Selected quad for the lemma: land_n
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A57300
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A brief relation of Sr. Walter Ralegh's troubles, with the taking away of the lands and castle of Sherborne in Dorset from him and his heires, being his indubitable inheritance
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Raleigh, Carew, 1605-1666.
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1669
(1669)
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Wing R148; ESTC R8076
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4,651
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12
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A BRIEF RELATION OF Sr. Walter Ralegh's TROUBLES WITH The taking away of the Lands and Castle OF SHERBORNE in DORSET From Him and his Heires being his indubitable Inheritance LONDON Printed for W. T. MDCLXIX To the Right Honorable The COMMONS of ENGLAND assembled in Parliament The Humble Petition of CAREVV RALEGH Esquire onely Son of Sir WALTER RALEGH late deceased HVMBLY SHEWETH THat whereas your Petitioner conceiveth That his late Father Sir WALTER RALEGH was most unjustly and illegally Condemned and Executed and his Lands and Castle of Sherborne wrongfully taken from him and his as may more at large appeare by this brief narrative hereunto annexed The particulars whereof your Petitioner is upon due proofes ready to make good Your Petitioner therefore humbly submitting to the great Justice and Integrity of this House which is no way more manifested then by relieving the Oppressed humbly craveth that hee may receive such satisfaction for these his great oppressions and losses as to the wisdome and elemency of this honourable House shall seem fit And your Petitioner shall humbly Pray c. A BRIEFE RELATION OF SIR WALTER RALEGH's Troubles with the taking away of the Lands and Castle of Sherborne in Dorset c. WHen King IAMES came into England hee found Sir Walter Ralegh by the favour of his late Mistresse Queen ELIZABETH Lord Warden of the Stannaries Lord Lieutenant of Devonshire and Cornwall Captain of the Guard and Governour of the Isle of Gersey with a large Possession of lands both in England and Ireland The King for some weeks used him with great kindness and was pleased to acknowledge divers Presents which hee had received from him being in Scotland for which hee gave him thanks But finding him as hee said himself a Martiall man addicted to Forreigne affaires and great actions hee feared lest he shou'd engage him in a warre a thing most hated and contrary to the Kings nature wherefore hee began to look upon him with a jealous eye especially after he had presented him with a Booke wherein with great animosity he opposed the Peace with Spaine then in treaty perswading the King rather vigorously to prosecute the war with that Prince then in hand promising and that with great probility within few yeares to reduce the West-Indies to his obedience But Sir Walter Ralegh's enemies soon discovering the Kings humour resolved at once to rid the King of this doubt and trouble to enrich themselves with the lands and offices of Sr. Walter Ralegh Wherfore they plotted to accuse him and the Lord Cobham a simple passionate man but of very Noble birth and great possessions of high treason The particulars of their accusation I am utterly ignorant of and I think all men borth then and now living only I find in generall terms they were accused for plotting with the Spaniard to bring in a forreigne Army and Proclaime the Jnfanta of Spaine Queene of England but without any Proofes and the thing it self as ridiculous as impossible How ever Sir Walter Ralegh was condemâ—ed without any witnes brought in against him and the Lord Cobham who was pretended to have accused him barely in a letter in another letter to Sr. Walt. Ralegh upon his salvation cleered him of all treason or treasonable actions either against King or state to his knowledge which original letter is now in the hands oâ— Mr. Carew Ralegh son of Sr. Walter to bee produced at any time Upon this Condemnation all his lands and offices were seazed and himself committed close prisoner to the Tower but they found his Castle of Sherborne and the lands thereunto belonging to be long before entailed on his children so that hee could not forfeit it but during his own life And the King finding in himself the iniquity of Sir Walters condemnation gave him all what hee had forfeited again but still kept him close Prisoner seven years after his imprisonment he enjoyed Sherborn at which time it fell out that one Mr. Robert Car a young Scotch Gent grew in great favor with the King and having no fortune they contrived to lay the foundation of his future greatnesse upon the ruines of Sir Walter Ralegh Wherupon they called the conveyance of Sherborn in question in the Exchecquer chamber and for want of one single word which word was found not withstanding in the Paper-book and was onely the oversight of a Clerk they pronounced the Conveyance invalide and Sherborn forfeited to the crown a judgement easily to be foreseen without witchcraft since his chiefest judge was his greatest enemie and the case argued between a poore friendlesse Prisoner and a King of England Thus was Sherborne given to Sir Robert Car after Earl of Somerset the Lady Ralegh with her Children humbly and earnestly Petitioning the King for compassion on her and hers could obtaine no other answer from him but that hee mun have the land hee mun have it for Car. She being a woman of a very high spirit and Noble birth and breeding fell downe upon her knees with her hands heaved up to heaven and in the bitternesse of spirit beseeched God Almighty to look upon the justice of her cause and punish those who had so wrongfully exposed her and her poore children to ruine and beggery What hath happened since to that royall Family is too sad and disastrous for me to repeat and yet too visible not to be discerned But to proceed Prince HENRY hearing the King had given Sherborn to Sir Robert Car came with some anger to his Father desiring hee would be pleased to bestow Sherborn upon him alledging that it was a Place of great strength and beauty which hee much liked but indeed with an intention to give it hack to Sir Walter Ralegh whom hee much esteemed The King who was unwilling to refuse any of that Princes desires for indeed they were most commonly delivered in such language as sounded rather like a demand then an intreaty granted his request and to satisfie his Favorite gave him five and twenty Thousand pounds in ready money so farre was the King or Crown from gaining by this Purchase But that Excellent Prince within a few Moneths was taken away how and by what means is suspected by all and I fear was then too well known by many After his death the King gave Sherborn againe to Sr. Robert Car who not many yeers after by the name of Earle of Somerset was arraigned and coâ—dâ—mned for poysoning Sir Thomas Overbury and lost all his lands Then Sr. John Digbie nov Earl of Bristol begged Sherborn of the King and had it Sir Walter Ralegh being of a sumptuous constitution and perfect health had now worne out sixteen yeers Imprisonment and had seen the disastrous end of all his greatest enemies so that new persons and new interests now springing up in Court hee found means to obtaine his liberty but upon condition to go a voyage to Guiana in discoverie of a Gold mine that unhappie voyage is well known almost to
