Page:English Historical Review Volume 35.djvu/526

 518 EMOLUMENTS OF SECRETARIES OF October reorganization was apparently one of the results of Danby's administration as lord treasurer. From the question of salary and allowances we pass to that of fees and perquisites. The issue of any grant, &c., under the Great Seal was a lengthy and elaborate process.^ The first step, after the issue had been decided upon, was a warrant under the royal sign-manual to a law officer of the Crown to draw up the formal document, which in its turn was signed by the king and, under the title of a king's bill, transmitted to the signet office, where it authorized the issue of a signet bill to the privy seal office. A writ from privy seal to chancery eventually authorized the issue under the Great Seal. Fees were charged at each stage of this process. The royal signature might on occasion be obtained in the first instance by an interested household servant or a master of requests, but in most cases the matter was initiated by one of the secretaries. The king's bill was registered in one of the secretaries' offices, and a fee was paid to the principal secretary concerned for obtaining the royal sign-manual.^ Upon the passing of a charter to St. Albans, the payments recorded to Secretary Bennet are : ' For the refference to Mr. Attorney upon the petition £5:0:0. To him more for the warrant to Mr. Attorney to prepare the bill £6:0:0.... For getting the King's hand to the bill £20 : : 0.' In 1669 the expenses in obtaining a licence of mortmain included £6 to the secretary for gaining ' the King's hand ' to the warrant to the attorney, and another £6 when the bill thus prepared had been signed.^ Frequently, however, one payment only was made. The secretary had at first no fixed scale of charges, but five or six pounds appears to have been the usual gratuity, while ten, twenty, or even forty pounds were paid by corporate bodies, wealthy merchants, or noblemen. Between 1 1 April and 9 Novem- ber 1637, Secretary Windebank received £648 155. M., principally in payments of this kind, and the fees obtained between 1 May sum was continued when Sunderland was reinstated. The latter then received only £2,000 again (Cal. ofTreas. Books, vi. 533; vrn. i. 74, ii. 930 ; ix. 717). cured generally by the principal secretary and directed to the lord chancellor was discountenanced in official circles, partly because of the subsequent loss of fees at the intermediary offices. James I was the increased number of grants obtained by private royal servants. There were various regulations restricting the privilege of obtaining the royal signature to the principal secretaries and masters of requests, and the procedure was thus regu- larized by the end of the century. Naturally there was considerable rivalry between the secretaries and masters (see Lady Fanshawe, Memoirs, p. 139). See aA&oHist. MSS. Comm.,Townshend MSS., p. 39, for another example of the double payments of £6.
 * The passing of grants through the Great Seal by an ' immediate ' warrant pro-
 * One of the indications of the ' bed-chamber ' government reintroduced by
 * Hist. MSS. 'Comm., Verulam MSS., p. 86, and Wyon, Great Seals, App. E.