ILLINOIS
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Production Note
Project Unica
Rare Book & Manuscript Library University of Illinois Library at Urbana-Champaign 2015CHARTER
OF THE
HIBERNIAN
marine society,
D u B L 12V.
D u B L I N:
printed IN THE YEAR
m.dcc.lxxxvi.(
>0
7o
CHARTER
O F T H E
MARINE SOCIETY.
GEORGE the Thi d, by the Grace of God, of Great-Britain, France, and Ireland ; King, Defender of the Faith, and fo forth, To ALL unto whom thefe Prefents ihall come Greeting.
WHEREAS we are informed by the humble Petition of Henry Hart, Lord Mayor of our City of Dublin/ John, Lord A.chbifhop of Dublin, Brinfley, Earl of Laneiborougb, Thomas, Lord Baron Dartrey, Redmond Morres, Efq; Member of Parliament for our City of Dublin, David Latouche the younger, George Simpfon, Luke Mercer, William Lyndon, Da-A 2	vidvid Burleigh, Theophilus Thompfon, William Barton, Thomas Barton and Alexander Schom-ber", Efqrs. in behalf of themfelves and divers others, Members of the MARINE SOCIETY in DUBLIN, aiTociated for the Support, Education and fitting for the Sea, the Orphans and hildren of Sea-faring Men only. That in the late War fevcral Gentlemen of the City of Dublin aiTociated in Order by voluntary Sub-:criptions to encourage many Men and Boys ■ ho had before been idle and rather burthen-fome on the Publick, to enter into His Ma-fly’s Fleet, and that they were thereby enabled to cloath and fit out a confiderable number which they fent on Board His Majefty’s Ships of War; but that the Peace which foon afterwards took Place, having rendered this Scheme no longer neceflary, they itill wifhing to continue uteful as well as loyal Subjedts, formed a Plan of a more extenfive and permanent Ufe, that of cfiablifhing a Nurfery and School for the Maintenance and Inftrudtion of the Orphans and Children of thofe Seamen who had perifhed or become difabled by Age or Infirmity of being of further Ufe, either in His Majefty’s or the Merchant’s Service, where they were to be lodged, fed, cloathed, educated in the Protef7 tant Religion, a d inftructed fo as to fit them for the Sea Service in Order to their being Apprenticed to Sea-faring Men, purfuant to which Scheme feveral Sums of Money were fubferibed, by which and by voluntary Benefactions, they were enabled to receive a Number
ofC 5 ]
of Children who have been properly taken Care of, agreeably to the Spirit of that Inftitution, and provided for.
THAT the faid Society have been enabled by the Bounty of the Parliament to build an Houfe in the City of Dublin near the Sea, capable of receiving Two Hundred Children and upwards, whenever their Funds fhall admit of rendering the Relief fo exteniive : And that they humbly hope this National and Charitable Inftitution would fall within our Favour and Protection. And that we would be gracioufly pleafed to grant to the laid Society, our Royal Charter of Incorporation, the better and the more efle&ually to enable them to carry into Execution this ufeful Undertaking: And the faid Petitioners by their Petition, having prayed that we would be gracioufly pleafed, b\ Letters Patent, under our Great Seal of our faid Kingdom of Ireland, to Incorporate the faid Petitioners and other Subfcribers, to the faid Charitable Inftitution. And we being gracioufly pleaftd to approve of the faid Inftitution, and defirous that the fame fhould be conducted with fiich Oeconomy and Regularity as may render it a real and lafting Benefit to the Marine and Commercial Service.
