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<DATE>2010-03-19</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Susie Lorand</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Checklist:
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A87702">
<STC T="W">K351</STC>
<BIBNO T="oclc">42475752</BIBNO>
<VID>151201</VID>
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<TEXT LANG="eng">
<FRONT>
<DIV1 TYPE="title page">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<P>A BRIEF NARRATIVE, OR THE REMONSTRANCE OF <HI>JOHN KERSEY,</HI> Sometimes Chief Clerk of the <HI>Trinity-Hou&s;e</HI> of <HI>Deptford-Strond</HI> in the County of <HI>Kent,</HI> with his ju&s;t Right to the &s;aid Office truly repre&s;ented.</P>
<P><HI>ALSO,</HI> The Cau&s;e of his Di&s;mi&s;&s;ion in the Year 1648, by the U&s;urped Power then Governing.</P>
<P>WITH HIS Several Addre&s;&s;es to the Corporation, &s;ince His Maje&s;ties Happy Re&s;tauration, but no Re-admi&s;|&s;ion.</P>
<P><HI>LONDON,</HI> Printed in the Year 1677.</P>
</DIV1>
</FRONT>
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="2">
<PB N="1" REF="2">
<HEAD>A Brief Narrative of the <HI>CASE</HI> of <HI>John Ker&s;ey</HI> &s;ometimes Chief Clerk of the <HI>Trinity-Hou&s;e</HI> of <HI>Deptford-Srond</HI> in the County of <HI>Kent,</HI> &amp;c.</HEAD>
<P><HI>INprimis,</HI> He the &s;aid <HI>John Ker&s;ey</HI> was received in the Year 1636, by M^r <HI>Jo&s;ias Best,</HI> then Clerk of the <HI>Trinity-Hou&s;e</HI> afore&s;aid, as his Servant, or Under-Clerk; and continued in that condi|tion about 5 years.</P>
<P>At the expiration of which Term, <HI>Jo&s;ias Be&s;t</HI> vo|luntarily &s;urrenders his place to the Corporation, recommending <HI>John Ker&s;ey</HI> to their Service to &s;uc|ceed him.</P>
<P>The <HI>Trinity-Hou&s;e,</HI> in con&s;ideration of <HI>John Ker&s;ey</HI>'s good Service, Demeanor, and Ability, elect and chu&s;e him their Clerk, without putting any one in com|petition with him, and &s;o to continue &s;o long as he &s;hall behave him&s;elf as becometh an hone&s;t man&punc; which is generally under&s;tood to be during Life.</P>
<P><HI>John Ker&s;ey</HI> continueth eight years longer as chief Clerk of the <HI>Trinity-Hou&s;e</HI> with general approba|tion, till in the year 1648, for promoting the Per&s;o|nal Treaty with His Late Maje&s;ty of Ble&s;&s;ed Memory,
<PB N="2" REF="3">for that very cau&s;e was outed of the &s;aid Employ|ment, and the whole Corporation for Eleven years odd Months di&s;&s;olved by the U&s;urped Tyrannical Power then Governing.</P>
<P><HI>John Ker&s;ey</HI> makes his Addre&s;s by Petition the 27^t^h of <HI>October</HI> 1660, to the <HI>Trinity-Hou&s;e,</HI> to be re-admi|tted, finds but &frac14; part of the Elder Brethren &s;urviving, which were left in 1648; but the Corporation new modell'd, con&s;i&s;ting of 31 per&s;ons, according to its pri&s;tine condition.</P>
<P>He receives this general An&s;wer, That they could not do the Clerk they found there, &s;o much wrong to eject him, as to do <HI>John Ker&s;ey</HI> the right to receive him; and particularly the Corporation had power to chu&s;e their own Clerk: a Clerk they had cho&s;en, and him they would &s;tand by.</P>
<P><HI>The Petition before-mentioned was attended by</HI>
<LIST>
<ITEM>D^r <HI>Fuller</HI> Bi&s;hop of <HI>Kerry.</HI></ITEM>
