326 C. 39. Anno undecimo Georgii II. A. D. 1738 Agreement of the Proprietors ci the Taxable and Free Lands, ttt-HE RE AS the Owners and Proprietors of certain Lands called The Free Lands, containing in tht rr whole five thoufand Acres or thereabouts, lying and being in Holland and Kefteven, in the County <y Lincoln, called Deeping Fen, Pinchbeck, and Spalding South Fen, Thurlby Fen, Bourn South Pen, and Crowland Fen, and who have executed thefe Prefents, and who are the greater Part of the Owners of tht faid Free Lands, in Number of P erf on s and Quantity of Acres, from the frequent Reprefentations made to then, by the Adventurers, Owners and Proprietors of the Lands in the faid Fens called Taxable Lands, containing in the whole ten thou.fand Acrts, or thereabouts, and by long Experience, have found, that notwithjlanding tht great Expence which the faid Adventurers and Owners of the fan! Taxable Lands, and thofe under ivhcm they claim an Interejl therein, have been at,_ and the great Endeavours _ which have been ufed by them refpeclively, to keep that whole Level drained, being in the whole about thirty thoufand Acres of Fen Land, the faid Adventurers, Owners of the faid Taxable Lands, have not been able fo to do, by reafon of the many Accidents and Misfortunes they have fo often met with, and otloer Caufes uhich prevented tkern therein, and far which Reafons a7id Caufes the whole Level has for many Tears pa ft been fo frequently drcwned t that vir§ little or no Profit could be made thereof, to the great Loj's of all, and Impoverijhment of many, of the Pro- prietors of the faid Level, and by which Means about four thoufand Acres of the faid Taxable Lands are now become forfeited and vejied in the Adventurers or Proprietors of the faid Taxable Lands for Non-payment of the Draining Taxes chargeable thereon purfuant to and by virtue of two feveral At~ts of Parliament made in the Reign of his late Majedy King Charles the Second, for draining the faid Fens; and that the faid Ltt/el can never be made profitable, unlefs fame new Methods be taken to recover and fecure the fame ; and it having been computed ly Jkilful and able Engineers employed for that Purpofe, that it will cofl at leqfl fifteen thoufani Pounds to recover and regain the faid Level according to the Scheme and Eftimate made thereof; and the Own- ers of the faid Free Lands, who have executed thefe Prefents, being fully fatisfied that the faid Level cannot be regained and fecured without a great Expence, which cannot be raifed on the fa : d Taxable Lands ahne, have therefore readily confuted, That the Sum of five thoufand Pounds, Part of the faid fifteen thoufand Pounds, /hall be railed by an Acre Rate of twenty Shillings an Acre upon the faid Free Lands for fuch the Pur- pofes aforefaid, in cafe an Ail of Parliament Jhall be obtained to enable them and the rejl of the faid Owners of the faid hree Lands to raife the fame ; and the faid Adventurers, Owners and Proprietors of the faid Taxable Lauds, who have alfo executed thefe Prefents, and by their Con/lit ution under the Jaid feveral Ails of Parlia- ment are afufficieiit Number to treat with the faid Owner's of the faid Free Lands, and by their Acls to bind the reft of the Owners of the Jaid Taxable Lands who Jhall not execute thefe Prefents, have alfo confent- ed, That the Sum of fix thoufand Pounds, other Part of the faid fifteen thoufand Pounds, Jhall be raij'ed by a like Acre Tax of twenty Shillings per Acre, to be laid on the Jaid fix thoufand Acres of the faid Taxable Lands, and as by the faid two jeveral Acls of Parliament they are impowered to do ; and that as the faid five thoufand Pounds, and fix thoufand Pounds Jhall be raifed, the fame Jl)all be laid out and expended for the Purpofes herein after-mentioned ; and that when both thofe Sums fliall have been raifed, then and not before the faid four thoufand Acres of the faid Taxable Lands, xvhich have been already forfeited for Non-payment of the Taxes chargeable thereon, and are thereby become vejied in the faid Adventurers, and other the faid Taxable Lands which Jhall become forfeited, and as the fame Jhall become forfeited from time to time, Jhall be fold for the moft Money that can' be got for the fame ; and the faid five thoufand Pound:, and fix thoujand Pounds, and the Money arifing by fuch Sale, and the Rents and Profits of the faid forfeit A Lands in the mean 7 ime, as far as the fame will reach to make up the faid fifteen thoufand Pounds, Jhall be applied for the perfecting the draining the faid Level, and for the Maintenance and future Prefervaticm thereof, and of the Banks, Drains, Sluices and other JVorks thereof, according to the Jaid Scheme and EJiimaii thereof as aforefaid : Therefore we, the Proprietors of the faid Free Lands, whofe Hands and Seals are here- unto fubferibed and fet with the refpeclive Quantities of Lands appearing again/1 the fame, do hereby volun- tarily and freely agree to join ivith the fail Owners of the faid Taxable Lands, in applying to Parliament for an Ail to enable us and the reft of the Owners of the faid Free Lands, who Jhall not have executed thefe Prefents, or who by reafon of their Incapacity or other Dijabi/ities in Law cannot join herein, to raife and payinto the Hands of Sir Francis Whichcote Baronet, Treafurer, or his Deputy, or the Treafurcf or his Deputy for the time being, of the faid Taxable Lands, the faid Sum of five thoufand Pounds, in the Shares ana Proportions herein after mentioned, whenfoever fuch Ad of Parliament Jhall be obtained as aJor : that is to fay, Thirteen Shillings and four Pence per Acre, Part thereof, on or before the twenty-fourth Day of June next after the Commencement of the faid Ail, Three Shillings and four Pence more, other Part thereof, on or before the twenty-fourth Day of June next enfuing the faid Time fo limited fcr the Jaid Pay- ment of the faid thirteen Shillings and four Pence per Acre, and the remaining three Shillings and four Pence, on or before the twenty -fourth Day of June next enfuing the faid Time to limited for the faid Pay- ment of the faid firjl-mentioned three Shillings and four Pence per Acre ; and" we, the Owners and Pro- prietors of the faid Taxable Lands, whofe Hands and Seals are alfo hereunto fubferibed and fet wtk the re- fpeclive Quantities of Land appearing agaiujl the fame, do hereby agree, That (in cafe fuch Ail of Par- liament as aforefaid Jhall be obtained) a Tax sf twenty Shillings per Acre Jhall be laid on the faid fix thoufand Acres of the faid Taxable Lands, at our publick Meeting to be held purfuant to the faid A/is of Parliament herein before mentioned next after the Commencement of the faid Ail of Parliament fo to be obtained as aforefaid, for raifing the faid Sum of fix thoufand Pounds upon the faid fix thoufand Acres of Taxable Lands, and that as the fame Jhall be rai/ed, the fame. Jhall be paid to the faid Sir Francis Whichcote, Treafurer, ' or his Deputy, or the Treafurer or his Deputy for the time bei?ig, of the faid Taxable Lands, at the like Times, in the like Portions, and for the like Purpofes, as the faid five thoujand Pounds is agreed to be rafed raid paid by the Jaid Free Land Owners. And it is herebv further agreed by all the Parties to thej'e Pre- Jenls, Thai as the faid feveral Sums of five thoufand Pounds, and fix 'thoufand Pounds Jhall be fo rafed as
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