their willingness therein and did then proceed and solicite the business so â—ar as to pass the Commission at my own charge under the great Seal and carried it to the â—resident and Governors in expectation they would have taken it upon them as they had agreed but in some short time after they declined the imployment and returned the Commission back to the King and Council and plainly refused to act therein upon some frivolous objections without allowing me one penny for the money expended which was not less thâ—n 40 l. besides my own Labour and Attendance The next Session of Parliament being in the year 1669 Sr. Orlando Bridgman the then Lord Keeper brought into the House of Lords an explainitory Bill for hindring the said Exportation under some new penalties Before which time William Facon of Canterbury Wooll-Comber and one Marsh of Hoakam near Dover a Farmer were brought up before the House of Commons for Exporting 44 Packs of Combed Wooll from Canterbury where being examined they were ordred to be tryed at the the next Assizes at Maidstone in Kent whereupon I was comanded by his Majestie and Council to prosecute them according to Law for the said Felony but when I came to Maidstone I could not hear of any such person there being no Recognisance taken for their appearing there nor any Witnesses attending to prove the Fact so I lost my Jorney but afterwards I understood that he had compounded with his Accusers and taken off the Witnesses so that the Order of the House of Commons and his Majesties care therein proved altogether ineffectual About August following in the same year 1669 understanding that the Late Earl of Radnor was designed to go Lord Leivtenant for Ireland I petioned his Majestie in Council for some care to be taken in preventing the Exportation of Wooll from Ireland who was pleased to Order a Letter in Council recomending the care thereof to the said Lord Lievtenant on whome I waited at his departure as far as St. Aâ—bans and at my parting with his Excellency there he promised to Act effectually therein which his Lordship did accordingly In so much that within six weeks time after he came to Ireland there were landed at Minehead above one thousand Packs of Wooll more in that time than had been there landed within the like space of time in any year before and the like proportionable at Liverpool Chester Bristol and Barnstable which quantitie of Wooll in other years used to be Exported out of Ireland beyond the Seas upon pretence of being shipt for England In a short time after I made a discovery of five Vessels loaden with Wooll arived at Callice in France one of which belonging to Dover two to Folkstone and two to Hythe in the County of Kent upon which the Lord Keeper was ordred by the King in Council to write a letter to the Mayors of Dover Folkstone and Hythe which was to this effect Gentlemen THis bearer William Carter brings along with him a Coppy of an Information concerning the Transportation of Wooll but it being a matter of so high Concernment to his Majestie and this Kingdom as scarce any thing more to prevent the Transportation of Wooll and the punishment of the Offenders I do earnestly recommend it to you to examin the Persons named in the Information and to make all the enquiry you can concerning these and such others as you shall have cause to suspect to be guilty in this kind and to certifie what you find herein that his Majestie in Council may give further Orders thereupon not doubting of your care herein Your Loving Friend Orlando Bridgman Ess House Aug. 30. 1669. With this Letter I rod Post to Dover and having there secured one Thomas Peirce a Master of one of the said Vessels whilst he was examining before the Mayor his wife being present and hearing the names read of the other Masters at Folkstone and Hythe in the Information mentioned and her Husbands Vessel then lying at Folkstone she presently gets a Horse and â—rides thither and discovers the business there by which means when I came to Folkstone tho' it was the same day I was frustrated of my design there the Mayor and Masters being all got out of the way before I came but hasting to Hythe by chance met with one Mark Spicer Master of another of the said Vessels But before I could find the Mayor of Hythe to examine the said Spicer he made his escape towards Folkstone whether I followed him and just as he came to the Sea side where a Boat lay to receive him I seized him but the Women of the Town being before alaramed by Perce's Wife it being all in one day came out of their Houses and gathered up stones upon the Beach which they flung about my ears so violently that having no help I was forced to quit my Prisoner hardly escaping my selfe Returning back to London and there being a Council designed to meet at Hampton Court I went thither and waited on the Lord Keeper Bridgman to whome I gave an account of my whole Journey his Lordship ordred me to attend while the Council sate which I did and was then called in and related all the said particular passages to his Majestie who was