<ITEM>Col. <HI>John Price</HI> of <HI>Hereford,</HI> <ABBR>E&s;q</ABBR></ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>John Needler</HI> of <HI>Grayes-Inn,</HI> Gent.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Tho. Hulbert</HI> of <HI>Covent-Garden,</HI> Gent.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Lancelot Burrell</HI> of <HI>Lond.</HI> Gent.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Humphrey Bean</HI> of <HI>Lond.</HI> Merchant.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>William Clifton</HI> of <HI>Covent-Garden,</HI> Vintner.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>S^<GAP DESC="illegible" RESP="UOM" EXTENT="1 letter"> Chri&s;topher Gui&s;e</HI> of <HI>Glouce&s;ter,</HI> K^t &amp; Baron^t.</ITEM>
<ITEM><HI>Robert Gardiner</HI> of <HI>London,</HI> Merchant.</ITEM>
</LIST></P>
<P>Which Gentlemen, with &s;ome others, I entreated
<PB N="3" REF="3">that day to go along with me, and humbly be&s;ought the Corporation to admit to them the hearing of &s;uch things as might be &s;aid and offered by me to the Corporation; and al&s;o to te&s;tifie of my Life and Con|ver&s;ation for the Twelve years la&s;t pa&s;t, and par|ticularly what, and how I had acted for the Kings Friends in order to His Service; all which was ab|&s;olutely denied me: the want of which Te&s;timony hath, and doth &s;till hinder the publication of my Vindication.</P>
<P>After the denial of granting the Petition before mentioned, <HI>John Ker&s;ey</HI> publi&s;hed to &s;ome Friends and Members of the Corporation, a Remon&s;trance containing the Heads of the afore&s;aid Petition, in the&s;e words:</P>
<DIV2 TYPE="remonstrance">
<HEAD>A Brief Remon&s;trance of <HI>JOHN KERSEY,</HI> late Clerk of the <HI>Trinity-Hou&s;e.</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER>The Remon&s;trant &s;heweth,</OPENER>
<P>THat after the expiration of about five years Service as an Under-Clerk to his Predece&s;&s;or <HI>Jo&s;ias Be&s;t,</HI> the Remon&s;trant was by the general liking and approbation of the whole Corporation (the &s;aid <HI>Jo&s;ias Be&s;t,</HI> for cau&s;es and con&s;iderations him thereunto moving, voluntarily re&s;igning his &s;aid Office) elected in his room, and continued princi|pal Clerk therein for the &s;pace of Eight Years more, and by an Order of the &s;aid Corporation, Dated
<PB N="4" REF="4">the 22^t^h of <HI>May,</HI> 1641. Sub&s;cribed by all the Cor|poration then pre&s;ent, enabled &s;o to continue &s;o long as he &s;hould behave him&s;elf as &s;hould become an ho|ne&s;t man, which is generally under&s;tood during Life.</P>
<P>That the Remon&s;trant promoting the Per&s;onal Treaty with the Late King of Ble&s;&s;ed Memory, by all endeavors and intere&s;ts, which were not &s;mall, by rea&s;on of the great influence he had among Sea|men of the be&s;t quality, and the particular know|ledge he had how mo&s;t of them &s;tood affected as to Loyalty and Allegiance; the &s;aid Treaty not happi|ly &s;ucceeding, the Petitioner was forced out of his &s;aid Employment in 1648, by the U&s;urped Tyranni|cal Power then governing, and al&s;o the whole Cor|poration for Eleven Years odd Months di&s;&s;olved.</P>
<P>The Remon&s;trant, when the Per&s;onal Treaty was on foot, got an appearance at &s;everal times in the &s;pace of ten days, of 468 Ma&s;ters and Commanders of Ships, of the mo&s;t eminent belonging to the Port of <HI>London,</HI> who chearfully &s;ub&s;cribed to the Petition for a <HI>Per&s;onal Treaty;</HI> he al&s;o took up divers Letters from unknown per&s;ons, directed to the <HI>Trinity-Hou&s;e,</HI> and delivered them to the Corporation in full Court, when no per&s;on el&s;e would adventure to do it; the Scope and Tenor of which, was to incite and &s;pur the Corporation to be active in that juncture of time, and to follow the example of divers Corporations, who had already appeared by Petition in this weighty Affair: which was accordingly done, though the
