Aldermanbury, in Nov., 1581, a period of 17 years, during which they had, as we have shewn, been most actively employed as a Company in promoting the interests they had acquired, and were about to extend them still further as will be perceived on perusing the following confirmation and extension by King James of the

Graunts from the Q. Ma'ti.

By Charter dated xmo. Octob'r Anno R'e vjmo.
A.D. 1564.

MADE TO Thomas Thurland M'r of the Savoy & Daniell Hogstetter a Germain, and too their heyrs & assignees.

Of poour & authoritee too search dig try rost & mellt allman' of mines & ures of Golld Sylver Copper & Quicksilver, And too take up woorkmen, tymb'r, wood, cole & such lyke at reasonable wages and prises and allso too purchas bonds in ony estate of enheritauns w'hin the Coountees of York Lancast'r Cumb'land Westmerlond Cornwall Devon Glouce❜ter & Worce❜ter and the Principalitee of Wales as well w't'in her Ma'te oun grounds as oothers.

Her Highness too have of all golld & sylver that shall be foound neat w't'oout help of fyer or melltyng the xth part, And of all golld ure & sylver hollding viijli weight in the C. weight the lyke xth, and of every C. of copper j's. or the xxth p't at her Highnes' chois, during the fyrst v. yeers next then and after those v. yeers ijs. vjd. upon the C. of copper or the xuth part or just valu thearof at her lyke chois.

And too have the preferment in bying of all Pretioous stones or pearl too be foound in the woorkyng of those mines. And of Tynn too have in name of coynage, as in Cornwail her highnes hath. And of Lead as in oother places used, &c.

The oother L'res Patents dated the xvijth of Septemb'r then next viz., Anno R'e vijmo. 1564 supradic❜o,

Made too Will'm Humfrey & Chr'ofer Shutes a Germain and too their heyrs & assignees of poour & authoritee too dig search & try (as aforesayd) w't'in Englond & the English pale in Irelond (excepting the places aforegraunted)

All ures simpl or mixt of Golld Silver Copper Quicksilver & of all oothers. And allso for Tynn & Lead as hath been used in oother places. And for the Calamine stone,* And for makyng Lattyn thearw't', & all kynde of batry waer of lattyn, iern, steel & of all maner of plates.

Her Hyghnes too have for the fyrst vj yeers then next, the xth part of all the pure mettalls or ures of Golld, Sylver & Quicksylver. And of every C. weight of mixture hollding viijli or aboove of those rich mettalls too have all the xth part. And of Tynn in name of coynage, as her Ma'ti hath in Devon and Cornwoll. And of Lead as in oother places of the Realm. And of the calamine* the xxth part or just valu thearof. And of every C. of Copper for the said fyrst vj yeers ijs. or the xxth part at her lykyng, and after those vj yeers ijs. vjd. or the xvth part or valu at chois aforesayd, &c. [Endorsed]

Untoo the right honorabl' Sir Frauncis Wallsingham, Knight, One of the twoo Principal Secretaries unto the Q. Ma'ti.

I am indebted, and so is my reader, to the liberality of Mr. Jno. Thomas, colliery proprietor, of Court Herbert, near Neath, for copies of these two Charters of † King James, of which I shall now give the material points only, as the entire would occupy too much space, being greatly overlaid in the originals with legal repetition and verbosity.

*Lapis Calaminaris, this is an ore of Zinc, used for the making of brass, or "Lattyn," as it is here termed; frequently found in England.

+ These copies were lithographed and on parchment, and Mr. Thomas assured me that the transcribing and a few copies only cost him 50£, and by the pains taken with them I can quite believe him.—G. G. F.

XVII.

CHARTER CONFIRMATORY TO

THE MINES ROYAL

[A.D. 1604.]*

SOCIETY,

Granted at Windsor, the Twenty-eighth day of January, in the Second Year of King James the First.

JAMES, by the Grace of God, King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. To all to whom these Presents shall come, Greeting.

