CCCXLV. A. The King. Commission to Sir William Jones and
Others[1]
May 9, 1623
(1) Patent Roll 21 James I, part 19. (2) Virginia Miscellaneous Records (Bland
copy), pp. 126–132
Document in (1) Public Record Office, London; (2) Library of Congress,
Washington, D. C.
List of Records No. 499
James by the grace of god kinge of England Scotland ffrance and Ireland
defender of the faith etc To our trustie and welbeloved Sir William
Jones knight one of our Justices of our Courte of Com̃on Pleas Sir Nicholas
ffortescue knight Sir ffrancis Gofton knight Sir Richard Sutton knight Sir
William Pitt knight Sir Henry Bourchier knight and Sir Henry Spiller
knight greeting Whereas amongest the many memorable workℯ vnder-
taken sithence our happie Raigne over this our Realme those of the English
colonies and plantac̃ons in Virginia and the Sum̃er Islandℯ are of speciall
importance as being the first forraigne Colonies planted by our English
Nation and tending not onely to the p̳pagaçon of Godℯ glorie and Christian
Religion but alsoe to the enlargement of the Territories and Domynions
of our Crowne and the Increase of trade and Comerce whereby our people
and subiectℯ may be enriched And therefore Wee being graciouslie enclyned
to soe glorious and publique a worke have from tyme to tyme and vppon
all occasions vouchsafed our gracious and royall Assistance to the further-
ance and incouragement thereof not onely by graunting vnto the Adventur-
ers and Planters large Charters and ample priviledgℯ but enabling them to
raise Great som̃es of money towardℯ the vndergoeing of the necessarie
charges of the said plantac̃ons And now being advertised aswell by the
humble Petic̃on of some of the Adventurers themselves as otherwise That
aswell by occasion of discord and discontentment amonge themselves as of
sondrie misgovermentℯ and other disturbances and impedimentℯ the
p̳sperous and happie p̳ceeding and grouth of that worke hath byne and is
daylie more and more like to be interrupted vnles We in our Princely
p̳vidence shall putt a remedie therevnto Wee therefore vppon delibãte
considerac̃on hereof are constantlie resolved to pursue our former purpose
and by all good meanes to expresse the contynuance of our zeale and
affecc̃on in restoring and setlinge that soe glorious a worke Whereof god
hath byne pleased to make vs a principall Instrument and to take awaye
all obstacles and hindrances that may any waye seeme to disturbe or
crosse the quiet and peaceable p̳ceeding in the same ffor the better effecting
of which our resoluc̃on Wee hold it most fitt that some p̱sons of trust and
vnderstanding be imployed to discerne discover and fynde out the whole
State of the p̢misses vppon whose informac̃on Wee may p̳ceede to the
effectinge thereof as Wee shall iudge most requisite Whereby the worke
being reestablished may p̳ceede and p̳sper to our honor and those religious
and publique endℯ for which it was first intended Knowe yee therefore
that wee reposing assured trust and confidence in the approved wisdomes
fidelities and cyrcumspecc̃ons of you the said Sir William Jones Sir Nicholas
ffortescue Sir ffrancis Gofton Sir Richard Sutton Sir William Pitt Sir
Henry Bourchier and Sir Henry Spiller have assigned and appointed you
to be our Com̃issioners And Wee doe hereby give vnto you or any fower or
more of you full power and authoritie to view p̱vse and consider of all and
singuler Charters L̃res Patentℯ Proclamac̃ons Com̃issions and all other
Actℯ orders and direcc̃ons made or sett downe by vs or our privie Councell
or by the company or Councell for Virginia warranℯ recordℯ bookℯ
Accomptℯ entries and other notes and writing whatsoever concerning the
said Colonies or Plantac̃ons or concerning the severall Companies or
Corporac̃on to whome the care of the said Colonies or Plantac̃ons apper-
teyneth and aswell thereby as by examination of any witnes or witnesses
vppon oath or without oath or by any other lawfull waies or meanes
whatsoever to enquire discover fynd out and informe yourselves whither
the said Charters L̃res Patentℯ Proclamac̃ons Actℯ orders and direcc̃ons
have been observed p̱formed and kept according to the true intent and
meaning thereof or whether the same have bene violated infringed or
