Whereas the Lords and Commons now Assembled in Our Parliament of England, have credibly been informed, (as well by the humble supplication, and Petition of the Inhabitants of the Towne of Bridgnorth, in the County of Salop, as also by a Certificate under the hands of Our trusty and wel-beloved Subjects; William Pierepont, Humphry Mackworth, Robert Clive, Robert Charlton, Harcourt Leighton, John Thinne, Thomas Nichols, Samuel More, Andrew Lloyd and Thomas Hunt Esquires, all of them Persons nominated and appointed by authority of the said Lords and Commons to be a Committee for the safety of the said County) That the upper Town of Bridgnorth aforesaid, was set on fire, within few dayes after, the Forces raised by the said Lords and Commons under the command of the said Committee of safety for the said County had entred the said Towne, and by the rage and violence of the said fire, the upper Towne was destroyed, and also the Church, Colledge and Almse­houses, utterly spoyled and ruinated; And further, that the Inhabitants of the said Town, had most of their goods burnt and consumed, to their damage and losse of ninety thousand pounds Sterling or thereabouts, and have therefore made it their humble request, that such releife might be afforded to them, as to others in like case hath been granted by way of Collection, of the charity of good people, within the Kingdome of England and Dominion of Wales; Which request tending onely to the glory of God, and the releife of so ma­ny of Our poore undone and distressed Subjects, hath beene by the said Lords and Commons approved of, not doubting, but that all good Christians, and Our loving Subjects well weighing the want and calamity of the Inhabitants and poore Almes-people of the Towne will be ready and willing to extend their liberall Contribution towards the furtherance of so godly and pious a work, as the rebuilding of the said Town, and repairing of the said Church, Colledge and Almshouses.— Know you therefore that of Our speciall Grace, and by the advice and consent of Our Lords and Commons now Assembled in Parliament; We have given and granted, and by these Our Letters Patents do give and grant unto Our true and loyall Subjects, the Inhabitants of Bridgnorth, and to their Deputy and Deputies, the Bearer and Bearers hereof (under the Hands and Seales of the Bayliffes of the said Towne for the time being in that behalfe authorized) full power licence and authority to aske, gather, receive, and take the almes and charitable benevolence of all our loving subjects whatsoever, inhabiting within any of Our Cities, Townes-corporate, priviledged Places, Parishes, Villages, and in all other places whatsoever, within Our said Kingdome of England, and Dominion of Wales, toward the performance of so godly, charitable and religious a work;— Where­fore We will and command you, and every of you, that at such time and times, as the said inhabitants, or their Deputy, or Depu­ties, the Bearer or Bearers hereof (authorized as aforesaid) shall come and repaire to any of your Churches or Chappels, or any other places, to aske and receive the gratuity and charitable benevolence of our said subjects, quietly to permit and suffer them so to do without any manner of your let or contradiction.—And you the said Parsons, Vicars, and Curates for the better stirring up a charitable devotion deliberately to publish and declare the tenure of these Our Letters Patents, or the Copie or Breise thereof, unto Our said subjects upon some Sabbath-day or Fast-day when the same shall be tendred unto you, exhorting and perswading them to extend their liberall contribu­tion to so necessary and charitable a deed.—And you the Church-wardens, and other Church-officers of every Parish, where such Collection is to be made, (as afore said) to collect and gather the Almes and charitable Benevolence, of all our loving subjects, as well strangers as others, and what shall be by you so gathered, to be by the Ministers and your selves endorsed on the backe side of the Breife of these Our Letters Patents, in words at length and not in figures; and the summe and summes of money so gathered and endorsed, to deliver to the Bearer or Bearers of these Our Letters Patents authorized as aforesaid, and to no other person, when as thereunto you shall be required. And Our will and pleasure is, that for the performance hereof according to the true intent and meaning of these Our Letters Patents, We do here­by constitute and appoint Our trusty and welbeloved subject Gilbert Walden the present Minister of the said Town of Bridgnorth, and the said Mi­nister of the said Town for the time being, to be the sole Treasurer for the receiving and issuing forth of all such summe and summes of money as shall by vertue of these Presents be collected and gathered as aforesaid, and that the persons herein before named, being the Comittee of safety for the said County or any two of them (with the said Gilbert Walden Minister of Bridgnorth) from time to time, do order and dis­pose the disbursments, employments and accounts of all and every the moneys aforesaid; In witnesse whereof We have caused these our Letters to be made Patents for the space of one whole year next after the date hereof to endure and no longer; Witnesse Our selfe at Westminster, the XVIII. day of January, in the three and twentieth year of Our reigne,

Anno Dom. 1647.