Ship Money Act 1640
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | 1640 c. 14 |
| Year | 1640 |
(16 Cha. 1) C A P. XIV.
'WHEREAS divers Writs of late Time issued under the Great Seal ofEngland , commonly called Ship-Writs , for the Charging of the Ports, Towns, Cities, Boroughs and Counties of this Realm respectively, to provide and furnish certain Ships for his Majesty's Service: (2) And whereas upon the Execution of the same Writs and Returns of Certioraries thereupon made, and the sending the same by Mittimus into the Court of Exchequer, Process hath been thence made against sundry Persons pretended to be charged by way of Contribution, for the making up of certain Sums assessed for the providing of the said Ships, and in especial in Easter Term in the thirteenth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord the King that now is a Writ of Scire facias was awarded out of the Court of Exchequer, to the then SheriffofBucking hamshire , against John Hampden , Esquire, to appear and shew Cause, why he should not be charged with a certain Sumso assessed upon him; (3) upon whose Appearanceand Demurrer to the Proceedingstherein, the Barons of the Exchequer adjourned the same Case into the Exchequer-Chamber, where it was solemnly argued divers Days, and at length it was there agreed by the greater Part of all the Justices of the Courts of King's Bench and Common Pleas, and of the Barons of the Exchequer, there assembled, That the saidJohn Hampden should be charged with the said Sum so as aforesaid assessed on him; (4) the main Grounds and Reasons of the said Justices and Barons which so agree, being, that when the Good and Safety of the Kingdom in general is concerned, and the whole Kingdom in Danger, the King might by Writ under the Great Seal of England , command all the Subjects of this his Kingdom, at their Charge, to provide and furnish such Number of Ships with Men, Victuals and Munition, and for such Time as the King should think fit, for the Defence and Safeguard of the Kingdom from such Danger and Peril, and that by Law the King might compel the doing thereof, in case of Refusalor Refractoriness; (5) and that the King is the sole Judge, both of the Danger and when and how the same is to be prevented and avoided; (6) according to which Grounds and Reasons, all the Justices of the said Courts of King's Bench and Common Pleas...
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