CHARTER OF THE CORPORATION OF THE BANK OF ENGLAND
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..........."Now know ye, that we being desirous to promote the public
good and benefit of our people, which in these presents are chiefly
designed and intended, as well
as the profit and advantage of all such as have subscribed and
contributed according to the said
act of parliament, and our said commission thereupon issued, their
heirs, successors, and
assignees respectively, and in pursuance as well of the powers and
clauses for this purpose,
contained in the said act of parliament, as of our gracious promise and
declaration, made in and
by our said commission, or letters patents, under the Great Seal of
England, whereby the
subscriptions and contributions on the said act have been promoted or
encouraged, and by virtue
of our prerogative royal, and likewise of our especial grace, certain
knowledge, and mere motion,
have given, granted, made, ordained, constituted, declared, appointed,
and established, and by
these presents for us, our heirs and successors, do give, grant, make,
ordain, constitute, declare,
appoint and establish, that the said Sir William Ashhurst, &c. [Here the
names of the said several
subscribers are repeated.] and all and every other person and persons,
natives and foreigners,
bodies, politic or corporate, who, over and above the persons before
especially named, have, at
any time or times before the making of these presents, subscribed and
contributed any sum or
sums of money towards the said sum of twelve hundred thousand pounds so
subscribed, purfuant
to the said act, and our said commission, and have paid the fourth part
thereof upon their said
subscriptions, and who are now living or existent, and have not assigned
their interest in the said
subscriptions; and all and every the heirs and successors of any of the
said original subscribers,
who are now dead, and have not in their life-times assigned their
interests in the said
subscriptions, and the heirs and successors of such of the said
assignees who are now dead, and
did not in their life-times assign or depart with their intertest in the
said stock and annual fund,
and all and every person and persons, natives or foreigners, bodies
politic and corporate, who,
either as original subscribers of the said sum of twelve hundred
thousand pounds so subscribed,
and not having parted with their interests in their subscriptions, or as
heirs, successors, or
assignees, or by any other lawful title derived, or to be derived from,
by, or under the said
original said subscribers of the said sum of twelve hundred thousand
pounds so subscribed, or
any of them now have, or at any time or times hereafter shall have, or
be intituled to any part,
share, or interest of or in the principal or capital stock of the said
corporation, or the said yearly
fund of one hundred thousand pounds, granted by the said act of
parliament, or any part thereof,
so long as they respectively shall have any such part, share, or
interest therein, shall be, and be
called one body politic and corporate, of themselves, in deed and in
name, by the name of The
Governor and Company of the Bank of England; and them by that name, one
body politic and
corporate, in deed and in name, We do, for us, our heirs and successors,
make, create, erect
establish, and confirm for ever, by these presents, and by the same
name, they and their
successors shall have perpetual succession, and shall and may have and
use a common seal, for
the use, business, or affairs of the said body politic and corporate,
and their successors, with
power to break, alter, and to make anew their seal from time to time, at
their pleasure, and as they
shall see cause. And by the same name, they and their successors in all
times coming, shall be
able and capable in law, to have, take, purchase, receive, hold, keep,
possess, enjoy, and retain to
them and their successors any manors, messuages, lands, rents,
tenements, liberties, privileges,
franchises, hereditaments, and possessions whatsoever, and of what kind,
nature, or quality
soever; and moreover, to purchase and acquire all goods and chattels
whatsoever, wherein they
are not restrained by the said act, and also to sell, grant, demise,
alien, and dispose of the same
manors, messuages, lands, rents, tenements, privileges, franchises,
hereditaments, possessions,
goods and chattels, or any of them. And by the same name, they and their
successors shall and
may sue and implead, and be sued and impleaded, answer and defend, and
be answered and
defended in courts of record, or any other place whatsoever, and before
whatsoever judges,
justices, officers, and ministers of us, our heirs, and successors; and
in all and singular pleas,
actions, fuits, causes, and demands whatsoever, of what kind, nature, or
sort soever, and in as
large, ample, and beneficial manner and form as any other body politick
and corporate, or any
other the liege people of England, or other our dominions, being persons
able and capable in law,
may or can have, take, purchase, receive, hold, keep, possess, enjoy,
sell, grant, demise, alien,
dispose, sue, implead, defend, or answer, or be sued, impleaded,
defended, or answered in any
manner of wise, and shall and may do and execute all and singular other
matters and things by
the name aforesaid, that to them shall or may appertain to do, by virtue
of the said act or
otherwise; subject nevertheless to the proviso and condition of
redemption, in the said act
mentioned. And to all and every other clauses, provisoes and conditions
in the said act contained.
And we do hereby declare that all persons, having any interest or part
in the capital stock or fund
of the said corporation, either as original subscribers, or by
assignments, or as heirs or otherwise,
shall be, and be esteemed members of the said corporation, and shall be
admitted into the same
without any fee or charge whatsoever. And we do hereby for us, our
heirs, and successors,
declare, limit, direct and appoint, that the asoresaid sum of twelve
hundred thousand pounds so
subscribed as aforesaid, shall be, and be called, accepted, esteemed,
reputed and taken, The
common capital and principal stock of the corporation hereby
constituted. And all and every
person and persons, his, her, and their heirs, successors and assignees,
according and in
proportion to the sum or sums of money by him, her or them respectively
subscribed as aforesaid,
shall have, and be deemed to have an interest or share in the said
principal stock, and of and in
the yearly fund of one hundred thousand pounds, granted by the said act
of parliament. And we
do hereby, for us, our heirs and successors, authorize, enjoin and
require the commissioners of
our treasury, and under-treasurer of our Exchequer now being, and the
high-treasurer,
commissioners of the treasury, and under-treasurer of us, our heirs and
successors for the time
being, without any further or other warrant to be had, or obtained from
us, our heirs or
successors, to direct their warrants, and orders, according to the said
act, for the payment of the
said yearly sum of one hundred thousand pounds, by, and out of the five
seventh parts (the whole
into seven equal parts to be divided) of the monies arising by the rates
and duties granted by the
said act, and thereby appointed to be kept apart for the payment of the
said yearly fund of one
hundred thousand pounds to the said Governor and Company of the Bank of
England, and their
successors for ever, under and subject nevertheless to the payment of
the issues, fines,
amerciaments, and debts upon judgments against the said corporation,
according to the purport of
the said act."................................
