Anno xxvij. Reginae Elizabethae.  
❧ An act for the maintenance of the peer and Cobbe of lime Regis, in the county of Dorset.  
WHereas the Maior and Burgesses of the Borough and town of lime Regis in the county of Dorset, and other the Inhabitants of the said town and Borough, be at importable charges of themselves in the yearly maintenance & defence as well of the said town and Borough bordering vpon the main Sea, as also of the peer of lime Regis aforesaid, commonly called the Cobbe, being a harbour for ships made & enforced in the main Sea in bottom of the great bay, which extendeth from the Isle of Portland, to the haven of Dartmouth, being distant xlii. miles: By means of which harbour, as well the ships of the subiects of this realm as others( which in passing the narrow Seas are many times by forcible Southerly winds carried into the said bay) obtain refuge and safeguard in the said peer, without the which they must necessity perish: And where the said peer is a great relief as well to the said Inhabitants, as also to the country there adjoining thereby, receiving many benefits by reason of the traffic and intercourse of shipping there used: And where also the same peer or Cobbe in times past was partly maintained by reason of a certain yearly rent of xx. li. which was paid unto the predecessors of the said Mayor & Burgesses by the Kings and queens of this realm, to continue for certain yeeres now determined, which yearly rent of late time hath been, and is withdrawn and forborn to bee paid, and also the same was partly maintained by the good devotion and charges of diuers wealthy Merchants heretofore inhabiting in the said town, whereof some are deceased, and some decayed, and sometime by collections of the devotion of the country thereabouts, and partly the same peer also was and is repaired and maintained by reason of certain ancient Cobbe duties time out of memory of man used to be paid to the said Maior and Burgesses, of, and for all and all maner of wears and merchandises brought into the said peer, or carried out of the same, that is to say, for every pack of woollen cloth ii. d. for every farthel of linen cloth, ii. d. for every tun of sweet wines, oils and sacks, viii. d. for al maner of other wines, and al other gross wears, iiii. d. the tun, for the killage of every ship, vessel or cockboate, iiii. d. for every tun of merchandise trouable and weighed at the queens beam there, ii. d. for the use of the said beam: all which duties the said Maior and Burgesses, and their predecessors, haue had, used, and enjoyed, by the time whereof the memory of man is not to the contrary, as by diuers grants and confirmations made by the kings of this realm to the said Maior & Burgesies may appear, which said duties be so small, considering the former helps for maintenance as aforesaid, do now cease, and that a great part of the old works being set with piles of great oaks, are not yet thoroughly defenced & repaired or finished, and the same old works so eaten with worms called Artes through oldness, that it falleth daily in great decay, and the new works which haue been in building these 30. yeres, do like wise fall into great decay every great storm, which requireth a continual attendance every tide to amend the faults thereof. And besides that, the said Maior and Burgesses are driven to a further charge now then before time, by reason that they are now enfored to fetch their rocks with casks two miles further in the sea, then heretofore they haue done. And moreover, all other things needful are at a higher price then informer times they haue been, so that by reason of the premises, without speedy redress & further help to be had and provided for the maintenance of the said peer or Cobbe, the same must needs fall to utter ruin and decay( as th● like did happen in K. Edward the thirds time, whereby the said king did lose a great part of the said town by freting of the sea) and many of the subiects of this realm & others that shal happen there to bee imbayed by tempestuous weather, must needs perish for lack of a convenient place of harbour & refuge. And like wise, the country thereabouts will be deprived of many commodities which they were wont to receive, but also the said town & Inhabitants thereof, which for the most part live by shipping & traffic together with their families, and diuers fit, able and skilful men and mariners there trained and brought up fit for service, will be utterly impoverished for ever. In consideration whereof, and for that the said Maior & Burgesses haue of long time & yet do keep within the said town a platform furnished with great Ordinance, and with powder and shot at their own costs and charges for the defence of the enemy: And for that said ancient duties and customs before mentioned were never heretofore sufficient to support the charges of the said peer, but now much more insufficient for the causes above remembered: Be it therefore enacted by the queens most excellent majesty, with the assent of the lords Spiritual & temporal, and the Commons of this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that the said Cobbe dueties and customs may from henceforth be increased in maner and form following. That is to say, that it shal and may be lawful to and for the said Maior & Burgesses and their successors, to haue and take, of, and for all and all maner of wears and merchandises which after the feast of Pentecost now next coming, shalbe brought into the