First Commission

fol. 1r

Charles by the grace of god king of England Scotland ffranc{e} and Ireland defender of the faith &c To our welbeloved Henry Jones Deane of Kilmore Roger Puttock William Hitchcocke Randall Adams John Sterne William Aldrich Henry Brereton and John Watson Clarkes greeting. Whereas divers wicked and disloyall people haue lately risen in Armes in seueral{l} partes of this kingdome and haue robbed and spoyled many of our good subiects brittish and protestants who haue been separated from theire setled habitacions and scattered in most lamentable manner. And for asmuch as it is needfull to take due examinacion concerning the same. Know yee that we reposing especiall trust and confidence in your care diligence and provident circumspeccion haue nominated and appoynted yo{u} to be our Commissioners and doe hereby give vnto you, or any two or more of you full power and authoritie from time to time to call before you, and to examine vpon oath on the holy Evangelists (which we hereby authorize you or any two or mor{e} of you to administer) aswell all such persons as haue been so robbed and spoyled as all the witnesses that can give testimony therein what robberies and spoyles haue been committed on them or any other to theire knowledg since the 22th of October last or shall thereafter be committed on them or any of them, what the particulars were or are, whereof they were or shalbe so robbed and spoyled, to what value; by whome, what theire names are, and where they now or last dwelt that committed those robberies, on what day or night the said Robberies or spoyle{s} committed or to be committed were done, what traiterous or disloyal words speeches or accions were then or at any other time vtter{ed} or comitted by those robbers or any of them, what violence or other lewd Accions were then performed by the said robbers or or any of them, and how often, and all other Curcumnstance{s} touching or concerning the particulars and every of them And you our said Commissioners are to reduce to writinge All the Examinacions which you or any two or more of you shal{l} take as aforesaid, and the same to returne vnto our Justice{s} and Counsell of this our Realme of Ireland under the hand and seales of you or any two or more of you as aforesaid Witnesses our right trustie and welbeloved Counsell{ors} Sir William Parsons knighte and Barronett and Sir John Borl{ase} knight our Justics of our said Realme of Ireland Att Dublin {the} xxiijth day of December 1641 in the xvijth yere of our Raigne
{Carlton}