all men and how hee was betrayed from the very beginning his lettâ—rs and designes being discovered to Gondomar the Spanish Ambassador whereby hee found such strong opposition upon the place that though hee took and fired the town of St. Thomà yet hee lost his eldest Son in that service and being desperately sick himselfe was made frustrate of all his hopes Immediately upon his returne home hee was made Prisoner and by the violent pursuit of Gondomar and some others who could not think their estates safe while his head was upon his shoulders the King resolved to take advantage of his former condemnation sixteen yeers past being not able to take away his life for any new action and though hee had given him a Commssion under the Broad seal to execute martiall law upon his own Soldiers wch was conceived by the best Lawyers a full pardon for any offence committed before that time without any further trouble of the law cut off his head Here Iustice was indeed blind blindly executing one and the same person upon one and the same Condemnation for things contradictorie for Sir Walter Ralegh was condemned for being a friend to the Spanyard and lost his life for being their utter enemie Thus Kings when they will doe what they please please not him they should God and having made their power subservient to their will deprive themselves of that just power whereby others are subservient to them To proceed Mr. Carew Ralegh only Son of Sr Walter being at this time a youth of about 13. bred at Oxford after 5-yeers came to Court by the favor of the right Hon. Will Earl of Pembroke his noble kinsman hoped to obtain some redresse in his misfortunes but the King not liking his countenance sayd he appeared to him like the ghost of his Father whereupon the Earle advised him to travaile which he did untill the death of King James which happened about a yeer after Then comming over and a Parliament sitting he according to the custome of this Land addressed himself to them by Petiâ—ion to be restored in blood thereby to enable him to inherit such Lands as might come unto him either as heyr to his Father or any other way but his Petition having been twice read in the Lords house King Charles sent Sir Iames Fullerton then of the Bed-chamber unto Mr. Ralegh to command him to come unto him and being brought into the Kings chamber by the sayd Sir James the King after using him with great civilitie notwithstanding told him plainly that when hee was Prince hee had promised the Earle of Bristol to secure his title to Sherborn against the heyrs of Sir Walter Ralegh wherupon the Earl had given him then Prince ten thousand pounds that now hee was bound to make good his promise being King that therefore unlesse hee would quit all his right and title to Sherborn he neyther could nor would passe his bill of restauration Mr. Ralegh urged the justice of his cause that hee desired onely the libertie of a Subject and to be left to the Law which was â—ever denyed any free-man Notwithstanding all which allegaâ—ions the King was resolute in his denyall and so left him After which Sir James Fuâ—lerton used many arguments to perswade submission to the Kings will as the impossibilitie of contesting with Kingly power the not being restored in blood which brought along with it so many inconveniences that it was not possible without iâ— to possesse or enjoy any lands or estate in this Kingdom The not being in condition if his cloke were taken from his back or hat from his head to sue for restitution All which things being considered together with splendid promises of great preferment in Court and particular favors from the King not improbable wrought much in the mind of young Mr. Ralegh who being a person not full twentie yeers old left friendlesse and fortune-lesse prevailed so far that hee submitted to the Kings will Wherupon there was an Act passed for his restauration and together with it a settlement of Sherborn to the Earl of Bristol and in shew of some kind of recompense four hundred pounds a yeere pension during life granted to Mr. Ralegh after the death of his Mother who had that sum paid unto her during life in lieu of jointure Thus have J with as much brevity humility and candor as the nature of the case will permit related the pressures force and injustice committed upon a poore oppressed though not undeserving * Family and have forborne to specifie the Names of those who were Instruments of this evill left I should be thought to have an inclination to scandaâ—ize particular and perchance Noble families Vpon the consideration of all which I humbly submit my selfe to the Commons of England now represented in Parliament desiring according to their great Wisdome and Justice that they will right me and my Posterity according to their owne best liking having in mine own Person though bred at Court never opposed any of their just Rights and Priviledges and for the future being resolved to range my selfe under the banner of the Commons of England and so farre forth as Education and Fatherly instruction can prevaile promise the same for two Sons whom God hath sent mee She was the onely Daughter of Sir Nicholas lTHrockmorton who was arraigned in Q. Maryes time and qun see Fox his Acts and Monuments * Sir Walter Ralegh discovered Virginia at hâ—s owne Charge which cost him 40000. Pounds He was the fiâ—st of the English that discovered Guiana in the West Indâ— Hee tooke the Islands of Fayall from the Spâ—â—yard and did most signal and eminent Service at the takâ—ng of Cadiz He tooke from the Spaniard the greatest and richest Carick that ever came into England And another ship laden with nothing but Gold Pearls and Cochincel