KNOW ye therefore, that we of our fpecial Grace, certain Knowledge and m^re Motion, bv, and w.t'i the Advice and Cenfent of our Right I rufty and Right well-beloved Coufin
andt 6 J
and Counfellor Simon, Earl Harcourt, our Lieutenant General and General Governor of our faid Kingdom of Ireland, and according to the Tenor and EfFedl of our Letters, under our privy Signet and Sign Manual, bearing Date at our Court, at St. James’s, the T. wentieth Day of June, One Thoufand Seven Hundred and Seventy-five, in the Fifteenth Year of our Reign, and now Inrolled in the Rolls of our High Court of Chancery, in our faid Kingdom of Ireland, Have granted, ordained, conflituted and appointed, and by thefe Prefents, for us, our Heirs and Succeflbrs, we do grant, ordain, conftitute and appoint our faid Right Trufty and Right well-beloved Coufin ar.d Coun-cellor, Simon, Earl Harcourt, our Lieutenant General and General Governor of our faid Kingdom of Ireland, and other Chief Governor or Chief Governors of our faid Kingdom for the Time being, the Archbilhop of Armagh, Primate of all Ireland, the Lord Chancellor or Keeper of the Great Seal of Ireland, the Arch • bifhop of Dublin, the Speaker of the Houfe of Commons of Ireland, the Members of Parliament for the City of Dublin, the Lord Mayor of the City of Dublin, the Senior Mailer of the Guild of Merchants in the City of Dublin, and the Archdeacon of Dublin, All for the Time being; William, Duke of Lein-fler, Francis, Earl of Hertford, Brinfley, Earl of Lanelborough, Edward, Lord Baron Longford, Thomas, Lord Baron Dartrey, Redmond Morres, David Latouche the younger, George
Simpfon,[ 7 3
Simpfcn, Luke Mercer, William Lyndon, David Burleigh, Theophilus Thompfon, William E.irton, Thomas Barton and Alexander Sehom-berg, Elqrs. and fucli others as fhall from Time to Time be ele&ed, in the Manner hereinafter direded, to be One Body Politick and Corporate, in Deed and in Name, by the Name of THE HIBERNIAN MARINE SOCIETY IN DUBLIN, for Maintaining, Educating, and Apprenticing the Orphans and Children of Decayed Seamen in our Royal Navy, and Merchants Service for ever; and by the fame Name to have perpetual Succeflions; And alfo by the fame Name to fue and be fued, plead and be impleaded, anfwer and be anfwered unto, defend and be defended in all the Courts and Places whatfoever, of us, our Heirs and SucedTors, in all Suits, Plaints, and Demands whatfoever, in the fame Manner and Form, and as amply as any of our Subjeits, Bodies Politick or Corporate, within our Realm of Ireland may or can do.
AND further we have given and granted, and by thefe Prefents, for us, our Heirs and Succeflors, we do give and grant unto the faid Society and their Succeflors, that they and their Succeflors may have and ufe fuch common Seal as they fhall think proper, and that it may be lawful for them and their Succeflors, to change, break, alter and make New the fame, from Time to time, as they fhall think fit.
ANDC 8 ]
AND further we have given and granted; and by thefe Prefents, for us, our Heirs a: d Succeifors, we do give and grant unto the faid Society, and their Succeifors, that it may be lawful for them and their Succeifors, by that Name to purchafe, have, take, receive and enjoy	r
to them and their Succeifors, in Fee and in Perpetuity, any Manors, Lands, Tenements,
Rents, Annuities, Pcnfions, Tithes, or other Hereditaments, not exceeding in the whole, the clear yearly Value of Two Thoufand Pounds, and to take and receive any Sum or Sums of Money, and alfo, all Manner of Goods or Chattels of what Value or Nature fcever, and therewith and thereout to ereft, maintain, and Support in all Places of our faid Kingdom of Ireland, v/here they fhall judge the fame to be neceifary and convenient, fuch and fo many Nurferies and Schools as they fhall think proper.
AND we do for us, our Heirs and Succeifors, hereby diredl, that the faid Body Corporate fhall have Four Stated General Quarterly Meetings of the Members thereof Yearly, in Dublin, at fuch Place or Places as they fhall think proper (to wit) the fir it Monday in the Months of November, February, May and Auguft, in all Times coming, and as many other General Meetings at fuch Places in the City of Dublin, as the faid Society or any five or more of them fhall appoint. And that the faid Body Corporate,[ 9 3
rate, or any Five of them, at fuch Meetings, ihall be able and capable to do and tranfadl all Matters and Things relating to the Affairs of the faid Corporation.
