Jonson
's original letter patent from
Charles
I (1600-49, King of
England
)
for an increased pension, 26
March 1630, in Miscellaneous State Papers, etc.
1414-1750, a folio volume of papers (formerly lying loose within an old
cover) bound together with other papers found scattered in various volumes in
January 1856. The inrollment or recorded entry for the letter is found in PRO Patent
Roll, 6
Charles
I, part II (Roll 2543, No.37). The letter is endorsed by
Sir Robert
Heath
(1575-1649)
, and a later amendment is witnessed by
Sir Francis Windebank
(1582-1646, secretary of state)
.
Eugene Giddens
[doc. 12]
Charles R.
Charles
by the grace of God Kinge of England
Scotland Fraunce & Ireland defendor of the fayth etc To the
Threasurer Chauncellor vnderthreasurer
Chamberlens & Barons of the Exchequer of vs
our heires & successors now beinge & that
hereafter shalbe & to all other the officers & ministers of the said Court & of the
Receipt there now beinge
& that hereafter shalbe & to all others to whom these
presentes shall come or to whom it shall or may apperteyne Greetinge. Whereas
our late most deare father King
Iames
of happy memorie by his Lettres patentes vnder
the Great seale of
England
bearinge date at Westminster the first
day of February in the thirteenth yeare of his raigne of
England
(for the consideracions therein expressed) did give &
graunt vnto our welbeloved servaunt Beniamin Iohnson one
annuitie or yearly pencion of one hundred
markes of lawfull money of
England
during his life to be paid out of the said Exchequer at the
feastes of th'anuntiacion of the
blessed virgin
Mary,
the Nativitie of St Iohn Baptist, St Michaell th'archangell & the birth
of our Lord God
[The dates for these feasts are 25 March,
24 June, 29 September, and 25 December respectively.] quarterly As by the
said Lettres patentes more at large
may appeare. Which annuitye
or pencion together with the said Lettres
patentes the said Beniamin Iohnson hath lately surrendred vnto
vs. Knowe yee now that wee for diuers good
consideracions vs at this present especially movinge
& in consideracion of the good & accepatable service done
vnto vs & our said father by the said Beniamin
Iohnson & especially to encourage him to procede in those
services of his witt & penn which wee haue enioyned vnto him &
which wee expect from him are gratiously pleased to augment &
increase the said annuitie or pencion of one hundred
markes vnto an annuitie of one hundred poundes of
lawfull money of
England
for his life. And for the better effecting thereof of our
especiall grace certen knowledge & meere
mocion wee haue given & graunted & by these
presentes for vs our heires &
successors vpon the surrender of the annuitie aforesaid do give & graunt vnto
the said Beniamin Iohnson one Annuitie or yearly pencion of one
hundred poundes of lawfull money of
England
by the yeare. To haue hold & yearly to receive the said annuitie or yearly
pencion of one hundred poundes of lawfull money of
England
by the yeare vnto the said Beniamin Iohnson and his assignes from the feast of
the Birth of our Lord God last past before the
date hereof for & duringe the naturall life of him the said Beniamin Iohnson at
the receipte of th' exchequer of vs our heires and
successors out of the Treasure of vs our
heires & successors from time to time there remayninge by the
handes of the Threasurer &
Chamberlens of vs our heires & successors
there for the time beinge at the foresaid foure vsuall Termes of the yeare (that is
to say) at the feastes of Th'anuntiation of the blessed virgin
Mary
the Nativitie of St Iohn Baptist, St Michaell th'archangell & the birth of
our Lord God by even & equall
porcions quarterly to be paid. The first payment thereof to
beginn at the feast of Th'anun tiacion of the blessed
virgin
Mary
next
ensuing
ʌ ⎡before⎤
[This correction is in Robert Heath's hand.] the date of these
presentes . Wherefore our will
& pleasure is. And wee do by these presentes for
vs our heires & successors require commaund &
