By the queen.  
HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE  English royal blazon  
❧ An Exemplification of her majesties Letters Patent, concerning her Highnesse town and Port of Hasting, in the county of Sussex.  
ELizabeth, by the grace of God, queen of England, france and Ireland, defender of the faith &c. To all people to whom these our letters patent shal come, greeting.  
Where of our own knowledge and certain science we do understand, that our town and Port of Hasting, in our county of Sussex, being the ancient town of our Cinque ports, is situated vpon the main Sea, very near the midst of a great Bay or open place, lying between two points of the land, which stretch forth far into the Sea, called the Beachy and the Nasse, distant each from the other thirty miles, right opposite to the realm of france, the ancient enemy of our country: as we are credibly informed, the same town hath of long time been a place not onely very well inhabited with warlike people, and greatly replenished with good Mariners and other men meet and serviceable for our navy, well stored with ships, barks, Crayers, and boats, but also sufficiently furnished with armor, and Artillery of all sorts, both for Sea & Land: also very meet and commodious for Fishing, and the Bay plenteously abounding with all sorts of Fish, according to the several seasons of the year: by reason whereof the same town hath of long time been by the inhabitants thereof, in time of warres, manfully defended against the sundry invasions and attempts of the French Nation, our coast thereabouts lying very open against the French, by them often kept from spoilc. Our Marchants and loving Subiects, and other travelers sailing along that cost, haue often times by their ships, and often times by their harbour, been saved and rescued from the fury of the enemies, and the tyranny of Pirates: our navy, and the navy of sundry our noble Progenitors. kings of this realm, the better appoimed by reason of their skilful Mariners, and cunning Seamen: Also our household, our Citizens of London, and our Countreys to the said Port adjoining, greatly benefited by their fishing. And where our said town hath of long time had a peer or harbour made of Timber, and other things set and placed in the Sea, for the succour of the Seamen, and defence of their ships, barks, Crayers and boats, against the great rage and fury of the Sea, which hath been always maintained at the great and importable charges of the inhabitants of our said town of Hasting, until of late time the same peer or harbour was at a sudden, by the great violence and extreme rage of the Sea, broken down and carried away: sithence which time the town is much decayed, the traffic of Marchants thither forsaken, the fisshing, by reason of the dangerous landing ▪ little used, the rich and wealthy men gone thence, and the poor men yet remaining would gladly do the like, if without offence of our laws they might be elsewhere received, whereby our people are likely to perish, and our said Port likely to be subverted and become desolate, or else the people there by necessity driven to commit great and heinous offences, to the great hindrance of the public weal, unless some speedy remedy be for them provided. And where we be informed by diuers of our privy counsel and nobility, and by diuers Artificers very cunning and skilful in that kind of faculty, that a very good haven or Rhoade, for the arriving and safeguard of ships, barks, Crayers and boats, may nere unto the said port with no great charge be made, to the great relief of the inhabitants, and of all Marchants and travelers sailing along the narrow Seas, and to the strength of our said coast: and that the Inhabitants of our said port be ready and willing to bestow their lands, goods, and labours, to the uttermost of their power, to accomplish the same: notwithstanding of themselves very unable to finish so great a work, likely as it is thought to amount unto the sum of four thousand pounds. We therefore considering the premises, & minding to provide for the preservation of our people, the maintenance of our navy and town, for the defence of our coast, & of Marchants & travelers, and that the provision of our household, our city and country be not diminished, at the humble suit of our bailiff, jurates, & commonalty of our said town of Hasting, do by these our letters Patents not onely give & grant unto our said bailiff, jurates, and commonalty, full power and authority, to make new, & finish one haven, in such place or places nere unto our said town and Port, as to them shall seem most convenient, and to the finishing & accomplishing thereof, yield our royal assent and consent: but also for the furtherance & better helping forth of the same, we do commed the same good & laudable intent and purpose, to the charitable and liberal contribution & benevolence of all and singular our loving subiects dwelling within any our realms and Dominions, that the rather for our recommendation, the more liberal contribution by our said Subiects may be yielded to the finishing of the said haven, a work tending much to the defence of our realms, and to the profit of the common wealth of the same, and which will be cause to avoid many great inconveniences that may ensue by the neglecting thereof: & also be au evident declaration of the forward and willing mindes of all our loving Subiects, to augment the prosperity of our realms and Countreys. We of our special grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, haue given and granted, and by these our letters Patent, do give & grant full licence, permission, and authority to our faithful and well-beloved Subiects, Richard Calueley, and John jefferey, jurates of our said town of Hasting, and William Relfe of Ore Gentleman, and to every of them, and to all and every other person or persons that shal be thereunto deputed and assigned by them, or by any two of them, by writing under the common seal of our said town of Hasting, to ask, receive, collect, and take of all maner of persons whatsoever, spiritual or temporal, Englishe born or strangers, in all places, as well within liberties as without, exempt or not exempt, our Citizens of London or else where, within any our realms, Cities and Dominions wheresoever, Christian contribution & benevolence of all our said loving Subiectes, that it may or shal please God to move or stir them to give, contribute, yield and pay towards the new making of the said haven. And for the better and more speedy execution of this our pleasure, we do by these our said letters Patent, will, require, & straightly command all our sheriffs in their several shires & Counties, all our Iustices of peace in their several limits, and all Maiors, bailiffs, and all other head Officers, within all Cities, towns corporate, and other jurisdictions, and also all Parsons, Vicars, Ministers, & Curates