said peer, Cobbe, or town of lime Regis, or carried out of the same, & there shalbe jaded, landed, or unladen inwards or outwards, for every pack of woollen cloth, iii. d. only, for every farthel of linen cloth, iii. d. onely, for every tun off weete wines, oils and sacks, viii. d. onely, & for every tun of other wines, or other gross wears( fish excepted) vi. d. onely, for the killage of every ship, vessel, or cockboate, vi. d. onely, for every tun of merchandise trouable iii. d. onely and no more. And that it may be further enacted & established by the authority aforesaid, that if any master of ship, merchant, owner, factor or dealer with any the said wears, merchandises or other things aforesaid, shall or will hereafter refuse or deny to pay the said Cobbe duties last above mentioned, or any of them vpon demand, that then it shal and may be lawful to and for the said Maior & Burgesses, & their successors, by any one of themselves, or any of their officers for the time being within the said Town, peer or Cobbe, to attach & seize the wears, merchandises, & things for the which any such duty as aforesaid shal be due and unpaid, or any other of the goods of the owner or owners of the said wears, merchandises, or things there, & the same to retain and keep in the name of a distress, until the same duties shalbe unto the said Maior & Burgesses, or to their successors, or to their officer or officers in that behalf for the time being satisfied and paid, for, and toward the maintenance & continuance of the said peer or Cobbe. And for the better & true execution of the true intent & meaning of this present act, Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that from henceforth, two sufficient persons of the Inhabitants of the same town, shal be yearly chosen and appointed by the Maior there for the time being, for the true collection & employment of the duties aforesaid, which receivers shall openly in the Leete & Lawday there holden yearly, next after the feast of S. Michael the Archangel, make, yield, & deliver up in writing a perfect account vpon their oaths, unto the Maior of the same town for the time being of their said receipts and employments. provided always, that such as now are, or hereafter shal be of the Cinque ports, & of all other haven towns or creeks within this realm, which of right had & enjoyed heretofore privilege in those duties by virtue of any their Charters whatsoever, shal be & continue discharged as heretofore they haue done, any thing in this act contained to the contrary notwithstanding.  
provided also & be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that al such Cobbe duties & customs as shal be gathered, received, or taken by virtue of this act or other wise, shalbe employed & bestowed in & vpon the said peer or Cobbe, & the sea works and other things thereunto appertaining, & not otherwise. And that yearly at the quarter sessions of the Peace to be holden next before the feast of S. Michael the Archangel, in the said county of Dorset, the Iustices of Peace of the said county which shal be there present, or the more part of them, shal in the said open sessions there, choose & appoint one Iustice of Peace of the said county not being a free man of the same town of lime. And also the merchants & inhabitants of Taunton in the county of Somerset, shall yearly choose one merchant of Taunton, & also the merchants & inhabitants of Chard in the said county of Somerset, shal yearly choose one merchant of Chard, which Iustice of Peace, merchant of Taunton, & merchant of Chard so yearly to be chosen & appointed, together with the Maior or head officer of the same town of lime for the time being, or the more part of thē, shall haue full power & authority yearly in the said Leete & Lawday, to take the just & true account of the said Collectors & receivers vpon their oaths of the said Cobbe duties & customs, what hath been collected & received, & how it hath been employed, & what remaineth, and the same remain to be employed & bestowed as aforesaid. And if the said Collectors & receivers or any of them shall refuse to make account as aforesaid, that then he or they so refusing to make account as aforesaid, shal forfeit xl. li. of lawful money of England, the same forfeitures to be recovered by the Maior of the said town of lime, the said Iustice of Peace, merchant of Taunton, merchant of charred so to be chosen as aforesaid for the time being, or by any two of them by action of debt in any of the queens majesties courts of Record, wherein no wager of law, essoign or protection shalbe allowed, & the same to be employed & bestowed in & vpon the maintenance of the said peer or Cobbe & other seaworks & things aforesaid thereunto appertaining. This act to continue for the space of v. yeres next ensuing, & from thence until the end of the next session of the next parliament then next ensuing. And also that after the end of the said session of parliament next after the end of the said v. yeeres, the foresaid ancient Cobbe duties & customs, shal remain due & payable unto the said Maior & Burgesses of the said Borough & town of lime Regis for ever, as the same were due & payable unto the said Maior & Burgesses before the making of this act, and shalbe used, ordered, & accounted, as it hath been accustomend before the making of this act: Any thing herein contained to the contrary thereof notwithstanding.   

Imprinted at London by Christopher Barker, Printer to the queens majesty.