<PB N="5" REF="4">deplored &s;ucce&s;s an&s;wered not the Prayers and Hopes of His Maje&s;ties True and Loyal Subjects.</P>
<P>The Remon&s;trant by his own Intere&s;t with the Searchers at <HI>Grave&s;end,</HI> got pa&s;&s;age for the Bi&s;hop of <HI>Kerry,</HI> and Col. <HI>John Price,</HI> with divers other pro&s;cribed Gentlemen that were active for His Maje&s;ty and His Affairs, who in &s;afety arrived at divers Ports be|yond the Seas, though to the hazard of the Remon|&s;trant's Life and Office.</P>
<P>That upon the re-a&s;&s;umption of the Secluded Members of Parliament, the &s;urviving Wardens and Elder Brethren of the <HI>Trinity-Hou&s;e</HI> re-a&s;&s;umed their places al&s;o, which were but Eight of Thirty &amp; one, and Petitioned the Parliament, that they might new Model their Corporation; which was granted, and an Act pa&s;&s;ed to impower them &s;o to do.</P>
<P>The Remon&s;trant, according to his Duty, peti|tioned the <HI>Trinity-Hou&s;e</HI> the 27^t^h of <HI>October,</HI> 1661; but being denied to have any Friend accompany him at the Hearing, which in rea&s;on ought to have been free, they only put him to the proof of one particular mentioned in the foregoing Petition, <HI>viz.</HI> So long to continue as he &s;hould behave him&s;elf as &s;hould be|come an hone&s;t man.</P>
<P>The Remon&s;trant did it by a Copy of the Origi|nal, which by fortune he had pre&s;erved; but their Faith was as in many other matters, of no &s;uch long extent as to believe it, unle&s;s I could prove it out of their own Record. This put me hard to't; for my Succe&s;&s;or <HI>Edward Keeling,</HI> accompting him&s;elf as one
<PB N="6" REF="5">of the then Elder Brethren, and &s;itting among them (by what power I know not) after &s;ome Hums and &s;crew|ed countenances, as if he had expected a Revelation, the modern way being not quite out of fa&s;hion, affir|med, he had taken more pains than any man in view|ing and &s;earching the Records of the <HI>Trinity-Hou&s;e,</HI> but could never find any to that purpo&s;e. Here was my Definitive Sentence, and all my hopes vani&s;ht; for I ea&s;ily perceived that particular intere&s;t &s;wayed more for the pre&s;ent Clerk than for me. But Provi|dence gave me yet a thread to hold by; Capt. <HI>Brian Harri&s;on,</HI> one of the former Elder Brethren, &s;itting then as Warden, or Deputy-Warden, affirmed in my favour, that &s;uch words he well remembred was in the Order whereby I was made Clerk, and wi&s;hed me to recollect what manner of Book it was in, and he would be at the trouble to &s;eek it out, and did &s;o; I turned readily to it, but with much fear it had been expunged by tho&s;e that dur&s;t do any thing; but they had mi&s;t it, and &s;o had <HI>Edward Keeling;</HI> for I found it and read it, which, in my thoughts, made much for me. The Corporation would not in&s;i&s;t much upon Argument, de&s;ired me to withdraw, and upon return, received this An&s;wer as before mentioned, from &s;ome of them, That they found a Clerk at their new Modelling, and conceive they cannot do him that wrong, as to eject him, and me that right as to receive me; and from the Chair-man, in the name and behalf of tho&s;e pre&s;ent, That they did con|ceive they had power to chu&s;e their own Clerk; a
<PB N="7" REF="5">Clerk they had cho&s;en, and him they would &s;tand by.</P>