ANTD we do for us, our Heirs and Succeffors, hereby alio direct, that the firft General Meeting oi the faid Body Corporate, fhall be on the firft of the faid Quarterly Days that ihall be I hirty Days next after the Date of thefe our Letters Patent, Intimation whereof the Lord Chancellor or Keeper of the Great Seal of Ireland, the Lord Mayor of the City of Dublin, the M mbers of Parliament for the faid City, and the Mafter of the Guild of Merchants in the City of Dublin, All for the Time being, or any I wo of them, are hereby impowered and required to give to the Members of the faid Corporation, by a Notice for that Purpofe to be publilhed in the Dublin Gazette, Six Days before the Holding of fuch General Meeting.
AND we do for us, our Heirs and Succeffors, give and grant full Power and Authority to the laid Body Corporate, when they fhall be fo affembled, to eledf from amongft themfelves, by Plurality of Voices, a Prefident, Seven Vice-Prefidents, Two Secretaries, a Treafurer, a Re-gifter, and fuch other Officers as they fhall find needful to continue in Office, till the firft Monday in November, next thereafter, and until others fhall be chofen to fucceed them.
B	AND
/[ IO J
AND we do hereby for us, our Heirs and Succeil'ors, give and grant full Power and Authority to the laid Prefident or Vice-Prefidents, or in Cafe of the Abfcnce of the faid Prefident or Vice-Prefidents, any Two Members of the faid Corporate Body to adminifter an Oath or Oaths to the faid Regifter and other Officers, which they thall be required to take for the due and faithful Execution of their refpedlive Offices.
AND we do hereby for us, our Heirs and Succeil'ors, further give and grant full Power and Authority to the laid Corporation, upon the Firit Monday in November, annually, in all Time coming, or in Cafe of any Emergency, preventing their Meeting on that Day, then at the next Meeting of laid Society thereafter, Five Members at leaft being prefent, to make a new Eleiifion of Perfons to ferve in the faid Offices, or to continue the former Officers, as they fhall think moil convenient.
AND we do hereby for us, our Heirs and Succeifors, further give and grant full Power and Authority to the faid Body Corporate, at their Firfl General Meeting, to nominate and appoint Fifteen of the faid Body to be a Committee, to meet in Dublin, the Firft Monday in every Month, or oftener, as need fhall require, in luch Place or Places as fhall be agreed upon by the faid Corporation, which Committee, or any Three of them, are hereby authorized
and
[ »1 ]
and impowered to carry into Execution fuch Orders, Rules and directions as fhall from Time to Time be made by the faid Corporation, and which Committee fhall continue till the Firlt Monday in November next, following the firlt general Meeting, at which Time, and afterwards on every fiift Mondav in November, Yearly, the faid Corporation fhall nominate Fifteen of their Members to be a Committee for One Year, for the Purpofes aforefaid.
AND we do hereby for us, our Heirs and Succclfors, further give and grant full Power and Authority; and we do hereby require that the laid Corporation, at any of their General Meetings, do nominate and appoint lelfer Committes in all Places where any Nurfery or School lhall be hereafter eredted for the Purpofes in thefe our Letters Patent, which Lifer Committees fhall be appointed at fuch Time and Place, and continue for fuch Time or Times as the faid Corporation fhall think proper.
AND we do hereby for us, our Heirs and Succelfors, further impower the faid Corporation, at their General Meetings, to nominate and appoint fit Perfons, in any Place of our Dominions or elfewhere, to receive Subfcriptions, Money or other Things contributed towards the faid Inftitution.
AND we do hereby for us, our Heirs and Succelfors, further impower and authorize the B 2	faid[ 12 ]
faid Corporation, at their General Meetings, or the Committee of Fifteen, in the City of Dublin, and the Idler Committees in all Places where Schools and Nurfcries for the Purpofes aforefaid, fhall hereafter be ereded, to nominate and appoint fit and able Perfons to be Officers and School-Matters of the faid Schools and Nurferies during the Will of the faid Corporation, to inftrud and teach the Children to read, efpecially the Holy Scriptures, and to inftrud them in the Principles of the Pioteftant Religion, eftablifhed in our faid Kingdom, and in Writing, Arithmetic, Navigation, and fuch other Parts of Erudition as to the laid Corporation fhall feem meet.