pleased to command me to go down into Kent again and ordered a party of Horse to assist me But before the party of Horse were ready I received an Information of Ten Thousand Stones of Wooll Shipt in five Vessels from Gallaway in Ireland and coulorably entred for Plymouth and London c. I better knowing than being able to prevent the usual Frauds practised in Ireland where under pretence of getting a Licence from the Lord Livetenant to Ship Wooll for England sometimes double the quantity Licenced was Shipt and the Law requiring Bonds with sureties to be given for landing the Wooll Licenced at some Port in England some times insufficient Security was taken and so the Bonds were of no effect sometimes false and counterfeit Certificates were procured out of England in discharge of those Bonds that the Wooll was landed in England when in truth it was not sometimes those Bonds tho' actualy forfited and detected yet were easily compounded for at low and cheap Rates and at other times by the corruption of Officers several Bonds were compounded for assoon as they were entred into even before the departure of the Vessel out of the Port whereby Offenders were incouraged to break the Laws by knowing and paying the price of their Punishment before they committed the Offence which mischeifs being willing to obviate so far as I was able upon diligent enquiring I had good reason to suspect the said Ten Thousand Stone of Wooll was really designed to be Exported beyond the Sea and not intended either for Plymouth or London as was pretended by the Entries And thereupon I applyed my self to the then Farmers of his Majesties Customs for an order to ride down into the Southern Ports to examine
Year 1678 I prevented the design of Mr. Monk of lessening the penalties of the Laws for the preventing the Exportation of Wooll p. 8th In the Year 1684 I prevented a farther design of the said Mr. Monk in a Commission and petitioned the Lords of the Treasury to Impower the several Companies of Merchants c. To take a perticular care of that Affaier and thereupon I did then affresh undertake to look after it and I prevented great quantities of Wooll that Year from Exportation p. 9th In the Year 85 I attended the Parliament for the Passing of a Bill and petitioned the late King for 2 Sloops to Cruse upon the Seas and did obtain them tho' opposed by the then Commissioners of the Customs by which means there was above 20 French Shallops taken and condemned with 2 or 300 Baggs of Wooll besides much cast over-bord p 10th That in May 1686 I did request and did obtain an Order from the then Lord Treasurer to bring up the Wooll which was condemned to London and to be sold to the Clothiers which before used to be sold after Seazure to those that had exported it and then exported by them again p. 11th That in Dece 1686 I discovered a design of gaining a Lycence to Export 6000 Baggs of Wooll from Ireland and prevented the same p. 12th A discovery of a Confederacy betwixt the Officers of the Customs and the Exporters of Wooll p. 12th 13th The Difficulty I was put to and Examinations at the Treasury p. 14th 15th THE PROCEEDINGS Of William Carter Against TRANSPORTATION OF WOOLL WHereas divers Merchants Clothiers and Factors upon consideration of the great detriment that accrued to this Kingdom and to the Woollen Trade thereof in that great quantities of Wooll were transported frequently into France Holland and Flanders c. did desire and encourage me to endevour the preventing the same which being readily willing to undertake I perceived that tho' there were many severe Laws made against exporting Wooll and tho' the wisdom of our Ancesters sound it so mischeivous and destructive to this Kingdom as to make the Offence Capital notwithstanding either by the wilful corruption or gross neglect of Officers great quantities of Wooll were clandestinely exported by those who for a little private gain to themselves dare venture their Necks to ruin the Trade of a Nation Applying my self therefore cheerfully to so necessary a Work in August 1667 I made a discovery of twelve French Shallops loaded in one Night from Rumney-Marsh in Kent with considerable quantities of Wooll and sometime afterwards I caused a quantity of Wooll to be seized as it was carrying on the Beach near Camber Point in the said Marsh in order to be shipped on board some Shallops that lay in Rye Harbour I also discovered great quantities of Wooll likewise exported beyond Sea out of Ireland although in that Kingdom the exportation thereof be also prohibited unless the same by Licence be exported into England At the next Parliament in November 1667. I presented the exportation of Wooll and the National Dangers thereof to the House of Commons which being referred to a Committee to consider of they examining of the Irish exportations soon found the ground of that Mischief to be that under colour of a Licence granted by his late Majestie to export some hundred Packs of Wooll several thousand Packs were colour'd by that Licence from Ireland Upon which the said Committee