<P>The ca&s;e is therefore clear, that <HI>John Ker&s;ey</HI> was outed for promoting the Per&s;onal Treaty, and for no other cau&s;e, as by two Certificates, one under the hands of a great number of the be&s;t Ma&s;ters of Ships belonging to this Port of <HI>London,</HI> and another under the hands of divers of the mo&s;t eminent Mer|chants, and other per&s;ons dwelling and re&s;iding a|bout this City, may appear; the Copies whereof &s;hall hereafter be &s;et forth.</P>
<P>That the promoting the Per&s;onal Treaty, was a Service to the King, and to all Loyal Subjects, though it did not happily &s;ucceed, and no crime or mi&s;de|meanor, therefore cannot continue outed unle&s;s they will own the Power legal that ejected him.</P>
<P>That the if Will of &s;ome few of the Corporation, which &s;ways the re&s;t, joyned with a particular Inte|re&s;t, which may be made out, mu&s;t be a Law:</P>
<P>It is humbly offered to the whole Corporation, that if it may not be thought fit that the Remon&s;trant be continued for the future to officiate in the &s;aid Of|fice of Clerk of the <HI>Trinity-Hou&s;e,</HI> with all its u&s;ual and former Perqui&s;ites and Fees heretofore belong|ing, or in any wi&s;e appertaining to the &s;ame:</P>
<P>That then &s;ome other experienced and able per&s;on of known Loyalty and Fidelity proper for that em|ployment, may &s;ucceed in that place hereafter, that &s;o tho&s;e that are, and have been True and Loyal to His Maje&s;ty in his greate&s;t Exigences, may receive and
<PB N="8" REF="6">communicate of tho&s;e happy Benefits which others, not having the lea&s;t merited the &s;ame, do now mo&s;t comfortably enjoy: And to the intent that all me|mory of that horrid U&s;urper and Tyrant <HI>O. Cromwel</HI> may be expunged and obliterated, the Remon&s;trant further implores,</P>
<P>That the Branches and Remains of him may be expelled, to make room for &s;uch a per&s;on who may wave all private Intere&s;t for the Service of His Ma|je&s;ty, and Advance of the Publick, as the Remon|&s;trant hath been accu&s;tomed to do, and for which he hath this Twelve years continued a patient, though extream Sufferer.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="continuation of text">
<P>The afore&s;aid Remon&s;trance coming to view (as no que&s;tion but it did) of &s;ome of the Grandees of <HI>Trinity-Hou&s;e,</HI> was no whit plea&s;ant, in&s;omuch as it is more than probable they might be quit with me at the next turn. It fortuned that <HI>Ralph Keeling</HI> died in <HI>Augu&s;t</HI> following; having timely notice thereof, I made a &s;econd Addre&s;s by Petition again, verily be|lieving no Ob&s;tacle; but found &s;uch &s;ucce&s;s as before. The Copy of that Petition likewi&s;e followeth.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="petition">
<PB N="9" REF="6">
<HEAD>To the Right Wor&s;hipful the Ma&s;ter, Wardens, and A&s;&s;istants, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></HEAD>
<HEAD TYPE="sub">The Petition of <HI>John Ker&s;ey,</HI></HEAD>
<OPENER>Sheweth,</OPENER>
<P>THat in <HI>October</HI> la&s;t the Petitioner made his Ad|dre&s;s by Petition to this Eminent Corporation, &s;etting forth the time of his Admi&s;&s;ion, his Continu|ance, and his <HI>Exit,</HI> and the grounds and cau&s;es of either of them.</P>
