WAKYINGE, FRAMING, AND ERECTING OF MILLS VPON BARGES OR LIGHTERS OR SUCH LIKE VESSELLS RYDING OR LYING IN ANY RIVERS OR STREAMES WITHIN THIS OUR REALME OF ENGLAND OR DOMYNION OF WALES, FOR THE GRINDING OF CORNE AND GRAYNE, OR FOR MAKING OF PAPER, OR FOR OTHER PURPOSES, WITH GREAT EASE AND FACILITY,
Year: 1619

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greeting.
WHEREAS our welbeloved subiect SAMUELI. COTTON, Gent., hath, by his
paynes and industry, and at bis great coste and charges, attayned to an arte,
skill, and invenčon of "WAKYINGE, FRAMING, AND ERECTING OF MILLS VPON
BARGES OR LIGHTERS OR SUCH LIKE VESSELLS RYDING OR LYING IN ANY RIVERS OR
STREAMES WITHIN THIS OUR REALME OF ENGLAND OR DOMYNION OF WALES, FOR THE
GRINDING OF CORNE AND GRAYNE, OR FOR MAKING OF PAPER, OR FOR OTHER PURPOSES,
WITH GREAT EASE AND FACILITY," which said Invencion, though yt hath been
heeretofore assayed and attempted by sondry psons, yet hath never been
brought to any perfeccon by any other of our subiecte except the said
Samuell Cotton, as wee are informed.
KNOW YEE THEREFORE, that wee, being willing to recompence the
industrie and charge of the said Samuell Cotton imployed and bestowed in
and about the investigacion and finding out of the said Invenčon, and to
appropriate to him for some terme of yeares the fruite and proffitt thereof,
whereby other our subiect may be incouraged to the studies and indeavors of
attayning and finding out of such good and profitable arte, devises, and
invenčons as may be of good vse and servise in these our realmes; at the
humble Petičon of the said Samuell Cotton, and in consideračon of the
yearely rent hereby to vs reserved, of our especiall grace, certayne knowledge,
and meere močon, wee have given and graunted, and by these psente, for vs,
our beires and successors, doe give and graunt to the said Samuell Cotton, his

page_text: executors, administrators, and assignes, full, absolute, and sole power, libertye,
licence, and authoritye, to excise, practise, and putt in vse the said art, skill,
and invenčon of makeing, frameing, and erecting of any myll or mylls vpon
barges, lighters, or other vessells riding or lying in our river of Thames, or in
any partes or places of the same, for the grinding of corne and grayne,
making of paper, and other purposes as aforesaid, and the same mill or mills
being soe made, framed, and erected, to vse, imploy and sett on worke for the
vses and purposes aforesaid, to and for his and their best benefitt and advan-
tage; to have, hould, vse, exercise, and enioye the said sole power, licence,
priuiledge and authoritye of makeing, frameing, and erecting of the said mill
or mills, and the exercising, practising, and putting in vse of the same for the
vses and purposes aforesaid, and all benefitt, profitt, and advantage thercof
arising or happening as aforesaid to the said Samuell Cotton, his executors,
administrators, and assignes, to be excised, executed, practised, and put in vsc
by him and them, or by his and their deputy and deputies, for and dureing
the tyme and terme of one and twenty yeares now next comying, ŷmediately
from and after the date of these presente, and fully to be compleate and ended,
yeilding and paying therefore yearelye vnto vs, our heires and successors, the
yearely rent or some of fower poundes of lawfull money of England, at the
receipt of our Exchequer at Westñi, at the Feast of St. John the Baptist and
the. Birth of our Lord God, by even and equall porčons; and forasmuch as
when the said mill or mills, art, skill, and invenčon, of the said Samuell
Cotton, which, he, by his great industrye and at his coste and expences, hath
attayned vnto, shall appeare and be made, knowne, it is very likely that many
other persons will, without the consent and privitye of the said Samuell
Cotton, make, frame, and erect the like, and padventure, having scene his
modell and platforme, may add therevnto some further new, invenčon, or alter
the order and course of the same in some members or part thereof, or other-
wise, will attempt to put, the same in practise to grinde the said corn and
grayne, and for making, of, paper and other purposes as aforesaid, and thereby
to reape the, fruite of the labors of the said Samuell Cotton, and soe defraude
him of such, benefitt, and profitt as might otherwise accrue vnto, bim, and
which wee intend him by such mill; or, mills, art, skill, and invenčon as afore-
said, wee therefore, favouring the good indeavors of the said Samuell Cotton
in the premisses, and for the better. encouraging, of the said Samuell Cotton,
his executors, administrators, and assignes in the same, and the better to
enable him to vndergoe and beare the burthen and charge thereof, doe. by
theise sente declare, and signifie that our will, and pleasure is, and wee. doe
hereby for vs, our heires and; successors, straightly charge and comaund all