authorise the said Threasurer Chauncellor
Vnderthreasurer Chaberlens & Barons &
other officers & ministers of the said Exchequer now & for the time beinge
not only to paie or cause to be paide vnto the said Beniamin Iohnson or his assignes
the said annuitie or yearly pencion of one hundred
poundes of lawfull money of
England
accordinge to our pleasure before expressed but also from time
to time to giue full allowaunce of the same accordinge to the true meaninge of theis
presentes. And theis
patentes or th'inrollment thereof shalbe vnto all
men whom it shall concerne a sufficient warrant & discharge for the payinge and
allowinge of the same accordingly without any further or other warrant to be in that
behalf procured or obteyned. And further knowe yee that wee of
our more especiall grace
certen knowledge & meere mocion have given & graunted &
by these presentes for vs our heires
& successors do giue and graunt vnto the said Beniamin Iohnson & his
assignes one Terse of ʌ ⎡Canary⎤
[A tierce (a cask holding 42 gallons) of
light sweet wine from the Canary Islands. The inserted
'Canary' is in Robert Heath's hand.] Spanish wyne
yearly To haue hold perceive receive & take the said Terse of ʌ
⎡Canary⎤ spanish wyne vnto the said Beniamin Iohnson
& his assignes during the terme of his natrall life out of
our store of wynes yearly & from tyme to tyme remayninge at
or in our Cellers within or belonginge to our Pallace
of
Whitehall.
And for the better effectinge of our will & pleasure
herein wee do hereby require & commaund all & singuler
our officers & ministers whom it shall or may concerne or who shall haue the care or
charge of
our said wynes that they or some of them doe deliver or cause to
be deliur ed the said Terse of wyne yearly & once in every yeare
vnto the said Beniamin Iohnson or his assignes duringe the terme of
his natrall life at such time & times as he or they shall demaund
or desire the same. And theis presentes or
th'inrollment thereof shalbe vnto all men whom it shall concerne a sufficient
warrant & discharge in that behalf. Although expresse
mencion &c. In witnes etc witnes etc/ Ex per Ro Heath.
Maie it please your most excellent
Majestie./
This conteyneth your Majesties
graunt vnto Beniamin Iohnson your
Majesties servaunt duringe his life of a
pencion of 100li per annum and of a Terse of Spanish wyne
yearlie out of your Majesties store
remay [n] ing at
Whitehall
.
And is done vpon surrender of a former Lettres
patentes graunted vnto him by your late royall
father of a pencion of 100 markes
per annum
Signified to be your Majesties
pleasure by the Lord Threasurer /
Ro Heath
March: 1630 [A correction
of 1629.] Explicit apud Westminster
vicesimo sexto [Originally 'quinto' and later 'secundo'.] die Martij Anno
Regis Caroli quinto pro
Windebank.
[Trans.: The
end of the document. At
Westminster
twenty sixth of March in the fifth year of
Charles
's reign in the presence of Windebank.]
Bibliography
Wh., 1.lviii-lxi
Broadus (1921), 223 - provides a
transcription of PRO Patent Roll, 6
Charles
I, part II (Roll 2543, No.37)
JAB, 154-6
H&S, 1.245-8
Charles was the second son and third child of James I and VI and Anne of Denmark. He was created Prince of Wales in 1617, following the death of his brother Prince Henry in 1612, and succeeded his father as Charles I in 1625.
Heath was recorder of London in 1618, knighted and made solicitor general in 1621, and appointed attorney general in 1625. He was subsequently chief justice of the court of common pleas (1634) and a justice of the King 's Bench (1640), and he became Chief Justice in 1643.
Windebank graduated BA from St John's College, Oxford in 1602, and entered the Middle Temple in the same year. In 1608 he was employed in the office of the signet, where his father Sir Thomas had procured him a reversion in the office of the clerkship some years earlier. He finally became clerk of the signet in 1624. He was appointed joint secretary of state with Sir John Coke, succeeding Sir Dudley Carleton , in 1632. He was knighted in the same year.