<P>That there was one clau&s;e in the &s;aid Petition, <HI>viz.</HI> (&s;o to continue &s;o long as he behaved him&s;elf as &s;hould become an hone&s;t man, which was inclu&s;ive in the Order when your Petitioner was con&s;tituted Clerk, and Signed by the whole Corporation then pre&s;ent) was in hard mea&s;ure to your Petitioner put to proof, and no acknowledgment of any &s;uch Record by the late Clerk, the Petitioners pretended Succe&s;&s;or; but upon &s;trict &s;earch of the Regi&s;ter, was found to be re|corded in the &s;ame Terms as the Petitioner &s;et forth.</P>
<P>That the Petitioner lo&s;t the &s;aid Employment, not for any Mi&s;demeanor or in&s;ufficiency, but for promo|ting the Per&s;onal Treaty with the Late King <HI>Charles</HI> of Ble&s;&s;ed Memory, the unfortunate &s;ucce&s;s whereof, involved not only the Petitioner, but this whole Cor|poration in a general Di&s;&s;olution for Twelve Years.</P>
<P>That your Petitioner had more than hopes of re-a&s;&s;uming his &s;aid Office at the Re&s;tauration of His Sacred Maje&s;ty, knowing &s;o many of the Elder Bre|thren
<PB N="10" REF="7">as were then alive, without any let or di&s;tur|bance rea&s;&s;ume theirs: But when your Petitioner, as in duty bound, applied him&s;elf by Petition, found this An&s;wer from &s;ome of the Corporation, That they could not do a man whom they found in the Em|ployment, &s;o much wrong to eject him, and right as to receive the Petitioner: and upon further re&s;ult of the Corporation, your Petitioner received a more har&s;h An&s;wer, which he hath had &s;ad cau&s;e to re|member.</P>
<P>Notwith&s;tanding your Petitioner hopes that up|on this &s;econd Review of the Petitioners long &s;uf|fering, his pre&s;ent nece&s;&s;ities, and the lo&s;s of reputa|tion, if not re-admitted, this juncture of time al&s;o occurring whereby no room is left for pretences of injury for, or to any other per&s;on;</P>
<P>He prays, That putting in caution for his fair Demeanor and Fidelity, he may receive the influence of your Wor&s;hips Favour, by his re-admi&s;&s;ion, or &s;ome moderate and con&s;cionable Satisfaction for his lo&s;s of the prime of his time &s;pent in your Wor&s;hips Service, and Disbur&s;ement of a con&s;iderable Sum of Money (though in his own wrong) to his Predece&s;|&s;or, at the time of his Con&s;titution.</P>
<CLOSER>And your Petitioner &s;hall pray, <HI>&amp;c.</HI></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="continuation of text">
<P>This Second Petition was accompanied with the &s;ame per&s;ons in the Month of <HI>Augu&s;t</HI> following, and
<PB N="11" REF="7">I was received with very fair words and &s;eeming re|&s;pect; but all were <HI>Chimaera's;</HI> my Friends denied as before, to hear any thing I might offer them.</P>
<P>The Court being &s;ate, I was call'd in among Four others (Suitors for the place) we were all an&s;wer|ed according to cu&s;tom, That the Corporation would take our de&s;ires into con&s;iderrtion; that the De&s;ign was laid, the Knight mu&s;t always beat the Giant; <HI>William Witherington,</HI> who had been a Sub-Clerk there for &s;ome years, was cho&s;en to counter-ballance the Petitioner, which el&s;e had carried it from the re&s;t; but the Squib is not yet at the end of the Rope. <HI>Witherington</HI> after a formal po&s;&s;e&s;&s;ion of the place &s;ome few days, falls &s;ick, and although there were fair hopes of Death, recovers; yet however the De&s;ign for M^r <HI>Askew</HI> mu&s;t hold, who (to &s;ay truth) was better qualified in other My&s;teries than in Clerk&s;hip. Here the Remon&s;trant pleads ignorance by what Device they pull'd in <HI>Askew</HI> by head and &s;houlders, and laid a&s;ide <HI>Witherington,</HI> who is but a Sub-Clerk to this day.</P>
</DIV2>
<DIV2 TYPE="section">
