Payment of Annates Act 1531
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | 1531 c. 20 |
| Year | 1531 |
(23 Hen. 8) C A P. XX.
'FORASMUCH as it is well perceived, by long approved experience, that great and inestimable Sums of Money have been daily conveyed out of this Realm, to the impoverishment of the same; and especially such Sums of Mony as the Pope's Holiness, his Predecessors, and the Court ofRome , by long time have heretofore taken of all and singular those Spiritual Persons which have been Named, Elected, Presented, or Postulated to be Archbishops or Bishops within this Realm of England , under the Title of Annates , otherwise called First-Fruits. Which Annates , or First-Fruits, have been taken of every Archbishoprick, or Bishoprick, within this Realm, by restraint of the Pope's Bulls, for Confirmations, Elections, Admissions, Postulations, Provisions, Collations, Dispositions, Institutions, Installations, Investitures, Orders, Holy Benedictions, Palles, or other things requisite and necessary to the attaining of those their Promotions; and have been compelled to pay, before they could attain the same, great Sums of Mony, before they might receive any part of the Fruits of the said Archbishoprick, or Bishoprick, whereunto they were named, elected, presented, or postulated; by occasion whereof, not only the Treasure of this Realm hath been greatly conveighed out of the same, but also it hath happened many times, by occasion of Death, unto such Archbishops, and Bishops, so newly promoted, within two or three years after his or their Consecration, that his or their Friends, by whom he or they have been holpen to advance and make paiment of the said Annates , or First-Fruits, have been thereby utterly undone and impoverished. And for because the said Annates have risen, grown and encreased, by an uncharitable Custom, grounded upon no just or good title, and the paiments thereof obtained by restraint of Bulls, until the same Annates , or First-Fruits, have been paid, or Surety made for the same; which declareth the said Paiments to be exacted, and taken by constraint, against all equity and justice. The Noble Men therefore of the Realm, and the wise, sage, politick Commons of the same, assembled in this present Parliament, considering that the Court of Rome ceaseth not to tax, take, and exact the said great Sums of Mony, under the Title of Annates , or First-Fruits, as is aforesaid, to the great damage of the said Prelates, and this Realm; which Annates , or First-Fruits, were first suffered to be taken within the same Realm, for the only defence of Christian People against the Infidels, and now they be claimed and demanded as mere duty, only for lucre, against all right and conscience. Insomuch that it is evidently known, that there hath passed out of this Realm unto the Court of Rome , sithen the second year of the Reign of the most Noble Prince, of famous memory, King Henry the Seventh, unto this present time, under the name of Annates , or First-Fruits, payed for the expedition of Bulls of Archbishopricks and Bishopricks, the sum of eight hundred thousand Ducats, amounting in Sterling Mony, at the least, to eightscore thousand pounds, besides other great and intolerable Sums which have yearly been conveighed to the said Court of Rome , by many other ways and means, to the great impoverishment of this Realm. And albeit, that our said Sovereign the King, and all his natural Subjects, as...
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