[Power] to the said Governor Deputy Governor and Assistants and their successors or the major part of them (the Governor or Deputy Governor being always one) so often as they shall think necessary to appoint Sub-Committees and to summon and call together the officers and members of the said Company for the time being to such Courts and Committees as well in London as in any other place or places within our Realm [to consult &c.]:

[No one to be admitted an officer before taking the Oath of Allegiance and] the oath mentioned in the Act of Parliament for the well governing and regulating of Corporations made in the thirteenth year of the reign of His late Majesty King CHARLES THE SECOND,1 [and also an oath for due discharge of office; power to administer such oaths]:

2

And We do hereby for Us our heirs and successors give and grant to the said [Company] the sole power privilege and authority of making sizing and completely finishing all sorts of writing and printing paper with the impression of our Coat of Arms or any other mark or marks that they shall think fit or proper to affix make or impress thereupon, and to carry on the said trade and manufacture by a joint stock for the term of fourteen years to commence from the day of the date hereof:

Strictly charging and commanding all and every person and persons bodies politic and corporate and all other our subjects of what estate quality or degree soever they be, within all and every our Kingdom and Dominions, that neither they nor any of them during the continuance of this our grant either directly or indirectly do use or put in practice the said art or manufacture of making writing and printing paper either in the waterleaf or otherwise separate from the said Company or joint stock, or in any manner imitate or make or cause to be made any subtraction from or addition to the same, upon such pains and penalties as can or may be justly inflicted on such offenders for their contempt of this our royal command and further to be answerable to the said Governor and Company according to law :

And We do further for Us our heirs and successors give and grant unto the said Governor and Company and their successors full power and authority by themselves or any one or more of the Governor Deputy Governor or Assistants of the said Company for the time being and to their or any of their agents officers and servants with the warrant of the Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench for the time being and the assistance of a Constable or any other lawful officer in the day time

1 That it is not lawful, upon any pretence whatsoever, to take arms against the King (13 Car. II., stat. 2, c. 1). This

oath (for several years last past generally
omitted') was repealed by 5 Geo. I. c. 6.
2 Patent Roll has Court.'

during the continuance of this our grant to break open doors in case of refusal and to open the same and make search in any place or places where they shall have any just cause to suspect that any person or persons infringe the liberties powers and privileges to the said [Company] hereby granted, and to proceed against the offenders according to law : [Judges Justices &c. to be favouring aiding and assisting &c.]:

[Power to the Company] to take have purchase receive enjoy and possess to them and their successors for ever any manors lordships messuages mills waters rents services reversions lands tenements and other hereditaments whatsoever, so that the same manors [&c.] do not exceed the yearly value of six thousand pounds above all charges and reprises, and also goods and chattels of what nature value or kind soever, [and dispose of the same, Mortmain or other statutes notwithstanding; power to our subjects to grant the same to the Company] notwithstanding the statute:

And We do also by these presents for Us our heirs and successors declare that We our heirs and successors will upon the humble petition of the said Governor and Company or their successors at any time or times hereafter grant to them and their successors such further powers and privileges as shall be necessary for the carrying on and improving the said manufacture, and to give our royal assent to such bill or bills as both Houses of Parliament shall think fit to pass and for confirmation of these presents or any further powers or privileges to the said Governor and Company and their successors in this behalf :'

[Grant to be valid and favourably construed, any defects or uncertainties acts statutes &c. notwithstanding]:

Although express mention &c.

Without fine in our Hanaper &c.

In witness &c., witness our self at Westminster the three and twentieth day of July

by writ of Privy Seal.

FIRE OFFICE.2

(Patent Rolls, 4 Jac. II., pt. i.)

JAMES THE SECOND 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 trusty and wellbeloved subjects Sir John Parsons 1 For the subsequent statute, see ante, details appear in Close Rolls, 35 Car. II., pt. v.

p. cix.

2 See Introduction, ante, p. cxvii. Earlier

Knight, one of the present Sheriffs of our City of London, Samuel Vincent Esquire, Nicholas Barbon Doctor in Physic, and several other persons their partners did about six years since invent set up and have proceeded in a new undertaking for insuring houses from fire, now commonly called the Fire Office, and have settled several estates to the value of sixty thousand pounds or thereabouts in ground rents to be a fund for the answering and paying of all losses that should happen to the persons contracting with them for such insurances, and have since paid for such losses several sums of money amounting to near twenty thousand pounds,

Which said undertakings by the experience of the time past have been found to be of good public use for the quieting the minds of our subjects owners and inhabitants of houses and hath much raised the value of such houses in purchases and securities,

And whereas by reason of another undertaking lately set on foot and prosecuted by William Hale and Henry Spelman, Esquires, for insuring houses against fire by way of a mutual contribution called by the name of the Friendly Society, the said Sir John Parsons, Samuel Vincent, Nicholas Barbon and partners are greatly discouraged and prejudiced in their said undertaking,

3

And whereas We have been graciously pleased at our Council Board to hear the matters in difference between the said Sir John Parsons [&c.] and partners and the said William Hale and Henry Spelman and partners, and after several hearings thereupon being fully satisfied that the said Sir John Parsons [&c.] and partners did first invent set on foot and put in practice the way and method of insuring houses from fire and had settled the fund aforesaid and had engaged themselves in very great sums of money by contracts for insurances of houses to divers persons for thirty one years or for other long terms of years before those of the Friendly Society began or appeared, We are graciously inclined to give due encouragement to the said Sir John Parsons and partners to proceed in a work of so great and public benefit and to give them some prospect of a reasonable compensation and recompense for their great industry hazard and damages sustained, Know ye therefore that We, of our especial grace certain knowledge 1 The proposals with draft policy appear per £100 (see Walford, Insurance Cycloin Close Rolls, 36 Car. II., pt. xiii., where pædia, iii., p. 456). it is named the Society for securing Houses from Loss by Fire by Mutual Contribution.' Its premium was 18. 4d. for every £100 secured (all the companies charged double for timber houses). Liability for any one loss was limited to 308.

