Copy of my letter/ to the owners of Iron/ Works 1590/
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[second page]
After my hartie com[m]endac[i]ons unto you. I have this daie Receaved L[ett]res from the/ Right Honourable the Lord Cobham, her Ma[jes]t[ys] Lieueten[a]nt of this Countie And/ with them L[ett]res and Instrucc[i]ons from the Lordes of her Ma[jes]t[y]s most honourable/ previe Counseall com[m]anndinge, that for asmuch, that for as much as their Honours/ are given to understand from the Lo[rd] Buckhurst, that not w[i]thstandinge their/ formar L[ett]res, written for the Restrainte of Makinge and transportinge of iron/ ordinannce, not extendinge to all such as have furnaces, but onlye to those that then/ so made Ordinance, diverse p[er]sons, who before that Restrainte, made iron onlye/ and no ordinannce findinge themselves at Libertie, and not bound as the rest,/ do now converte their furnaces, to the makinge of Ordinannce. For pre-/ ventinge wherof, thay have com[m]anded that Bonds be taken of all suche as/ have, or hereafter shall have, Furnaces or Iron Workes w[i]thin this countie,/ extendinge the same aswell so unto the Fermors as to the owners of the Furnaces,/ that no devise or shifte be had, to defraud the purpose of their ordres and/ directiones, till Libertie be given to the Contrarie// Theise are therefore by/ virtue of the saide L[ett]res directed to me, to require yow and in her Ma[jes]t[y]s name/ to com[m]and yow that yow <take the paynes to> repayre to my house at Hallinge upon Thursdaie the/ xvth of October by nine of the clocke in the forenoone, and <that> yow bringe w[i]th yow/ sufficient Suerties (such as are in the Subsydie booke, to ioine w[i]th yow in suche/ Bondes, as by their Honours Com[m]anndement is apointed. And further/ to receave such directione as by their Honours L[ett]res is to be given to yow/ Hereof I praie yow not to Faile <[illegible]>as yow will annswer for your default/ <[illegible words]> heerein before their honours, to whome I must make reporte of my p[ro]ceeding heerin w[i]thall possible speede. And I comitt yow to god. Hallinge/ this viijth of October 1590/
yor very Lovinge Freind/
John Leveso[n]
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(with permission of South Staffordshire County Council)
D593/S/4/28/10
Where the writer of the letter has used / to denote the end of a sentence, then // has been used to differentiate from the end of a line in the text.
Where letters have been omitted by the writer those missing have been inserted by the transcriber within [ ].
Where text has been inserted above the line the symbols < > have been used to denote this.
Page begin and end notes have been inserted by the transcriber within [ ].
Unusual words in text: Fermor: a lease holder or rent payer.