page_text: and every person and persons; of what estate, degree, and conditon soever
they or any of them be; that they or any of them, during the said terme of one
and twentye yeares, shall not presume or attempt by any art; devise, skill, or
cunnyng, directly or indirectly, without the special licence, allowance, and
consent of the said Samuell Cotton, his executors, administrators, or assignes,
to make, frame, or erect the said mill or mills in or vpon the said river of
Thames or any part thereof; or in or vpon any other river or rivers within our
realme of England or domynion of Wales; for the grinding of corne or
grayne, or making of paper, or other vses and purposes as aforesaid, vpon
payne of the losse and forfeiture to vs, our heires and successors, of all and
every such mill or mills as shalbe soe made, framed, and erected in or vpon
the said river of Thames or any parte thereof, or any other river or rivers
within our realme of England or domynion of Wales; by the viewe, sight, or
in imitacon of the art, skill, and invenčon of the said Samuell Cotton,
contrary to the intent of this our graunt, to be from tyme to tyme seised and
taken in the name and to the vse of vs; our heires and successors, and also
vpon payne of our highe displeasure and such further penalties, paynes, and
forfeitures as by the lawes or statute in this our realme or by our prerogative
royall can or may be inflicted upon them, or any of them, for their willfull and
obstinate disobedience and contempt of our royall pleasure and comaundement
herein expressed. And further, of our more aboundant grace, certayne
knowledge, and meere močon, wee doe by theise psente; for vs; our heires
and successors, give and graunt full power and authoritye to the said Samuell
Cotton, his executors, administrators, and assignes; and to his and their deputy
and deputyes, and every or any of them, with the assistance of a constable,
tithingman, headborough, or other ordinary and lawful officer, at all and
every convenient tyne and tymes, to have accesse and entrye into any howse
and other place and places, and to aboard any shipp or vessell ryding or lying
in or vpon the said river of Thames, or any part thereof, and their to viewè,
search for, and seise, to the vse of vs, our heires and successors, all such mill
or mills as during the said tearme shalbe made, framed, and erected vpon
the said river of Thames or any part thereof, in imitacon or by the view of
the Invencčon of the said Samuell Cotton, contrary to this our graunt and
Letters Patent of priviledg, and our gracious intent therein declared. And
further, for the better execučon of this our graunt and our royall pleasure
and comaundement therein declared, wee doe by theis psente, for vs, our
heires and successors, will and require the Třer of England, Chauncellor,
Vndertřer, and Barons of the Exchequer for the tyme being, or any of them,
to make forth such and soe many writte and other lawful processes as shall be

page_text: by them or any of them thought fitt, and as shalbe requested by the said
Samuell Cotton, his executors, administrators, deputies, or assignes, against
every such pson and persons as shall contemne or neglect our royall pleasure
and cōmaundement herein expressed, or shall otherwise offend contrary to the
tenor of this our graunt in any article, prohibicon, or inhibicon therein con-
teyned, and therevpon to proceede against such person and psons according
to our lawes, and to take such further order and course with every such
offendor or offendors by fyne and imprisonment or otherwise as they or any
of them shall thincke fitt; and these psente, or thinrollment thereof, shalbe
vnto the said Třer, Chauncellor, Vndertřer, and Barons of thexchequer, and
to every of them, a sufficient warrant and discharge, as well for doeing,
performing, and executing of the misses, as for the doeing, performing, and
executing all such other and further lawful acte, matters, and thinges as they
or any of them shall finde meete, whereby the said Samuel Cotton, his
executors, administrators, deputies, or assignes, shall and may have, receive,
and enioy the benefitt of this our graunt, according to our gracious intent and
meaning in this behalfe. And our further will and pleasure is, and by theis
Psente, for vs, our heires and successors, wee doe straightlie charge and
comaund all our justices of peace, mayors, sheriffe, customers, comptrollers,
searchers, wayters, bayliffe and constables, and all other the officers,
ministers, and subiect of vs, our heires and successors, for the tyme being,
that they and every of them, in their severall offices and places respectively,
during the said terme of one and twenty yeares hereby graunted, vpon the
sight of these presente, or the duplicate, exemplification, or inrollment thereof,
shall be ayding and assisting vnto the said Samuell Cotton, his executors,
administrators, and assignes, and every of them, in the due execučon of all
and every the foresaid graunte, authorities, comaundemente, licences, privi-
ledges, inhibicons, prohibičons, and every other thing in theis sente men-
čoned and specified, or any of them: Provided alwayes, that if the said
yearlie rent hereby to vs, our heires and successors, reserved, and to be yearely
paid as aforesaid, shall happen to be behinde and vnpayd in part or in all by
the space of one and thirtye dayes next after either of the said feast in which
the same is limited to be payd as aforesaid, that then the said Samuell
Cotton, his executors, administrators, and assignes, shall forfeite and pay to
vs, our heires and successors (nōie pene), the some of sixe shillinges eight
pence for every three monethes in which the same, after the said one and
thirtye dayes, shall be behinde and vnpaide as aforesaid.
And lastly, wee
will, and by theis sentes for vs, our heires and successors, of our especiall
grace, certaine knowledge, and meere močon, doe graunt to the said Samuel

page_text: Cotton, his executors, administrators, and assignes, that this our sent
graunt, or the inrollment thereof, shall be good, effectual, and avayleable in
the lawe to all intente and purposes herein-before menčoned, and shall be
taken, construed, and adiudged, in all our courte of record and clswhere most
strongly against vs, our heires and successors, and most favourably and bene-
ficially to and for the said Samuell Cotton, his executors, administrators, and
assignes, notwithstanding the not describing or not true and perfect describing
of the manner, forme, and fashion of the said mill and mille herein-before
menconed, or the members, wheeles, močons, or partes thereof, and notwith-
standing any other defect, incertainty, or imperfeccon herein conteyned, or any
act, statute, ordinance, provision, proclamacon, or restriccon to the contrary
hereof in any wise notwithstanning, although expresse mencon, &c.
In witnes whereof, &c. Witnes our selfe at Westminster, the Eight