2 See account from Council Minutes (ibid., pp. 458-9).

The Fire Office proposals in 1681 contemplated no longer term than 31 years (ibid., pp. 447-8); its municipal rivals offered perpetual insurance (ibid., pp. 451-2).

and mere motion, have given and granted and by these presents for Us our heirs and successors do give and grant unto the said Sir John Parsons, Samuel Vincent, Nicholas Barbon, and likewise to Edward Noel gentleman, Samuel Tookie gentleman, and Henry Headley gentleman, being partners in the said undertaking, their executors administrators and assigns, full and free licence liberty and lawful authority to continue in and proceed according to their said undertaking and method of insuring houses from fire during the term hereafter mentioned and to do all lawful acts and things necessary and requisite relating to the said undertaking and to regulate alter change or amend the same from time to time, so as it be not a greater charge to our subjects than the premiums or prices hitherto used by them :

And also to retain and keep such number of officers and servants as shall be convenient and necessary from time to time for the management of the said undertaking, and to distinguish such their servants by liveries or badges or such other distinctions as shall seem meet and convenient for the purposes aforesaid,' without the hindrance or interruption of Us our heirs or successors or of any the officers or ministers of Us our heirs or successors :

And also full power and authority during the said term to contract for and receive of and from any person or persons who shall be willing to pay the same, all and every such and the like premiums sums of money allowances and rewards for and in respect of the insuring such house or houses so from time to time to be contracted for, not exceeding the rates and sums of money by the said Sir John Parsons and partners or any of them heretofore taken and received, and also to lessen diminish and reduce such rates sums of money and reward for such houses as shall be insured for the future in such manner as they the said Sir John Parsons [Vincent, Barbon, Noel, Tookie, Headley and partners, their executors administrators or assigns] shall from time to time think fit:

And the better to enable them [the abovenamed] to execute perform and enjoy the licences powers privileges and authorities to them hereby granted, We have therefore thought fit to erect and establish, and We do hereby erect and establish, an Office for the purposes aforesaid, which shall be and be called The Fire Office or The Office of Insurance of houses from Fire according to the method

1 By 1690 there were many watermen and others in livery with badges, acting as fire extinguishers (see ibid., p. 459). The Amicable Contributionship for Fire Insurance (unincorporated; see Close Rolls, 10 W. III., pt. v., and 13 W. III.,

pt. iii.) proposed in 1696 to keep watermen and give badges to twelve of them.

2 The Fire Office premium was sixpence per £1 rent, the house value being taken at ten times the rent (see Walford, iii., p. 444; cf. ante, p. 208 (1)).

P

and undertaking already begun and set on foot by the said Sir John Parsons and partners and for registering of all and all manner of insurances policies of insurance and contracts for insuring houses from fire made or to be made by them the said Sir John Parsons [&c., their executors &c. as above]:

And further We, of our more abundant grace certain knowledge and mere motion, have given and granted [and hereby for Us our heirs &c. do give &c.] unto the said Sir John Parsons [and abovenamed persons] the said Office together with the said powers authorities and other the premises abovementioned for the intents and purposes aforesaid:

To hold exercise and enjoy the said Office and premises unto them [the abovenamed] according to their undertaking for and during such term and terms of years respectively for which they [the abovenamed] have before the day of the date of these presents undertaken made or granted any insurance or insurances as aforesaid not exceeding one and thirty years, in trust for the benefit of the [abovenamed] and all their partners in the said undertaking and fund of ground rents, their respective executors administrators and assigns, according to their several and respective estates and interests therein:

And, to the intent that they the said Sir John Parsons [&c. their partners executors &c.] may reap the full and whole benefit and advantage intended by our Royal grace and favour toward them, our will and pleasure is, and We do for Us our heirs and successors require and straitly prohibit charge and command the said William Hale and Henry Spelman their [executors administrators and assigns] and all and every other person or persons who now are or hereafter shall be undertakers for the insuring of houses from fire by way of mutual contribution called the Friendly Society, and all and every other person and persons whatsoever, that they and every of them respectively do from henceforth cease desist and forbear from further making or granting any policies of insurance of houses from fire and from further contracting [for such insurance] for and during the space of one whole year to be accounted from the date of these our Letters Patents :

And that from and after the expiration of the said term of one year no other person or persons whatsoever shall presume to set up erect or keep any other office or undertaking whatsoever for insuring of houses from fire in any other manner than as hereafter is limited and appointed:

And our royal intention and pleasure is that from and after the expiration of the said term of one year the said Undertakers for the said Friendly Society, having first obtained our royal authority in that behalf by our Letters Patents under our Great Seal of England and not otherwise, shall and may begin and proceed in their present method