made an Address to his said Majestie to revoke the said Licence for the apparent frauds practised therein which his Majestie accordingly did After the adjurnment of that Parliament upon the importunity of the said Merchants and finding the Wooll-exporters by their impunity grown to such confidence as to Ship off their Wooll openly in the day time with armed Men to assist them in the doing thereof I petitioned his said Majestie for a party of Horse to â—cout about Rumny Marsh and some Frigats to cruse at Sea to prevent those exportations which by his said Majestys Grace and Favour I did obtain and by my attendance sometimes at Sea and sometimes at Land with one and sometimes two Servants did prevent the exportation of above one Thousand Packs of Wooll that Summer from the said Marsh and by that means was bought up by the Clothiers and Staplers which the Year before was most of it Exported In September 1668 I presented some proposals to his said Majesty in Council in order to prevent the said exportations which were referred the 20th of November following to the Council of Trade with this particular Order Viz. You are very strictly to enquire and in form your selves by what ways and practises the Wooll of this Kingdom comes to be stollen embessed and sent away into forreign Parts contrary to Law what places c. are most suspected in England or else where and who doth buy the said Wooll in those places to the end that nothing of care or watch may be omitted but that all such strict and severe courses be taken that an evil so mischeivous and inconvenient may be to ally prevented When I carryed this Order with my Proposals to the said Council of Trade they immediatly chose a select Committee on purpose to peruse them where I was ordered to attend which attendance lasted a good part of that Winter the said Committee summoned and heard divers Merchants Clothiers Factors and Staplers and then made their Report which was Read before his Majesty in Council upon which an Order was made the 2. of April 1669. in these words viz. Whereas in pursuance of an Order of this Board of the 20th of November last referring to the Council of Trade the Proposals of William Carter for preventing the Exportation of Wooll the said Councel having returned their Report to the Board that having discoursed with the said Willam Carter and such other Persons as they thought capable of giving them any good information touching this matter they find the Exportation of Wooll is of a destructive consequence to the Trade of this Kingdom and that the same hath grown into practice as well by reason of the doubtfullness and provisions in the Statute made in the 12th year of his Majesties Reign Prohibiting the Exportation of Wooll as by the neglect and remissness of Officers in not putting the Laws in execution And therefore proposed that the care of that business should be especially recommended to the President and Governors of Christs Hospital in London for the several Reasons in the said Report pursuant to which Report his Majestie directed a Commission to pass under the great Seal of England for that purpose to the said Presedent and Governors but before the Commission past under Seal I did carry the said Report and Order upon it to the President and Governors of the said Hospital who immediately caused a Court to be called and upon reading thereof did accept of that Authority then intended to be given them upon which I informed the Council of
what Wooll was lately come thither from â—reland to prevent Frauds by counterfit Certificates which I obtained Being arrived at Exeter with their Order I understood that one Blake an Irish Man had been lately there tampering with some of the Custom Officers to get the Form of their usual Seal and the Names of the said Officers upon which I immediatly wrote to my Correspondent in Ireland who upon my Information found out the said Blake at Galloway and discovered that he was concerned in all or most of the said five Vessels and that he had gotten counterfit Certificates Importing as if the said Wooll had been really landed in England when it was not and by that Means was designing to get up or discharge the said Bonds but I prevented the doing thereof by examining the Matter and finding that some of those Vessels unloaded their Wooll at Flushen in Zeland some at Amsterdam and one at St. Maâ—â—os in France of the Truth of which I procured Oaths and Attestations some of which are now in my Custody whereby those falce Certificates were detected and the discharge of those Bonds prevented Afterwards returning to London and dispatching into Kent according to His Majestie 's Command the Party of Horse being then gone before to Canterbury for my Assistance in Rumney-Marsh we had Notice of a parcel of Wooll secured in a House called Brokman s Barn which securing and the Person in whose Custody it was a great Discovery by him of other Exporters was made and prosecuted as more fully may appear hereafter ☞ Note That William Facon before nentioned who had been before the House