WHEREAS, our late dear sister, ELIZABETH, late Queen of England, by Her Letters Patent, bearing date at Westminster, the tenth day of October, in the Sixth year of Her reign, [1564] for the considerations therein mentioned, did give and grant full power, license, and authority to Thomas Thurland, Clerk, deceased, late one of the Chaplains and Master of the Hospital of the Savoy, and to Daniel Houghsetter, a German born, and to their heirs and assigns and every of them, for ever, by themselves, their servants, labourers or workmen, or any of them, to search, dig, open, roast, melt, stamp, wash, drain, or convey waters, or otherwise work for all manner of mines or ewers of gold, silver, copper and quicksilver, within Her Counties of York, Lancaster, Cumberland and Westmoreland, Cornwall, Devon, Gloucester and Worcester, and within Her Principality of Wales, or in any of them, and the same to try out, convert, and use to their most profit and commodity, and the commodity of every of them for ever, as well within Her own lands, grounds and possessions, as also within the lands, grounds and possessions of any of Her subjects, set, lying, and being within Her said Counties and Principality, or in any of them, without any let or

* The original Charter to the Mineral and Battery Wks. Co. was dated 6 days sooner, and should therefore be printed before that to the Mines Royal; but I desire to follow the sequence given them by W. P.,' doubtless for some good cause sufficiently well known to him.—G. G. F,

perturbation of Her, Her heirs or successors, or of any other person or persons whatsoever, together with divers. other powers, authorities, licenses, privileges, benefits and immunities specified in the said Letters Patent for and concerning the effectual obtaining and enjoying of the premises. as by the same Letters Patent, among divers other clauses and articles therein contained, more plainly and at large it may and doth appear.

And whereas, HER pleasure, intent and meaning in Her said Letters Patent was, that for the better help and more commodity of the said Thomas Thurland and Daniel Houghsetter and their several assigns, they and every of them might from time to time, and at their pleasure, grant, convey, and assign parts and portions in the said licenses, privileges, powers, authorities, benefits and immunities, and thereupon they and their several assigns have, since the making of the said Letters Patent, for divers good considerations, granted, assigned and conveyed unto divers other persons, their heirs and assigns, divers parts and portions of the licenses, powers, authorities, privileges, benefits and immunities aforesaid, with such profit and commodities as should or might arise by the use of the

same.

And WHEREAS, the said Thomas Thurland and Daniel Houghsetter, and most of their grantees and assigns be since deceased, [i. e., between 1564 and 1604] and all or the greatest part of the said licenses, powers, authorities, privileges, benefits and immunities, together with all or the greatest part of the profits and commodities by the use of the said licenses, powers, authorities, privileges, benefits and immunities arising and growing are now, by divers descents, devises, conveyances, or other lawful means, descended, devised, conveyed, or come unto the persons

hereafter named (that is to say) to our right well-beloved Cousin, William Earl of Pembroke, and to our right trusty and right well-beloved Councillor, Robert, Viscount Cranborne, our principal Secretary; and to our trusty and well-beloved Henry Lord Windsor, and to our right trusty and right well-beloved Councillor, Thomas Lord Burghley, and to our right trusty and well-beloved Thomas Lord Gerrard, and to our trusty and right well-beloved Counsellor, Sir John Popham, Knight, Chief Justice of the Pleas before us to be holden, assigned, and to our trusty and well-beloved Sir Edward Wynter, Knight, Sir Francis Popham, Knight, Sir John Smith, Knight, Roger Owen, Knight: Francis Needham, Arnold Oldsworth, Christopher Toldervey, William Gamage, Francis Beale, Otes Nicholson, Esquires: Richard Darnford, Gentleman; Edward Barnes, Mercer; Emanuel Demetrius, Merchant Stranger; Abraham Van Deldon, Merchant Stranger; Emanuel Hochstetter,† and Daniel Hochstetter.

And WHEREAS, the said Thomas Thurland and Daniel Hochsetter, in their lifetimes, and the said persons so as aforesaid interested in the said licenses, powers, authorities,

* Of these names it may be worthy of note, that this Earl of Pembroke was a Court favorite of the Tudors, and received many Grants of Manors, &c., in Glamorgan; amongst others, those of Neath and the adjoining districts: That Francis Needham was the writer of the letters at pp. 25, 34, in this Vol., who also appears in the list of original shareholders: Gamage, was the name of a well-known Glamorganshire family : Demetrius, the stranger, was, possibly, a Greek merchant, of London; while Van Deldon and the Hochstetters were evidently Dutch or Germans, the latter, in all probability, two sonst of the original Grantee :-On the foregoing Note I desire further to remark, that Lord Pembroke from his Manors at and near Neath, was well aware of the Coal to be thence obtained at reasonable cost, of suitable quality, and in any quantity; all very important matters in relation to smelting operations; the which it may be observed has ruled the retention of Sites for such furnaces ever since.— G. G. F.

+ Vide p. 38,