broken and by whome and in whose default and what damage hurt and
hinderance to the said Plantac̃ons and Colonies have thereby ensued and
byn occasioned And vppon due considerac̃on thereof and of all other
thingℯ needfull to trye and fynde out the true estate aswell in tymes past
as at this p̢sent of the said Colonies and Plantac̃ons and either of them in
every respecte And of all incidentℯ and cyrcumstances therevnto belonging
And further Wee doe hereby give vnto you or any fower or more of you
full power and authoritie by such examinac̃on vppon oathe or without
oath or any other wayes or meanes as is aforesaid to enquire search discover
and fynde out what som̃e or som̃es of money at any tyme heretofore have
byne levyed or collected either by contribuc̃on of Adventurers voluntarie
guiftℯ or bequestℯ lottaries collecc̃ons, adventures in magazines or by
any other wayes or meanes whatsoever for or towardℯ the furtherance
of the said Colonies or plantac̃ons or either of them or any the buisenes or
affaires concerning the same and to whose handℯ the same monyes have
come and how and in what manner and by whome the same som̃e and som̃es
of money and every parte of them have bene expended or disbursed and
whither the same have byn expended or disbursed as they should or ought
to have byne for the good of the said Colonies and plantac̃ons and whither
any and what parte or partℯ of the said Som̃e or Som̃es of money have bene
converted vsed or ymployed to the vse of any private p̱son or p̱sons or to
any vse other then for or towardℯ the necessarie vse helpe and furtherance
of the said plantac̃ons and to whose or to what vse or vses and what
damage any such misployment hath bene to the said plantac̃ons and by
whome and by whose meanes consent or p̳curement any such misimploy-
ment hath bene made or done with the groundℯ and causes thereof and
all other necessarie circumstances in any wise touching the p̢misses and
what is and what in p̳babilitie of reason might have bene the true estate
and condic̃on of the said plantac̃ons and either of them at this p̢sent tyme
by the p̳porc̃on of the expence of soe much money as hath bene levied
collected and gathered for the vse of the said plantac̃ons and either of them
And further Wee doe hereby give vnto you or any fower or more of you
full power and authoritie by such examynac̃on vppon oath or without oath
or any of the wayes or meanes aforesaid to enquire search discover and fynd
out what lawes orders or constituc̃ons have bene made contrary to or
without warrant of our Charters and L̃res patent and what misgovermentℯ
misimploymentℯ abuses defaultℯ negligencℯ corruptc̃ons deceiptℯ fraudℯ
and greevances have byne at any tyme heretofore vsed or putt in practise
by any p̱son or p̱sons to the lett hindrance or disturbance of the good quiet
peaceable and orderly p̳gression p̳ceeding or doeing of any matter or
thinge tending to the furtherance of the said Colonies or plantac̃ons or
either of them or in the p̳curing levying collecting issuing disbursing or
ymploying of any Som̃e or Som̃es of money assigned limitted appointed
levyed or collected for or to the vse or furtherance of the said Colonies or
plantac̃ons or either of them and the groundℯ and causes thereof and what
p̱ticular wrongℯ or iniuries have bene offred or done to all or any of the
Adventurers or Planters of the said Colonies or plantac̃ons and by what
p̱son or p̱sons and by what warrant or warrantℯ any of the said mis-
govermentℯ misimploymentℯ abuses defaultℯ negligences corrupc̃ons
Deceiptℯ fraudℯ greevances wrongℯ or iniuries or any of them have byne
comitted or practised and the groundℯ and the causes thereof and by and
with whose consent or p̳curement and to what end and purpose and for
whose benefitt and advantage and of all other matters and thingℯ to the
p̢misses incident or appertayning as to you or any fower or more of you
shalbe thought meete And alsoe Wee doe hereby give vnto you or any
fower or more of you full power and authoritie by such examynac̃on vppon
oath or without oath as aforesaid and by all or any other the waies and
meanes aforesaid to enquire examyne and fynde out all such matters or
thingℯ as do or may in any wise occasion the lett hindrance or decay
of the said Colonies or plantac̃ons or either of them or of the trade traffique
