ERECTING SAW MILLS TO MOVE BY WINDE OR WATER
Year: 1687

page_text: JAMES THE SECOND, by the grace of God King of England, Scotland,
France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c., to all to whome these psents.
shall come, greeting.
WHEREAS our right trusty. and right entirely beloved cousen and coun--
cellor CHRISTOPHER Duke of ALBEMARLE, hath by his humble peticon repre-
sented vnto vs that there are in our plantačons in America great quantities of.
wood which, for want of labourers, cannot be soe well cleared from the ground
and made fitt for vs as the same might be by saw mills, which were never
yett knowne or vsed in these parts, by meanes whereof many thousand acres of
land have laine hitherto unimproved, to the great preiudice of our revenue,.
and humbly praying our Letters Patents for "ERECTING SAW MILLS TO MOVE BY
WINDE OR WATER," and the sole vse and exercise thereof, within any of our
colonies or plantacons in America (except New England) for fourteen yeares,
wee are graciously pleased to condescend to his request.
KNOW YE THEREFORE, that wee of our speciall grace, certaine know-
ledge, and meere mocon, have given and granted, and by these psents, for vs,
our heires and successors, doe give and grant vnto the said Christopher Duke of
Albemarle, his executors, administrators, and assignes, speciall lycence, power,
priviledge, and authority that he, they, or any of them, by him or themselves,
their or any of their deputies, servants, agents, and workmen, and such others
onely as he, the said Duke, his executors, administrators, or assigns, shall agree
with, shall and may from time to time and at all times hereafter dureing the

page_text: space of fourteen yeares next ensueing the date of these psents, at his, their,
or some of their owne proper costs and charges, erect, vse, exercise, introduce,
and put in practice such saw mills as aforesaid, or any other engins or mills
to move by wind or water, or otherwise, for the purpose aforesaid, in any of
our colonies or plantations in America (except New England), where noe
such mills or inventions were ever before knowne, vsed, or practised, and
alsoe shall and may receive, take, and enioy all the benefitts, profitts, como-
dities, and advantages of and by the said engins, mills, or inventions to be
had, made, acquired, or gotten to his and their owne proper benefitt, vse, and
vses, and to and for noe other vse and purpose whatsoever, to have, hold, vse,
exercise, and enioy the said lycence, powers, priviledges, and authorities, and
all other the Pmisses by these psents granted or menconed to be granted.
vnto the said Christopher Duke of Albemarle, his executors, administrators,
and assignes, for and dureing and to the full end and terme of fourteen yeares
from the day of the date of these presents next ensueing, and fully to be
compleate and ended, according to the statute in that case made and
provided; and to the end the said Christopher Duke of Albemarle, his
executors, administrators, and assignes, may, according to the intent and
meaneing of these psents, the better enioy the benefitt, vse, and exercise.of
the said mills, engins, or invenĉons, wee doe by these psents, for vs, our
heires, and successors, streightly charge, require, and comand all and every
person and persons, bodies politick and corporate, of what quality, degree,
name, or condicon soever they be, within our said plantations and colonies in
America (except New England), that neither they nor any of them, durcing the
said terme of fourteen yeares hereby granted, either directly or indirectly doe vse,
exercise, or put in practice the said engins, inills, or inventions, or any part
thereof; nor doe nor shall counterfeit, imitate, or resemble the same or any part
thereof, nor doe nor shall make any addicoa thereto or substracčon therefrom,
whereby to pretend themselves the inventors or devisors thereof, without the
lycence, consent, or agreement of the said Christopher. Duke of Albemarle,
his executors, administrators, or assignes, in writeing vnder his, theire, or
some of theire hands and seales, first had and obteined in that behalfe, vpon
such paines and penalties as can or may be inflicted on such offender or
offenders for the contempt of this our royal comandment, and further to
be answerable to the said Christopher Duke of Albemarle, his executors, admi-
nistrators, and assignes, according to the vtmost rigor of the law, for his and
their damages thereby susteined; and further, wee doe by these psents, for vs,
our heires and successors, give and grant vnto the. said Christopher Duke of
Albemarle, his executors, administrators, and assignes, full power and

page_text: authority that he, they, and every of them, his, their, and every of their
deputies, agents, and servants, with the assistance of a constable or other
lawfull officer, at convenient times in the day dureing the terme aforesaid,
and in lawful manner, shall and may make search in any place or places
within our said colonies or plantacons in America (except New England);
where there shall be iust cause of suspicon for discovering and findeing out of
all such person or persons as shall imitate, make, or vsc, or cause to be
imitated, made, or vsed, within the parts aforesaid, the said engins, mills, or
inventions, that soe such offenders may be proceeded against and punished
according to his and their demeritts, and his and theire pretended invenčons
and workes then and there found may be seized vpon, broken in peeees,
defaced, and spoyled; and further, wee doe by these presents, for vs, our heires
and successors, will, authorize, require, and comand all and singular justices
of the peace, mayors, sheriff's, bayliffs, constables, headboroughs, and all other
officers and ministers whatsoever of vs, our heires and successors, now and for
the time being, within our said colonies and plantations in America (except
before excepted), whome it may concerne, that they and every of them
respectively be from time to time, dureing the terme hereby granted, in their
respective offices, and according to theire and every of their best skills and
endeavours, favouring, aiding, helping, and assisting vnto the said Christopher
Duke of Albemarle, his executors, administrators, deputies, agents, and
assignes, in and by all things in and about the accomplishment of our royall
will and pleasure herein-before declared, and in the execucon of the severall
powers and priviledges hereby granted as aforesaid; provided alwaies, that
these our Letters Patents, or any thing therein contained, shall not extend to
give priviledge vnto the said Christopher Duke of Albemarle, his executors,
administrators, or assignes, to imitate any worke or invention whatsoever which
hath been heretofore invented or found out by any other of our subiects what-
soever, and publickly exercised within any of our said plantačons and colonics
in America (other than New England), to whome wee have already granted our
like Letters Patents of Priviledge for the sole vse or exercise thereof; provided
alsoc, that if it shall be made appeare to vs, our heires or successors, or any
six or more of our or their Privy Councell, that this, our grant is contrary to
law, or prejudiciall or inconvenient to our subiects in generall, or that the
mills, engins, or invention aforesaid, are not a new invention as to the
publique vse and exercise of the same, within all and every our collonies and
plantacons in America (other than New England aforesaid), then vpon
significacon or declaraton thereof to be made by vs, our heires or successors,
vnder our or their signet or privy scale, or by any six or more of the lords

page_text: or others of our or their. Privy Councill, vnder their hands, these.our Letters
Patents shall forthwith cease, determine, and be void, any thing above-
menconed to the contrary notwithstanding; and lastly, wee doe hereby declare
and grant that these our Letters Patents shall be and remaine in and by all
things firme, valid, and effectuall in the law, according to the true intent and
meaning of the same, notwithstanding the not full and certaine describeing,
setting forth, or menconing the said art, engins, mills, manufactures, or
invenĉons, or any part thereof, or any particular vse or vses thereof, or of the
wayes or meanes of vsing or exerciseing the same, or any defect, incertainty,
or imperfecčon in these psents, or any act, statute, proclamacon, or restriccon
whatsoever to the contrary notwithstanding.
Witnesse, ac. Witnesse our sene at west, the
"August.
By Writt of Privy Seale.
wenty-third day of