The Petition and Case of the London Pilots. TO THE Honourable the Master, Wardens, Assistants, and Elder Brothers of the Trinity House.  
The Humble Petition of Robert Lash, Robert Young, Thomas Langly, 
This Petition was presented the 30th. of March, 1689.  Thomas Lintal, William Read, Adam Knowler, Samuel Hust, Anthony Thomson, Roger Bunting, Paul Phillips, and Philip Stafford, and others the Pilots of London Members of this Corporation.  
Showeth, That by the Ninth by Law of this Corporation, It is Ordered that no Member thereof do prefer any Bill, or Petition to the High Court of Parliament, or any other Jurisdiction for any Sea Cause, without acquainting the Master, Wardens, and Assistants therewith. And your Petitioners finding themselves Aggrieved in the Matters following, do Humbly Pray you Honour's relief therein.  
First, That the Duty of Poundage is an Innovation on your Petitioners, the same not being imposed on them but about these Two Years last passed, although they now receive, nor can get any more than formerly. And although the Corporation always did, and still do receive the same Money of the Master of every Vessel, by the Name of Loadsmanage. Pilotage, and Loadsmanage by the said Charter being one and the same Duty.  
Secondly, The Charter provides, That the Channels, Sands, Flats and Rocks in, or near the Sea Coasts, shall for the more Safety and Strength of the Kingdom, be kept secret within ourselves, and altogether unknown to Straingers. And that therefore no Alien, or Stranger Born, shall Sail, or Serve in any Ship, coming in or going out of the River of Thames, unless for urgent Causes to be certified under the Seal of the Corporation, That contrary to the said Charter, Straingers and Aliens, and Unlicensed Pilots are suffered to Pilot Ships, whereby the Strength and Safety of the Kingdom (which the Charter taketh so much care to have kept secret) is discovered, and your Petitioners grately Injured in the loss of the Money they ought to receive for such Pilotage, which the Aliens under some other name do Pay to this Corporation.  
Thirdly, That of late a Bond not mentioned in the Charter, nor required by the By-Laws, have been Imposed upon your Petitioners, with condition for their Civil Demeanour, Comportment, and Obedience to your Orders; and notwithstanding their Civil Demeanour, Comportment, and Obedience, divers of your Petitioners have been Arrested lately, and troubled by such Bonds, to their almost utter Ruin; and were not discharged until they had paid the Innovated Duty of Puondage; to raise which, some of them were forced to sell their Goods. And your Petitioners do conceive, if they shall be compelled to Seal such Bonds, they are not to be Arrested for any Matter out of the Condition.  
Your Petitioners therefore most Humbly Pray your Honours, and Worships, to take the Premises into your serious Consideration, and relieve your Petitioners therein; Or, otherwise your Petitioners do Humbly beseech your Honours, to give them leave to make their Application to the High Court of Parliament, And your Petitioners shall ever Pray, etc.   

THE CASE OF THE Pilots of London, HUMBLY Presented to the Master, Wardens, Assistants, and Elder Brothers of the Trinity House, London.  

This Case was presented the 1st. of May, 1689.  THat Robert Lash, Robert Young, Thomas Langly, Thomas Lintal, William Read, Adam Knowler, Samuel Hurst, Anthony Thomson, Roger Bunting, Paul Phillips, and Philip Stafford, on behalf of Themselves, and the other Pilots of London, by their several Humble Petitions have represented to your Honours, and Worships the Pressures and Grievances they labour under, not doubting, but such their modest Application, would meet with a suitable return from your Justice, without your Petitioners further Complaint to a Superior Authority. And your Petitioners being resolved to manifest to the World, the great difference and respect they always had, and still have to this Corporation, (whereof they are also Members) do once more make their Humble Application for relief; and do remind your Honours and Worships of their First Petition, and of the Answers you were pleased to give them, as they occur to their Memory, being refused to be given in Writing.  
To the First, That your Honours produced a Book in the Reign of King Henry the Eighth, which is presumed to be the Copy of the Original Charter of this Corporation; and also an Ancient Written Book, in which some mention is made, That certain Pilots did then Pay Poundage. Which your Petitioners conceive cannot in any wise affect them, the same not being for Piloting out of the River, (which is your Petitioners Case) since which time many Regulations, and Alterations in the Corporotion have been made, and new Charters Granted. And by Immemorable Custom (on which your Petitioners do rely, and prescribe to.) neither they, nor their Predecessors did ever Pay the said Duty, until about Two Years it was since unjustly Imposed upon them, the same being always Paid by the Masters of the Ships: Your Petitioners cannot therefore give up the just Right of the Pilots of this Corporation, nor lay a heavy burden upon Themselves and Successors, in maintaing the Poor out of their hard Labour; for whose maintenance the Corporation receive so great an Income, which your Worships by way of Answer proposed in lieu of Poundage.  