of Churches and Parishes, not onely of their own partes to be helping with their liberal devotion to ward the said good and laudable work, but also to recommend our special pleasure, and the furtherance of the said haven in their several Counties, limits, Cities, towns, Liberties, Parish churches, Hamlets, or Villages, for the better obtaining of liberal contribution thereunto. And further our will & pleasure is, that some of the honourable of our privy Counsel shal vpon the sight of these presents, or of the Exemplification of the same, at the request of the said Richard Calueley, John jefferey, & William Relfe, or of any of thē, direct their letters to the Lord Maior of our city of London, & to the Iustices of peace of the same city, to all sheriffs in every our shires or Counties within our realm & Domimons, and to all Maiors, bailiffs, governors, & head Officers of Cities, Boroughs, towns corporate, islands, & Franchised places, commanding the said Lord Maior, the Iustices, the said sheriffs, bailiffs, governors, and head officers aforesaid, that they & every of them, within their several limits, jurisdictions or liberties, which shal be next after the receipt of the said letters, or of these presents, or the Exemplification of the same, shall direct the tenor of this our pleasure to all & singular Iustices of peace within their several limits, jurisdictions or Liberties, requiring, and straightly commaunding them & every of thē in our name, to appoint with all convenient speed within their several limits, one Constable in every Hundred, Rape, lethe, or Wapentake at the least, & one Churchwarden in every Parish, and them to commande & exhort, not onely to be liberal themselves in their contribution, but also that the said Constables & Churchwardens shal writ the name of every Parish, and of every man of habilitie within the same, and of them to ask & receive their devotion, & earnestly in our name to exhort them to liberality, in contributing to the making of the said haven, and truly to writ down the sum which every man shall give, and the money which they shal thereby collect and receive, and the names of every giver, and the true sum which every one shall give, & also the names of al such as shal not give, or shal refuse to contribute, in writing shal within one month next after they shal haue notice of this our pleasure, deliver up unto such our Iustices of peace of whom they received their charge, if he shal then be living, otherwise to such of our Iustices as shal be next dwelling thereabouts. And that our further pleasure is, that our said Iustices of peace shal by their warrant call before them, al & singular such persons as shal refuse to give or contribute liberally towards this good work, and understand the cause of their refusal, & unto them declare our pleasure, exhorting and persuading them to conformity, which if they shal notwithstanding, obstinately refuse, then to certify their names and dwelling places to us, or to our privy Counsel. And that our said Iustices of peace and every of them, shall at the Sessions or general assembly, holden next within their said several shires, limits, jurisdictions or Liberties, deliver and yield up unto the said lord Maior, sheriffs, Maiors, bailiffs, Gouernours, or head Officers, by bill indented, unto which their hands or marks shal be set, whereof the one part shal remain with the said Iustices, the other with the said lord Maior, sheriffs, Maiors, bailiffs, and other head Officers, all such sums of money as they shal haue received as aforesaid, together with the same writings made of the names & of the money glovers: and the said lord Maior, sheriffs, Maiors, bailiffs, governors and head Officers, and every of them shal within one month next after the receit thereof, transport and carry, or cause to be carried unto our said city of London, al such sums of money as they shall haue received towards the same contribution, together with the said bills indented, and the same money there shal pay, and the said bills indented there deliver to our loving Subiects, Thomas Smith esquire, one of the Customers of our city of London, John Heynes esquire, Sericant of our Catry, and William Heynes Gentleman, Purueior of our provision of Sea fish, or to one of them at the new Mansion house of the said Thomas Smith, within our said city of London, who vpon the receipt thereof shall give unto the said lord Maior, sheriffs, Maiors, bailiffs, governors, and other head Officers from time to time, an acquittance of the receipt therof, and shal keep the same money and bills indented in one chest, to remain with the said Thomas Smith under three several locks, whereof one Key to remain with the said Thomas Smith, another with the said John Heynes, and the third with the said William Heynes, and that they from time to time, vpon demand therof to be made at the new Mansion house of the said Thomas Smith, within our said city of London, shall yield and pay over the same money, and deliver the said bills indented so by them received, & every part thereof unto our well-beloved, the right honourable Anthony Viscount Montague, Knight of the most honourable order of the Garter, William lord Cobham, Warden of our Cinque ports, and Constable of our Castle of dover, Thomas lord Buckhurst, the said Richard Calueley, John jefferey, and William Relfe, or to any three of them, whereof some one of the right honourable aforesaid or his sufficient deputy to be one: which said right honourable Anthony Viscount Montague, William Lord Cobham, Thomas lord Buckhurst, and the said Richard Calueley, John jefferey, and William Relfe, we do ordain, appoint and constitute, surveyors of the said work, giuing them, & to any three of them, whereof some one of the said honourable, or his sufficient deputy to be one, full power and authority to set out, direct, govern, order, and rule the said work, and the workmen about the same, and the said workmen and labourers to pay, or cause to be paid: and of their proceedings and success in the said work, to certify us or our privy counsel under their hands and scales every half year: So that express mention of the certainty of the premises, or of any other gift or grant heretofore made by us, or by any of our progenitors to the said Richard Calueley, John jefferey, and William Relfe, and in these presentes be not rehearsed or declared, or any act, statute, ordinance, provision, or restraint to the contrary hereof, had, made, ordained or provided, or any other cause or matter whatsoever to the contrary in any wise, notwithstanding.  
In witness whereof we haue caused these our letters to be made patents:  
witness ourself at Cheynis, the one and thirtieth day of October, in the twentieth year of our reign. 1578. 
 God save the queen.   

 printer's or publisher's device  
Imprinted at London by Christopher Barker, Printer to the queens majesty.