of Commons Anno Dom. 1668 was brought up to the King and Council in Anno Dom. 1669 and before he could have his Tryal was privately Compounded with by his Accusers the second time tho' the King had expresly ordered his Tryal In September 1669 the Late King going to meet His Sister the Princes Henereta Maria at Dover during His aboad there going out one day to Sea and observing a Vessel belonging to Captain John Stâ—ell Sergeant to the Admiralty to out Sail any of His own Pleasure Boats Such was the Zeal His Majesty had against the Exportation of Wooll and his Care to prevent it that He was pleased to hire Her on purpose for that Service Commanding the Assistance of my Advice to the Captain in Crusing about the Coast of Kent to prevent the said Exportation which was so succesful with some other Vessels for some time that together with the Discovery before mentioned both as to Ireland and Kent a great stop was then put to the said Exportation which is confirmed in a Letter afterwards wrote from Lile the 5 th of March 1671 viz. Sir I Received Yours of the 17 th 27 th of February under covert c. about the Wooll Affair I have much â—eason to believe unless some are made Examples there will be continual Abuse the Comodity both English and Irish Raw and Combed abound so much in these Countries that for that which would yeild not long since 8 Stivers and a half per. Pound will yeild now but 6 and a half yet they would be contert to give 15 rather than want it for they cannot make abundance of Fabrik viz Wollen Manufacture without English or Irish Wooll There is a City not 5 Leagues from this called Tourney a Place renownd for the making of all sorts of Stockings of Wooll it 's not above 20 Years since that they betook themselves to make the Worsted Hose A Trade whicb in my Minority was considerable from London into these Countries and now you may have a Parcel of English Worsted Hose 20 Years by you c. It 's not above three Yearâ— agon that there was ascarcity of Combed Wooll in this Quarter of the Country and several of those Stocking Merchants came hither to buy some I told them that such severity was used in England that People Were mad if they Adventure The next Session of Parliament 1670 the House of Commons being under the Consideration of raising of Money for His Majesty it was propounded that Wooll might be Transported from Ireland paying 2 d. or 3 d. Per. pound Custom and 3 reasons was offered the answer to which I shall now wave tell I come the to proceeding in Parlement in a distinct discourse The Parliament then adjourning in the year 1671 I setled a Correspondancy in Irland and Flanders in order to know whether the quantities of Wooll exported from one was caried to the other and directed Captain Steel the Owner and Master of the Vessel beforementioned to stear his course accordingly but after this Corespondancy was setled I was taken ill of a Feavor in June 1671 which held me 4 monthes and a little time after the said Vessel was called in and so the Exporters for some time had liberty to carry out their Wooll without controul In August 1671 one Edward Nichols being commited to Newgate dureing my sickness for Transporting Wooll and no per on being willing to prosecute him was like to be discharged upon which I assoon as I was recovered did Immediately address my self to his Majestie in Council for the further continuance of the said Nichols in Prison till he should be discharged by Law and an Order was forthwith granted accordingly But there arose a Questian before the King and Council in what Court he should be â—rveâ— whether by the Admiralty or by common Law the Vessel bâ—ing taken with the Wooll in the River of Thames near Graves-end and it was refer'd to all the Judges to meet and consider the matter and afterwards to Report their Opinion to the King upon which Report it was debated before the King in the presence of the said Judges and the then Judg â—f the Admiralty whither the said Nichols should be tryed by Common Law or not and aâ—â—er a long consultation in the Council it was Ordered as followeth viz. White Hall the 13th of December 1671 It is this day Ordered by his Majestie in Council that the Recorder of the City of London do and is hereby required by the lest wayes he can speedily to find out in what County that part of the River of Thames lyeth wherein the said Edward Nichols was apprehended for Transporting of Wooll contrary to Lay and that he Report the sâ—me to the Lord Cheif Justice of his Majesties Court of Kings Bench to the end his Lordship may give order for removal of the said Prisoner to the Goal of the said County where it shall appear he was taken in order to his Tryal at the next Assizes to be holden for that County But the burthen and care of observing this Order lay cheifly on me Tho' the Vessel was in truth taken with the Wooll on board on the Essex shore and for that reason the Prisoner removed to Chelmsford Goal and thence brought to Tryal at Chelmsford Assizes yet upon examining the Witnesses on the Tryal it did appear that the