion of Wales or Towne of Berwick upon Tweed (that is to say)

Duties upon French Wines

Of every Tun of Wine of the Growth of France or of any the Dominions of the French King or Crowne of France that shall come into the Port of London and the Members thereof by way of Merchandize by His Majesties natural borne Subjects the Su[m]m of Foure Pounds and Ten Shillings of current English Money and so after that Rate & by Strangers and Aliens Six Pounds of the like Money And of every Tun of the like Wine which shall be brought into all and every the other Ports and Places of this Kingdome and the Dominions thereof by way of Merchandize by His Majesties natural borne Subjects the Su[m]m of Three Pounds and by Aliens Foure Pounds Ten Shillings.

Sweet Wines

And of every Butt or Pipe of Muscadells Malmseys Cutes Tents Alicants Bastards Sacks Canaries Malaga's Madera's and other Wines whatsoever co[m]monly called Sweet Wines of the Growth of the Levant Spaine Portugal or any of them or any the Islands or Dominions to them or any of them belonging or elsewhere that shall come or be brought into the Port of London by His Majesties natural borne Subjects the Su[m]m of Forty five Shillings of Current English Money and so after that Rate And by Strangers and Aliens Three Pounds of like Money And of every Butt and Pipe of the like Wine which shall come or be brought into all & every or any the other Ports and Places of this Kingdome and Dominions thereof by way of Merchandize by His Majesties [X2 natural ] borne Subjects the Su[m]m of Thirty Shillings and by Strangers Forty five Shillings.

Rhenish Wines.; Wines landed at Out-ports and then brought to London, how to pay; Rates the same as in the Book of Rates. 12 Car. II. c. 4; Grant of Poundage upon Goods imported during His Majesty's Life; according to the said Book of Rates.; Proviso for levying Rates where not mentioned in the Book of Rates; Exception of certain Wines, Fish, and Bestial, and Goods described as Custom-free in the Book of Rates, and Goods used in dying.

And of every Awme of Rhenish Wine or Wine of the Growth of Germany that shall be brought into this Realme and the Dominions thereof by His Majesties natural borne Subjects the Su[m]m of Twenty Shillings of Current English Money and by Strangers and Aliens Twenty five Shillings And that such Wines that shall be landed in any the Out-Ports and afterwards brought to the Port of London by Certificate shall pay so much more Subsidy by this Act as they paid short of the Duty due in the Port of London Which several Rates for Wines are the same which are expressed in a certaine Book of Rates which was signed by Sir Harbottle Grimstone Baronett formerly Speaker of the House of Co[m]mons and which is referred to by an Act of Parliament made in the Twelfth Yeare of the Reigne of King Charles the Second intituled A Subsidy granted to the King of Tunnage and Poundage and other Su[m]ms of Money payable upon Merchandizes exported and imported And one further Subsidy called Poundage (that is to say) of all manner of Goods and Merchandizes of every Merchant natural borne Subject Denizen and Alien to be imported or brought into this Realm or any His Majesties Dominions to the same belonging at any time or times after the said last Day of January One thousand six hundred ninety nine dureing His Majesties Life by way of Merchandize of the Value of every Twenty Shillings of the same Goods and Merchandizes according to the severall and perticular Rates and Values of the same Goods and Merchandizes as the same are particularly and respectively rated and valued in the aforesaid Book of Rates Twelve Pence and soe after that Rate And if there shall happen to be brought into this Realm any Goods liable to the Payment of Subsidy by this Act granted which are not particularly rated in the said Book of Rates that in every such Case every Customer or Collector for the time being shall levy the Subsidy by this Act granted according to the Value and Price of such Goods to be affirmed upon the Oath of the Merchant in the Presence of the Customer Collector Comptrollor and Surveyor or any Two of them except and foreprized out of this Grant of Subsidy of Poundage all Wines before limitted to pay Subsidy of Tunnage and all manner of Fish English taken and broght by English Bottoms into this Realm and all manner of Fresh Fish and Beastiall that shall come into this Realm and all other Goods and Merchandizes which in the said Book of Rates are mentioned to be Custom-free and except and foreprized out of this Grant of Subsidy of Poundage all Goods and Merchandizes which are co[m]monly used in dying.

Editorial Information

X1 Variant reading of the text noted in The Statutes of the Realm as follows: Wee O. [O. refers to a collection in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge]

X2 interlined on the Roll.