AN ORDINANCE OF THE Lords and Commons Assembled in PARLIAMENT, Concerning the duchy Seal of LANCASTER: Together With the OATH of the Sheriff of LANCASTER.  
H: elsing, clear. Parl. D. come.  
London, Printed for Edward Husband, Printer to the honourable House of Commons, Septemb. 4. 1645.   

10 February, 1644. AN ORDINANCE OF THE LORDS and COMMONS Assembled in PARLIAMENT.  
THe Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament, Do Order and Ordain, and be it Ordered and Ordained, That William Lord Grey of Wark, and William Lenthall Esquire, Speaker of the House of Commons, shall have power, and are hereby authorised to put in use the duchy Seal, for the constituting and making of Sheriffs and Iustices of Peace within the County of Lancaster, and to issue out all Writs and process, and to do and perform all Acts and things necessary for the benefit of the said County, in as ample manner as any Chancellor of the duchy heretofore hath done or ought to do, and this Ordinance to continue and be in force, until both Houses take further Order: And whatsoever the said William Lord Grey of Wark, & William Lenthall, shall do in pursuance hereof, they shall be saved harmless by both Houses of Parliament: And it is further Ordered and Ordained, That the Officers belonging to the duchy Court, do prepare a Patent for to make John Bradshaw of Bradshaw Esquire, Sheriff of the said County, who is to take the Oath of Sheriff hereunto annexed.  

The OATH of the Sheriff of LANCASTER.  
ye shall Swear, That well and truly ye shall serve the King in the Office of the Sheriff of Lancaster, and do the Kings profits in all things that belongeth you to do by way of your Office; As much as you can or may, ye shall not respite the Kings Debts, for any gift or favour, where you may raise them without great grievance of the Debtors: ye shall truly and rightfully treat the people of your Sheriffwick, and do right as well to poor, as to Rich, in all that belongeth to your office; ye shall do no wrong unto any man for any gift or promise of goods, nor favour nor hate: ye shall disturb no mans Right; ye shall truly account before the Auditor of the duchy of Lancaster, of all them of whom ye shall any thing receive of the Kings Debts: ye shall nothing take whereby the King may loose, or whereby that Right may be disturbed, letted, or the Kings Debts delayed: ye shall truly return, and truly serve all the Kings Writs, as far forth as it shall be in your cunning: ye shall have none to be your under-Sheriff, or any of your Sheriffs-Clerks of the last year passed: ye shall take no bailiff into your Service, but such as you will answer for: ye shall make each of your bailiffs to make such Oath as ye make yourself, in that that belongeth to their Occupation: Ye shall receive no Writ by you or any of yours unsealed: ye shall make the bailiffs of the true and sufficient men in the same County: ye shall be dwelling in your proper person within your bailiwick, for the time ye shall be in the same Office: ye shall not let your Sheriffwick, or any bailiwick thereof to farm to any man: ye shall truly set and return reasonable and due issues of them that be in your bailiwick, after their Estate and Honour, and make your panel yourself; And over this, in eschewing and restraint of the Manslaughters, Robberies, and other manifold grievous Offences that may be done daily, and increase in number and multiply, so that the Kings true Subjects may not safely ride or go to such things as they have to do, to their intolerable hurt and hindrings: ye shall truly and effectually with all diligence possibly to you, execute the Statutes touching the same: All which premises ye shall duly and truly do and keep, as God help you, and by the Contents of this Book: And also do make a true and faithful account of all such Profits and casualties as cometh and groweth of the said Office; or that ye shall be charged with in the time of your occupying the said Office of Sheriffwick, as God you help, and by the Contents of this Book. Also ye shall utterly testify and declare in your Conscience, that the said Kings Highnesse is the onely supreme governor of this Realm, and of all other His Highnesses Dominions and Countries, as well in all spiritual and ecclesiastical things or causes, as temporal; and that no foreign Prince, Person, Prelate, State or Potentate, hath or ought to have any jurisdiction, Power, Superiority, pre-eminency or Authority, ecclesiastical or spiritual within this Realm; and therefore ye shall truly renounce and forsake all foreign jurisdictions, Power, Superiorities, and Authorities, and shall promise, that from henceforth ye shall bear Faith and true Allegiance to the said Kings Highnesse, His Heirs and lawful Successors; and to your power, shall Assist and defend, all Iurisdictons, privileges, pre-eminences, granted or belonging to the said Kings Highnesse, His Heirs and Successors, or united or annexed to the imperial Crown of this Realm; So help you God, and by the holy Contents of this Book.  
H: elsing, clear. Parl. D. come.