<PB N="12" REF="8">
<HEAD>The Copies of Two Certificates, one of Commanders of Ships belonging to this Port of <HI>London;</HI> the other of Merchants, and others of eminent Qua|lity, in the behalf of the <HI>Remon&s;trant,</HI> &s;igni|fying his good Carriage, Behaviour and Conver|&s;ation.</HEAD>
<LETTER LANG="eng">
<P>VVE who&s;e Names are here-under written, being Ma&s;ters and Owners of Shipping, and related to Marine Affairs, having had long know|ledge and experience of the Bearer hereof, <HI>John Ker&s;ey,</HI> formerly Clerk of the <HI>Guild-Fraternity</HI> or Brotherhood of the <HI>Trinity-Hou&s;e</HI> of <HI>Deptford-Strond</HI> in the County of <HI>Kent,</HI> do hereby Certifie and Inform, that the &s;aid <HI>John Ker&s;ey</HI> being duly, lawfully and generally elected and cho&s;en Clerk of the &s;aid Fraternity, did exerci&s;e the &s;aid Office for many years, to the gene|ral liking and approbation of the &s;aid Corporation, and of all &s;uch other per&s;ons as had occa&s;ion to make u&s;e of him in his &s;aid Office and Employment, being a well ordered per&s;on, courteous and affable in his Conver&s;ation, of good ability in the performance of the Employment afore&s;aid; and withal, both ready and willing to give every man Di&s;patches according to their &s;everal and earne&s;t occa&s;ions. And that for &s;o much as we know, or have ever heard, there was no di&s;like again&s;t him by any of the &s;aid Corporation: And this we are very certain and confident to affirm,
<PB N="13" REF="8">that he was never ejected or di&s;mi&s;&s;ed by the &s;aid Cor|poration for any cau&s;e of di&s;ability, di&s;like or misbe|haviour; but only upon the &s;ame cau&s;e and rea&s;on the whole Corporation afore&s;aid was di&s;&s;olved; that is to &s;ay, for abetting, aiding, a&s;&s;i&s;ting and promoting the Per&s;onal Treaty with His Late Maje&s;ty of Ble&s;|&s;ed Memory. In pro&s;ecution whereof, he (according to his continued Loyalty) was to the utmo&s;t of his power and intere&s;t, both active, earne&s;t and vigo|rous.</P>
<CLOSER><DATELINE><DATE>July 29, 1660.</DATE></DATELINE>
<SIGNED><HI>Sub&s;cribed by</HI> 40 <HI>Commanders, as afore&s;aid; and Another of the &s;ame tenor, Sub&s;cribed by</HI> 50 <HI>Merchants and other per&s;ons of eminent quality.</HI></SIGNED></CLOSER>
</LETTER>
<P>When M^r <HI>Peapes</HI> entred, I knew not till above a Twelvemonth after; which &s;aved me the labour of a Third Addre&s;s, and &s;o there was nothing heard of me: Since M^r <HI>Peapes</HI> his Death, I made another Addre&s;s, but had an ambiguous an&s;wer from Two Members of the Corporation: One affirmed the Bu&s;ine&s;s was done already; that is, there was a new Election; and the other told me, there would be no Election till four|teen days were pa&s;t; yet upon <HI>Monday</HI> following, being an unu&s;ual day for Meeting, there was a Court called, and M^r <HI>Gib&s;on</HI> cho&s;en; which prevented my Fourth Addre&s;s.</P>
<P><HI>The Sight of this Paper to Ingenuous unbya&s;&s;ed per&s;ons of the Corporation afore&s;aid, that knew me not, Time having worn me out of remembrance, may perhaps give them a &s;ight of my Suf|ferings, and &s;o con&s;equently may beget both Pity and Charity. I &s;hall make further application to them as Time and Opportunity will direct, not intending willingly to quit my Right in the &s;aid Office till the expiration of my Breath.</HI></P>
<CLOSER><SIGNED>JOHN KERSEY.</SIGNED></CLOSER>
</DIV2>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT>
</EEBO>
</ETS>
