S20 C. 8. Anno vicefimo Carol: II. A. D. 1668. ■ icB'i-ja. or relating to Sales for Non-payment of Taxes, by the faid recited Aft provided, are to (land in Farce, and Serjeant at Mi'ce to be obl'erved ; with this, that the Serjeant at Mace of the faid Great Level, fiiall from Time to Time by to deliver Pof- precept under the Seal of the Corporation of the faid Great Level, in Nature of a Writ of Habere fac pof- feffionem at Cbrnmon ,Law, deliver Pofleflion unto fuch Perfon or Perfons as fhall purchafe any Part of the faid ninety-five thoufand Acres for Non-payment of Taxes,; and the faid Governor, Bailiffs and Confef- vators are hereby required and authorized to affix the Seal of the faid Corporation, from Time to Time, to fuch Precept or Precepts, at the Charge. of the Parties requiring the fame; any Law, Statute, Ufage or Cuflom to the contrary thereof in any wife notwithflanding. ' V. And to the End that the faid eighty-three thoufand Acres may be more equally rated by a gradual ' Acre-Tax, not under the Number of feven Sorts,' (2) Be it further enafted by the Authorit^v aforefaid,, J That Edward Parthen'dge Ei'q; Samuel Fprtrey Y,Cq; Richard Mariot Y.(c[; yohn Mingay, Jonas Moore., Peter Diamond, Efquires; Anthojiy Hamon Efq; Mark le Pia Gent. a.nd John Bridgman junior, Gent, or anyi three or more of them, are hereby conftituted and appointed to be Surveyors and Valuers of tl>e faid eighty- three thoufand Acres, and are within twelve Months next after the paffing of this Aft to digeft the faid eighty-three thoufand Acres into fuch Number of Sorts or Degrees of Land, not under the Number of fe- ven Sorts and Degrees ; and to rate and tax fuch Degrees, and digift the fame into Schedules in Writing, and make Returns thereof upon their Oaths into the Fen-Office; the Form of which faid Oath fliall be, (viz.) ' (3) I A. Br-^o fwear. That according to the b eft of my Skill and Knowledge Iwill faithfully difcharge' ' the Trufl of Surveying, Sorting, Dividing and Rating of eighty-three thoufand Acres, Parcel of ninety- ' five thoufand Acres, within the Great Level of the Fens, known by the "Name of Beilford Level, accord- ' ing to feven Degrees or more, as I upon my Oath fhall think mofl: equal.' I 'Names of the Surveyors wlio .are to digeft the '.Land iuto Ocvi^n ■Sorts. Their Oath. TLetm-ns to be .made and fet up •publickW in the 'Fen- G (nee. parties grieved may appeal to (Commiffioners. T'heir Power, Sales for Non- 'naymeut, when w lie made. VL The which faid Oath the faid Governor, Bailiffs and Confervators, or any three or more of them, are hereby authorized to adminifter, and alfo to allow unto the faid Surveyors or Valuers fuch reafonable Charges for their Travel and Pains therein as they fhall think fit; (2) and after the fame are returned into the faid Fen-Office, and there publickly fet up; which faid Return is hereby enafted to be made within one Month after the Survey takeji, and the feveral Valuations by the Parties to that Purpofe by this Aft ap- pointed and agreed upon, and all Parties aggrieved may take their Exceptions within thirty Days next after the fame are fet up ; and within forty Days next after fuch Exceptions taken, may appeal for Relief unto the faid Governor, Bailiffs and Confervators, or any five or more of them, for altering the faid Schedules •in the Rates and Values complained of, fo as the Parties appealing fhall profecute the faid Appeal within the faid forty Days, and not at any Time after : (3) And in cafe the faid Governor, Bailiffs and Conferva- tors, fhallnot within the faid forty Days relieve the faid Parties grieved, or if the faid Parties fliall not be fatisfied with the Determination of the faid Governor, Bailiffs and Confervators, That then the faid Par- ties may appeal unto Sir i/fary //srtA Bart. Sir Levinus Bennet Bart, Sir Robert Brook of Toxford Kni. ?