Page:Protestant Exiles from France Agnew vol 2.djvu/58

 guilty of flinging away precious means of provision for himself and his family, the restrictions for foreigners being providential blessings for Englishmen. Any Bill to give foreigners a share of the Englishman’s right was unpopular with the City of London, and with all boroughs and corporations. The debates of 1694 ended in the House of Commons allowing a Bill of that sort to fall aside before the necessary number of readings had been permitted. And so Naturalization had to be doled out to individuals by letters-patent from the king, and by private Acts of Parliament.

The only proviso expressed in 1681 was in these terms:— “Provided they live and continue with their families (such as have any) in this our kingdom of England, or elsewhere within our dominions.” Yet a certificate, “that they have received the Holy Communion” crept into the warrants of denization, — and, at a later date, a command “to take the oaths of allegiance and supremacy at some Quarter-Sessions within a year after the date hereof.” James II. not only specified “the Holy Communion,” but used the more stringent definition, “the Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper according to the usage of the Church of England.” But after his Declaration for Liberty of Conscience, he withdrew the clauses, both as to the oaths and as to the Sacrament.

In order to naturalization, the King’s Letter was addressed to the Attorney-General or to the Solicitor-General containing a name or names, warranting the law-officer to draw out a Grant of Naturalization. The Grant, which was recorded on a Patent-Roll, was in the Latin language. Its contents may be described as a repetition of the privileges already expressed in His Majesty’s name in the English language, and therefore I copy one of the Warrants, or King’s Letters, from the Camden Society Volume of Lists:—

“ — In pursuance of our Order of Council, made the 28th day of July last past [1681], in favour and for the relief and support of poore distressed protestants, who by reason of the rigours and severities which are used towards them upon the account of their Religion shall be forced to quitt their native country and shall desire to shelter themselves under our Royall protection and free exercise of their religion, of whom Peter de Lainé Esq., French Tutor to our dearest brother James Duke of York his children, is one, as appears by sufficient certificate produced to one of our principall Secretarys of State, and that he hath received the Holy Communion. Our will and pleasure is that you prepare a Bill for our royall signature, to pass our Greate Seale, containing our grant for the making him the sayd Peter de Lainé, being an Alien borne, a free denizen of this oure kingdome of England, and that he have and enjoy all rights, priviledges and immunities as other free Denizens do. Provided he, the said Peter de Lainé, live and continue with his family in this our kingdome of England, or elsewhere within our Dominions; the said denization to be forthwith past under our great Seale without any fees or other charges whatsoever to be paid by him. For which this shall be your warrant. Dated at Whitehall, the 14th day of October, 1681.

By his Ma$ties$ Command,

“To our Attorney or Sollicitor Generall.”

.”

The Camden Society Lists intended to reproduce the Warrants of Charles II. and James II., but having been printed from amateur transcripts, they are inaccurate and unreliable. For a complete and correct extract of those Warrants see “Denization to Foreign Protestants, 1681-8. Domestic Entry Books, 67. State Paper Office.” The lists, which are printed by me, are the actual Grants of Denization by Royal Letters Patent as engrossed in the Patent-Rolls. The date of the Grant is two or three weeks later than the date of the Warrant. My lists include the Grants of William and Mary, and William III. As to the spelling of surnames, I can only reproduce what the law-officers' clerks have written.

Most of the refugees were naturalised in groups, a number being together in one grant. Some of the individual grants I have united in a list, for the sake of reference hereafter.

Henry Jollis. Henry Tenderman. Henr. Gett$e$. and Henry Losweres. Nicholas Taphorse. John Joachim Becher. 