To the Second, You were pleased to Answer, That there was no Act of Parliament to compel Straingers to take Pilots, neither could you by your Charter force them so to do. Whereas there is nothing more Expressly taken care off by the Charter than the Pilotage, which order no Straingers to Pilot Ships; but that the Master, Wardens, and Assistants, shall appoint Pilots to Aliens Ships, with a Power of Rating such Pilotage. And the better to effect this, Grants a Power to them to stop, and keep back all Unlicensed Pilots, and to Licence sufficient Pilots which are to be admitted into the Brotherhood. And further do Empower the Master, Wardens, and Assistants, and Elder Brothers, To punish such Offenders by Imprisonment, or Fine, or by both, according to there Discretions. Therefore such extraordinary Care being taken, That no Foreigners, or Unlicensed Persons should Pilot, as well for the Strength and Safety of the Kingdom, as the more immediate Preservation of the Navy Royal, of which your Petitioners have the particular Charge. Your Petitioners cannot acquit the right of Pilotage, especially considering the Inconveniencies they lie under, in not being used to the North Channel, in which your Worships suffer Straingers to Pilot, contrary to the Charter. And, yet, can find a Law to stop them when they will not Pay you so much, as they are by you rated (which is Six or Seven times more than an English Man) Not only to your Petitioners, and their Family's loss, but even to the hazard of your Petitioners lives, if any of his Majesty's Ships should in the North Channel, under their Charge be lost. All which Orders, Constitutions, and Ordinances in the Charter, every Member of the Corporation, as well Elder, as Younger Brothers, are by their Oaths well and truly to hold and keep.  
To what you were pleased to allege of the Alliances with Foreign Nations, your Petitioners Answer, That in all Foreign Countries, as Denmark, Sweedland, Holland, etc. no Person is permitted to Pilot a Ship, but the Pilots of their own Nation; the Masters of our Ships being by them forced to make use off, and Pay their Pilots.  
Your Petitioners further show, That Excessive Rates are set upon and taken of Straingers, for Duties (out of which, they are informed, an Allowance is made to the Masters, Straingers for their own Pilotage) which is received by some of the Corporation, as well the Elder, as the Younger Brothers (as is called for Turns) and not wholly applied to the maintenance of the Poor, for whom they are trusties. If therefore these Turns were abrogated, and no more than double Duties taken of Straingers, as the Right is, and that rightly applied, The Poor would be better maintained, according to the intent of the Charter; and your Petitioners would be readily employed by Foreigners to Pilot their Ships, which would not only obviate your Worship's Objection for the maintenance of the Poor, but be a great Encouragement to your Petitioners, as well as an Improvement of their Skill in the North Channel, for the benefit of the Kingdom, in the increase and welfare of Navegation, and an Honest maintenance for them and their Families; whereas under these Pressures, they now labour under, many of them are scarce able to get Bread for their Families; and are rather Objects of the Corporations Charity than in the least measure fit to allow any thing out of their labour to the Poor.  
That your Petitioners after the delivery of their Petition, were threatened to have their Warrants taken from them, when no Disability, or Misfeazance in their Pilotage was pretended; and they having the particular Charge, as well of the Navy Royal, as the Merchant Ships, whereby the Strength of the Nation, the King's Customs, and the grand Trade of the Nation are secured and preserved. They do conceive, and are advised, unless such just Cause be, they cannot Lawfully be discharged of their Employments; whereby the King and Merchants will be destitute of Skilful Pilots.  
Your Petitioners on their delivery of the Petition, did assure themselves of an effectual redress of the Pressures they then Complained off; but instead thereof, receiving an Uncertain and Untelligible Answer, and being threatened to have their Warrants taken from them; and your Clerk taking upon him to tell the Person that delivered their Petition, That he should never have Right done him in that House. Do find themselves Obliged, to lay this there Case now in short before you, to prevent their setting forth these, and other their Grievances to the High Court of Parliament, which your Petitioners are averse to being unwilling to publish the private Advantages, that are made by some of the Elder Brothers (excepting the Nobility, Sir Matthew Andrews, and some few others) which Advantages and Turns beforementioned, your Petitioners have just reason to believe, are the only Obstacles of their not Piloting Straingers Ships. And the Corporation being trusties for the Poor, may be accountable for what they have so received for some Years past, and the same now rightly applied.  
Your Petitioners do therefore Humbly Pray your Honours, and Worships to take their Petition, and this their Case into your Consideration, and relieve them therein, And your Petitioners shall ever Pray, etc.  
FINIS.