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<DATE>2008-06-02</DATE>
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<NAME>John Pas</NAME>
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<ITEM>Proofed and reviewed as part of batch B080510.pdcc.</ITEM>
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<STC T="W">C1158</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">52211969</BIBNO>
<VID>175539</VID>
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<DIV1 TYPE="case">
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<HEAD>The CASE OF THE Right Honourable <HI>William Harbourd,</HI> E&s;q; and Sir <HI>Francis Guybon,</HI> Knight, cho&s;en Members for the Burrough of <HI>Thetford,</HI> to &s;erve in this pre&s;ent Parliament, The Burrough of <HI>Thetford</HI> is an Ancient Burrough; and by Pre&s;cription &s;ends two Burge&s;&s;es to Repre&s;ent them in Parliament.</HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The Right Honourable <HI>William Harbourd,</HI> E&s;q; and Sir <HI>Francis Guybon</HI> are Cho&s;en and Return'd by the Old Corporation AND Sir <HI>Jo&s;eph William&s;on,</HI> Knight, and <HI>Adam Felton,</HI> E&s;q; by the New One.</HEAD>
<P>In the 16th. of Queen <HI>Elizabeth,</HI> The Burrough of <HI>Thetford</HI> was incorporated by the name of the Mayor, Ten Principal Burge&s;&s;es and Twenty Commoners.</P>
<P>It was directed in the &s;aid Charter, That the Mayor and Commoners &s;hould, the <HI>Wedne&s;day</HI> next before <HI>Michaelmas</HI> day in every Year, between Nine and Eleven in the Morning, meet in the <HI>Guildhall,</HI> or &s;ome convenient place in the &s;aid Bur|rough, and there name two of the Chief Burge&s;&s;es to the Inhabitants, who are to Elect one of them to be Mayor for the year en&s;uing.</P>
<P><HI>NOTE,</HI> Under this Con&s;titution it continued till 1681. at which time <HI>John Mendham</HI> was Mayor, who having got an Acquaintance with Sir <HI>Lionel Jenkins,</HI> then Principal Secretary of State to King <HI>Charles</HI> the Second, did in the &s;ame time of his Mayoralty, endeavour to in|cline the Corporation, to chu&s;e &s;uch Men to repre&s;ent them as would &s;erve the De&s;igns then on foot; but finding he could have no influence over them, and that the time of his Mayoralty was almo&s;t expired; did on the Election Day, being <HI>Wedne&s;day</HI> before <HI>Michael|mas,</HI> ab&s;ent him&s;elf till he thought the time of Election was over, thinking thereby to make void the Election.</P>
<P>Yet notwith&s;tanding, the Commonalty did a&s;&s;emble them&s;elves, and did name two of the Principal Burge&s;&s;es to be Mayor for the year en&s;uing, of whom <HI>Wormly Hether&s;ett</HI> (be|ing one) was elected and declared Mayor.</P>
<P>About Eleven of the Clock, <HI>Mendham</HI> (who had ab&s;conded him&s;elf) came and appear|ed, and being told they had made choi&s;e of <HI>Hether&s;ett,</HI> &s;eemingly approved of it, and made an excu&s;e that he did not come &s;ooner.</P>
<P>Neverthele&s;s <HI>Mendham</HI> (although <HI>Hether&s;ett</HI> had often applied him&s;elf to him) refu&s;ed to &s;wear him Mayor as he ought to have done; and although &s;everal <HI>Mandamus's</HI> were &s;ent to him (out of the <HI>King's Bench</HI>) injoyning him to do the &s;ame, yet he di&s;obeyed them all.</P>
<P>Whereupon he was brought up the next Term by a Tip&s;taff to an&s;wer his contempt, and was committed in Cu&s;tody to the Tip&s;taff, from whom he got away and rid down Po&s;t to <HI>Thetford,</HI> and there called together &s;uch of the Burge&s;&s;es, as were of his Party, who Di&s;|franchized two of the Members that were not of their &s;tamp, and &s;wore two new ones in their places, the one of whom &s;tood at that time Excommunicated, and the other <HI>Mend|ham</HI>'s Son, who was not above &s;ixteen years of age, and who did immediately vote a Surrender of the Charter, which they but ju&s;t before &s;wore to maintain, and it was accord|ingly Surrendred and Inrolled in <HI>Chancery.</HI></P>
<P>Afterwards <HI>Mendham</HI> Solicites and gets a New Charter, wherein him&s;elf is made Mayor, and &s;uch others added to him, as would &s;erve the intent of a Surrender.</P>
<P><HI>NOTE,</HI> That at thela&s;t Se&s;&s;ion of Parliament, in a hearing before the Committee of Elections, concerning tho&s;e that were cho&s;en by vertue of the New; and tho&s;e that were cho&s;en by vertue of the Old Charter: The Committee did declare, that notwith&s;tanding the Surrender and Inrollment; Tho&s;e that were returned by vertue of the Old Charter were duly returned.</P>
<P>And upon Report thereof the Hou&s;e did unanimou&s;ly agree with the Committee.</P>
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