ROBERT HENLEY Esquires, and others, in numbers and interest the greatest part concerned in the said 83,000 acres; did address themselves to the Parliament then sitting, that they might be empowered by an Act to prosecute the said work of Draining, for the recovery of that vast and lost country: which Act—after several hearings of all parties before a Committee—was ready to be presented to the House of Lords; but the late unhappy differences prevented for that time its further progress.
Afterwards, about the year 1648—the said WILLIAM, Earl of BEDFORD, by the assistance of Sir MILES SANDYS, ROBERT HENLEY Esquire, and divers others his said Participants; did prosecute the obtaining of an Act of that pretended Parliament, in order to the draining of the aforesaid Level. And after several hearings of all parties both of the Country and Adventurers before the Committee; an Act passed in the said pretended Parliament in May 1649.
By colour of which pretended Act, the said Earl and his Participants did meet together in the prosecution of the aforesaid fourteen-part Indenture. Accordingly the Earl of ARUNDEL, under whom Sir WILLIAM PLAYTER claims; Colonel JOHN RUSSELL and EDWARD RUSSELL Esquires, brothers to the said Earl of BEDFORD; Sir MILES SANDYS, under whom Colonel SAMUEL SANDYS claims; Sir JOHN HEWETT; Sir WILLIAM TERRINGHAM; WILLIAM DODSON; Sir JOHN MARSHAM; ANTHONY HAMOND and ROBERT HENLEY Esquires, and divers others interested in the said work of Draining; who had seven parts out of eight in the said 83,000 acres: finding themselves out of possession, did in June following resolve to raise money for carrying on the said work in prosecuting of the aforesaid fourteen-part Indenture; being enabled thereto—as the times then were—by the said pretended Act.
But several persons failing in the due payment of their money, as aforesaid: the said Earl with the residue of his said Participants were necessitated about November [1649] following; either to admit some other persons in the room of those who failed to supply the payment of such money as was raised according to the said Agreement, or otherwise to lose the whole.
By which means, money being raised, the said work was