AND we do hereby for us, our Heirs and Succelfors, direct and require, that the Trea-furer and other Officers fhall be accountable to the faid Corporation, or to the Committee of • Fifteen, at all Times when required, and that they fhall give a particular Account in Writing, of all Receipts, Payments, and Difburfements of the Corporation, and the fame fhall be examined, audited and fubferibed, upon the Firll Monday in November in every Year, or within Fourteen Days after, by the faid Corporation, or any Five of them, or by the faid Committee of Fifteen : And if by the faid Committee they are required to report Annually the fame, at fuch Time as the faid Corporation fhall think proper to the faid Corporate Eody -, and alfo the
State[ 1
State of the Funds of the faid Corporation for the Year, in Order that they may be examined and entered in a Book, to be kept for that Pur-pofe ; the faid Book, and all other the Books and Papers of the faid Corporation, to be at all Times open and free for the Perufal of the fe-veral Members thereof.
AND we do hereby for us, our Heirs and Succeflors, impowcr and authorife the (aid Corporation, at their dated Quarterly Meetings, in all Times coming, and at no other Meetings (Seven Members at leaft being prefent, whereof the Prefident, or One of the Vice-Prefidents for the Time being, to be One) to make fuch B\e-Laws, Rule«, "and Ordinances; and from Time to Time to alter the fame, as they fhall judge mod convenient and needful for the good Government of the faid Corporation, and Management of the Affairs thereof, and the effectual Promotion of the good Ends intended thereby, and to give fuch lnfirudions, Directions, Encouragements and Salaries to thofe they employ, as they fhall judge needful and reafonable ; provided that the faid Rules, Ordinances, Indruc-tions and Directions, be not repugnant to the Laws and Statutes in force, in our laid Kingdom of Ireland ; and that the fame be confirmed by fome fuccecding General Meeting, ::r which Seven at leaft of the Members fhall be prefent (whereof the Prefident, or One oi the Vice-Prefidents to be One).
AND
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AND we do hereby for us, our Heirs and Succeflbrs, further impower and authorife the faid Corporate Body and their Succeflbrs, Seven at lead biing prefcnt (whereof the Prefident, or One of the Vice-Prcfidents to be One) in a General Alfembly, to remove and difplace the Prefident, or any of the Vice-Prefidents, or Secretaries, Treafurer, Regifter, or any other Officer of the faid Corporation, for any Caufe which to them fhall feem juft and reafonable : And that as often as it fhall happen that the Prefident, or any of the Vice-Prefidents, Secretaries, Treafurer, Regifter, or any other Officer of the faid Corporation, for the Time being, fhall die, refign, or be removed for reafonable Caufe, as aforefaid ; or that any Vacancy of a Prefident, Vice-Prefidcnt, Secretary, Treafurer, Regifter, or other Officer of the faid Corporation fhall happen, it fhall and may be lawful, to and for the faid Corporation, Five at leaft being prefent ; and they are hereby required within Forty Days (Ten Days Notice being given) to chool'e and eled into his or their Place or Places, fome other Perfon or Perfons of the faid Corporation, in the Manner herein before-mentioned, to continue in his or their Office or Offices ’till the firft Monday in November next following his or their Eledtions, and ’till fome other Perfon or Perfons fhall beeledted into his or their Office or Offices.
ANDL »5 ]
AND we do hereby for us, our Heirs and Succeflbrs, further impower and authorife the faid Corporation, at any General Stated Quarter!} Meeting of the Corporation, Seven at leaft being prefent, whereof the Piefident, or One of the Vice-Prefidents to be One, to eled fuch Perfons to be Members of the faid Corporation for Life, who ihall give any Sum not lefs than Twenty Guineas for the Ufe of faid School and Nurferies ; and alfo to admit to be Members of the faid Society, any Perfons who (ball agree and fubfcribe to pay any Annual Sum of Money for the Ufe and B nefit ot the faid Corporation, for fo long as they fhall pay their faid Annual Subfcription : And provided they do not fuffer more than One Year’s Subfcription to run in Arrear, after which they ihall not be confi-dered to be Members of the faid Corporation, or Vote upon any Occafion whatfoever, at the Meetings of the faid Corporation.
