Wiltshire Loan on Privy Seals. 



201 



Sir John Thynne, of Longleat, being Sheriff for the year 1570, 

 was the official collector of this loan ; and the roll of his account, 

 subscribed by his own hand, is a fine parchment document in 

 good preservation.] 



1. Queen Elizabeth to Sir John Thynne, Sheriff of Wilts^ 1st April 1570, 



By the Queene. 



" Elizabeth R. 



Trusty and well beloved we greete you well. Where we have upon great 

 considerations by the advise of our Counsell, determined to acquire by way of 

 loane for one yere certen reasonable soomes of money of sundry our subjects, 

 whom we trust we shall fynde willing thereunto : For this cause we do send 

 unto you a nombre of Letters under our Privy Seale directed as you shall see : 

 Requiring you to cause the same to be with as convenient speede as you can, 

 sent to the partyes, And to require them to make you answer according to the 

 contents. The tenor whereof shall appeere unto you by a copy thereof herewith 

 sent. And for that it may be, that some of them may be misnamed, or not 

 resident within the Shire, or that the partyes in deede may be dead ; In these 

 and such lyke cases we require you to have regard. And for the first, we give 

 you authoritie to amend the name in the superscription, with addition according 

 to the qualitie of Esquier or gentleman. And in the second case not to forbeare 

 to send it to the partie if he be neere to you. And if he be farre distant, or 

 lastly, dead, then to retourne it to our Counsell, with knowledge where the 

 party abydeth, if he lyve, or when he dyed, and who hath his lands and sub- 

 stance being hable to supply our demand. And for that it may be that there 

 are some good nombres in that County well able to lende us the lyke somes, and 

 at this tyme omitted, we requyre you for the advancement of our service to ad- 

 vertize our Counsell of the names of all suche, with your opinion what soomes 

 we may reasonably requyre of them. Lastly for the trust we have in you, we 

 have appointed you to have the receipt of all the money that shall be leant unto 

 us by force of our said Letters that either now presently or hereafter shall come 

 to your hands. Requiring you to use all the good speede that you may con- 

 veniently herein : and send up the whole money in safety to our trusty and 

 well- beloved servant Thomas Heneage Esquier, Thresorer of our Chamber in 

 our Courte. Whose wryting testifying the receipt thereof shall be your sufficient 

 discharge in this behalf. Geven under our Signet at our Honor of Hampton 

 Court the first of Aprill 1570, in the xij th yere of our Reign." 

 To our trustie and well beloved 



Sir John Thynne, Knight." 



2. " W. Cecil to Sir John Thynne, 4 April, 1570. 



M r . Thynne. After my very harty commendacions. You shall receive here- 

 withall Letters of Privy Seales for the Loane, addressed to such persons as in 

 the Scedule hereinclosed are named. It is ment that such as you wishe to be 

 spared shall not be by you pressed : notwithstanding, for examples sake I wishe 

 that their Letters should remaine in their handes till such time as suche as of 



VOL. XIV. NO. XLT. 



R 



