Whereas the Lords and Commons now Assembled in Our Parliament of England , have credibly been informed , ( as well by the humble supplication , and Petition of the Inhabitants of the Towne of Bridgnorth , in the County of Salop , as also by a Certificate under the hands of Our trusty and wel-beloved Subjects ; William Pierepont , Humphry Mackworth , Robert Clive , Robert Charlton , Harcourt Leighton , John Thinne , Thomas Nichols , Samuel More , Andrew Lloyd and Thomas Hunt Esquires , all of them Persons nominated and appointed by authority of the said Lords and Commons to be a Committee for the safety of the said County ) That the upper Town of Bridgnorth aforesaid , was set on fire , within few dayes after , the Forces raised by the said Lords and Commons under the command of the said Committee of safety for the said County had entred the said Towne , and by the rage and violence of the said fire , the upper Towne was destroyed , and also the Church , Colledge and Almsehouses , utterly spoyled and ruinated ; And further , that the Inhabitants of the said Town , had most of their goods burnt and consumed , to their damage and losse of ninety thousand pounds Sterling or thereabouts , and have therefore made it their humble request , that such releife might be afforded to them , as to others in like case hath been granted by way of Collection , of the charity of good people , within the Kingdome of England and Dominion of Wales ; Which request tending onely to the glory of God , and the releife of so many of Our poore undone and distressed Subjects , hath beene by the said Lords and Commons approved of , not doubting , but that all good Christians , and Our loving Subjects well weighing the want and calamity of the Inhabitants and poore Almes-people of the Towne will be ready and willing to extend their liberall Contribution towards the furtherance of so godly and pious a work , as the rebuilding of the said Town , and repairing of the said Church , Colledge and Almshouses . — Know you therefore that of Our speciall Grace , and by the advice and consent of Our Lords and Commons now Assembled in Parliament ; We have given and granted , and by these Our Letters Patents do give and grant unto Our true and loyall Subjects , the Inhabitants of Bridgnorth , and to their Deputy and Deputies , the Bearer and Bearers hereof ( under the Hands and Seales of the Bayliffes of the said Towne for the time being in that behalfe authorized ) full power licence and authority to aske , gather , receive , and take the almes and charitable benevolence of all our loving subjects whatsoever , inhabiting within any of Our Cities , Townes-corporate , priviledged Places , Parishes , Villages , and in all other places whatsoever , within Our said Kingdome of England , and Dominion of Wales , toward the performance of so godly , charitable and religious a work ; — Wherefore We will and command you , and every of you , that at such time and times , as the said inhabitants , or their Deputy , or Deputies , the Bearer or Bearers hereof ( authorized as aforesaid ) shall come and repaire to any of your Churches or Chappels , or any other places , to aske and receive the gratuity and charitable benevolence of our said subjects , quietly to permit and suffer them so to do without any manner of your let or contradiction . — And you the said Parsons , Vicars , and Curates for the better stirring up a charitable devotion deliberately to publish and declare the tenure of these Our Letters Patents , or the Copie or Breise thereof , unto Our said subjects upon some Sabbath-day or Fast-day when the same shall be tendred unto you , exhorting and perswading them to extend their liberall contribution to so necessary and charitable a deed . — And you the Church-wardens , and other Church-officers of every Parish , where such Collection is to be made , ( as afore said ) to collect and gather the Almes and charitable Benevolence , of all our loving subjects , as well strangers as others , and what shall be by you so gathered , to be by the Ministers and your selves endorsed on the backe side of the Breife of these Our Letters Patents , in words at length and not in figures ; and the summe and summes of money so gathered and endorsed , to deliver to the Bearer or Bearers of these Our Letters Patents authorized as aforesaid , and to no other person , when as thereunto you shall be required . And Our will and pleasure is , that for the performance hereof according to the true intent and meaning of these Our Letters Patents , We do hereby constitute and appoint Our trusty and welbeloved subject Gilbert Walden the present Minister of the said Town of Bridgnorth , and the said Minister of the said Town for the time being , to be the sole Treasurer for the receiving and issuing forth of all such summe and summes of money as shall by vertue of these Presents be collected and gathered as aforesaid , and that the persons herein before named , being the Comittee of safety for the said County or any two of them ( with the said Gilbert Walden Minister of Bridgnorth ) from time to time , do order and dispose the disbursments , employments and accounts of all and every the moneys aforesaid ; In witnesse whereof We have caused these our Letters to be made Patents for the space of one whole year next after the date hereof to endure and no longer ; Witnesse Our selfe at Westminster , the XVIII . day of January , in the three and twentieth year of Our reigne ,