AND we do hereby for us, our Heirs and Succeflbrs, Order and Dired that no Leafe or Leafes of any Lands or Tenements belonging to the faid Corporation fhall be made or executed but at fome General Stated Quarterly Meeting of the faid Society, Seven Members at leaft being prefent, whereof the Prefident or One of the Vice-Prefidents to be One, PRO-\ IDED always that every fuch Leafe fo to be made fhall be of Lands, Tenements, and Hereditaments[ *6 ]
rcditamrnts in Poffeifion, and not in Reverfion, and for a Term not exceeding Three Lives or Thirty-one Years, whereon fhall be referved the belt Yearly Rent that can be had for the faid Lands or Tenements, at the Time of making fuch Lcafes refpeCtively, without any Fine or other Income to be taken or had for the fame, except in the Cafe of Grounds to be Set for Building, in which Cafe, it fhall and may be lawful for faid Corporation, or fuch Quorum of them, as aforefaid, to Demife for Ninety Nine Years, or any lefler Term, without Fine, and at the full improved Rent, and by Public Cant, giving Ten Days Public Notice.
AND we do hereby for us, our Heirs and Succeflors, further Order and Diredt, that no Child or Children fhall be received into any Nurfery or School now eredted or hereafter to be eredted for the faid Charity, unlefs it fhall be firft made to appear to the Satisfaction of the Corporation, or the Committee of Fifteen, that fuch Child or Children is or are the Child or Children of a deceafed, reduced or decajed Seaman, in our, or the Merchants Service, or that had been fo.
AND we do hereby for us, our Heirs and Succrifors, further Order and Diredt, that at all General Meetings, in Cafe of the Abfence of the Prefident, the Vicc-Prefident firft named in[ *7 ]
the Lift of the Vice-Prefidents then prefent, fhall be the Chairman of the Meeting; And in Cafe the Prefidenf, and all the Vice-Prcfidents fhall beabfent, the faid Corporation or any Five or more of them fhall have Power to appoint One of the Members then prefent to prefule for fuch Time; and fuch Prefident, Vice Prefident or Chairman, fhall have a Cafting Voice, in Cafe of an Equality of Votes ; and the faid Prefidenf, Vice-Prefidents or Chairman, at any of faid General Meetings fhall have Power to ad-minifter an Oath to any Perfon or Perfons for difcovering the Truth of any Matter or Thing offered or propofed to the faid Corporation.
AND laftly, we do hereby for us, our Heirs and SuccelTors, Declare and Ordain, that thefe our Letters Patent, and every Claufe, Sentence, and Article therein contained, or the Inrollment thereof, in our High Court of Chancery, in our faid Kingdom of Ireland, fhall be in all Things firm, good, valid, fufficient, and effettual in the Law, unto the faid Society and their Suc-ceiTors, according to the Purport and Tenor hereof, without any further Grant, Licence or Toleration, from us our Heirs or S'icceilors, to be procured or obtained, PROVIDED always, that thefe our Letters Patent, be Inrolled in the Rolls of our High Court of Chancery, in our C	faidt «* 3
faid Kingdom of Ireland, within the Space of Six Months next enfuing the Date of thete Prefents.
IN Witnefs whereof, we have caufed thefe our Letters to be made Patent. WITNESS our aforefaid Lieutenant General and General Governor of our faid Kingdom of Ireland, a Dublin, the firft Day of Auguft, in the ri -teenth Year of our Reign.
CONWAY.
Examined, Michael Nowlan, Deputy Clerk of the Crown and Hanaper.
InrolledInrolled in the Office of the Rolls of his Majefty’s High Court of Chancery, in Ireland, the Second Day of Auguft, in the Fifteenth Year of the Reign of King GEORGE the Third, and examined by
M. Patterfon, jun. and F. Perry, Deputy Clerks, and Keepers of the Rolls.