or com̃erce with them or either of them by what meanes the same are
occasioned and of all other matters concerning the p̢misses And further
Wee require and com̃aund and give power and authoritie vnto you or any
fower or more of you vppon delibãte considerac̃on of the p̢misses to enquire
fynd out consider p̳pounde and sett downe all such good and lawful wayes
and meanes and the likeliest wayes and meanes to be vsed and putt in
practise for the better governing managing ordering disposing and estab-
lishing of the said Colonies or plantac̃ons and of the buisinesses and
affaires of the said Colonies or plantac̃ons and for reformac̃on and p̢venc̃on
of all misgovermentℯ greevances abuses defaultℯ negligences corrupc̃ons
fraudℯ deceiptℯ wrongℯ and iniuries hereafter to be done or com̃itted in
the governing managing ordering or disposinge of the buisinesses and
affaires of the said Colonies or plantac̃ons or to be done vnto any Adventur-
ers or Planters in the same and for the condigne punishment of the Offendors
and for the reconciling and taking away all contenc̃ons and differences and
p̢serving peace and vnitie amongst them And to doe all other Actℯ and
thingℯ whatsoever which to you or fower or more of you shalbe founde
meete and convenient whereby this Our Com̃ission may be fullie executed
according to the tenor of the same and our pleasure therein declared and
the said Plantac̃ons established to the endℯ and purposes before menc̃oned
And to the end our said pleasure herein declared may take the better
effecte Wee doe likewise hereby give vnto you or any fower or more of you
full power and authoritie to cause to come before you or fower or more
of you all such p̱son and p̱sons as you shall thinke fitt to appeare before
you for the better discovery of the truth in any the p̢misses and to cause
all and every p̱son and p̱sons aswell such as are supposed to have offended
in any the p̢misses their servantℯ or Agentℯ as all and every p̱son and
p̱sons being or which have bene Clarkℯ or Officers of the severall Companies
or Corporac̃ons of Virginia or the Summer Islandℯ and any other p̱son and
p̱sons whatsoever to bring and shewe before you or any fower or more of
you as is aforesaid All and singuler such ɫres patentℯ p̳clamac̃ons Com̃issions
warrantℯ Recordℯ orders bookℯ accomptℯ entries or any other notes or
writing whatsoever remayning in their or any of their Custodie which
you or fower or more of you shall thinke fitt to be p̳duced whereby the
truth in the p̢misses may the more playnely appeare And to the end noe
p̱son may have iust cause to complayne or be greeved at your p̳ceedingℯ
in this behalfe Our pleasure is that when and soe often as any examynac̃on
of any p̱son or p̱sons shall by vertue of this our Com̃ission be taken vppon
oath That then and soe often vppon request made by the parties whome
the same shall concerne you or any fower or more of you may examyne
the same or any other p̱son or p̱sons either vppon oath or otherwise for
the defence of such p̱son or p̱sons making such request yf you or fower or
more of you vppon due considerac̃on shall thinke it iust and fitt And our
further will and pleasure is And Wee doe hereby charge and com̃aund you
our said Com̃issioners or foure or more of you to c9tifie vnto the lordℯ and
others of our privie Councell from tyme to tyme your p̳ceedingℯ therein to
the end such further order may be given therein as shalbe fitt And these
our L̃res Patentℯ or Com̃ission or the Inrollement of the same shalbe your
sufficient warrant and discharge for doeing and executing of all and singuler
the p̢misses according to the true intent and meaning of the same And
lastlie our will and pleasure is That this our Com̃ission shall contynue in
force And Wee doe hereby authorise you or any fower or more of you to
p̳ceede in the execuc̃on thereof and of all and every matter and thinge
therein conteyned from tyme to tyme and as often as you or any fower
or more of you shall thinke convenient although the same Com̃ission
be not from tyme to tyme contynued by adiornement In witness etc.
Witnes our selfe at Westminster the nynth day of may
p bre de privato sigillo etc.
[In the margin:] Paten' de Anno Rℯ Jacobi Angl' etc vicesimo primo