>t EdmondPoolsy Knt. Henry Williams, Robert Appreece, Richard Nayler, Humphrey Orme, Jlforris Tre/hapiy Laurence Oxborough, PIcnry Farrer junior, Edward Barber, Mattheiv Wren, Thotnas Marjh, Henry Hitch Doftor of Laws, Thomas Steward, Anthony Fiflyer, Matthias^ Tayler, John Toiuers, Efquires, and Burrage Martin Gsnt, or any three or rnore of them, who are hereby conflituted and appointed Commiffioners of Appeal to hear and determine fuch Complaints, and to give Relief therein as they fhall fee Caufe, and to award Cofts to cither Parties as they fliall fee Caufe; the which faid Cofls may be recovered by Aftion of Debt in any of his Majefty's Courts of Record at Wefiminfter, wherein no EfToin or Wager of Law fliall be allowed; which faid Appeals to the Commiffioners fhall be duly profecuted by the faid- Parties grieved, ■within two^ Months next after the .Expiration of the forty Days, and not at any Time after : (^j The! which faid Schedules, with all the Altetations, if any fhall be made by the faid Corporation, wherewith the Parties ftiall reft fatisfie^l, or by the Determination of the faid Commiffioners of Appeal, are hereby! confirmed, and fhall be a conffant Rule and Foundation for the Rating and Taxing of the faid eighty-three thoufand Acres for the Fjiture, for Maintenance and Prefervation of the Works made and to be made wlthini or without the faid Great Level of the Fens ; (5) And that the faid Governor, Bailiffs. and Confervators,! nor their SucGefTors, nor any of them, fhall tax or afiefs the. faid pighty -three thoufand Acres otherwife thanl •by and according to the faid Schedules, aiad.tobe returned or confirmed as aforefaid. (6) And it is declared,' That the faid .twelve thoufand Acres, Refidue of the faid ninety-five thoufand Acres, fhall be rated and taxed by a Adedium towards all Taxes hereafter to be kid, as by the faid Tax made the faid twentieth Day q.^%'-'? is provided, and not otherwife. VIL And it is hereby further enafted. That a Tax of the faid Sum of fix thoufand one hundred and ten Pounds feven Shillings one Peny .Half-peny, fhall and may be fet by thefaid Governor, Bailiffs and Confer- vators, or any five. or more of them, in tVhitjhi'Week next, upon the faid eighty-three thoufand Acres, ac- cording to the faid gradual -Acre- Tax of five Degrees, upon the faid twelve thoufand Acres, at fi.fteen, ■;Pence per Acre; and for Non-payment fhall and may be levied by Sales on Wednefd^y, Thurfday or Friday,' after the ftid firfi: 5;/;.y/.t)' in ;^/>r// then next following; and that from thenceforth all future Taxes fhall belaid and impofed upon the faid eighty-three thoufand Acres by a gradual Acre-tax, not under feven Degrees, and twelve thoufand Acres, in fuch Manner and Form as by this Aft is provided, and not otherwife: ' (2) ' And whereas Sir J-f/'/w Sandys the Elder, and Sir Miles Sandys the Younger, were Adventurers and Parti-
- cipants with Francis late Earl of Bedford in the faid Level, and had an Interefl in feveral Shares, Lots
' iind Proportions, in the faid. Great Level; the Right, Title andlntereft in great Part, of which faid Shares ' and Lots, were, as appears by Indenture bearing Date the twelfth Day of jf/,'«t' in thcjirfi: Year of his, ' now Maiefly's Reign, made between Sir Miles Sandys the Younger, .of the one Part,, and Thomas Sandys^
- Efq; v.a.a Robert Sandys Qhik, Humbajlone MarJb'E.fq:, Samuel Spalding Gent,. Wi^^iam Wolfm Ckik, anrl!
