§ A Petition of William Wright, of Bridge Court, Westminster, in the county of Middlesex, gentleman, was presented and read; setting forth,
§ "That, under the sanction of an Act of Parliament, made and passed in the 43rd year of the reign of his present Majesty, intituled, "An Act to amend the laws relating to spiritual persons holding of farms, and for enforcing the residence of spiritual 463 persons on their benefices, in England," the petitioner commenced divers actions against clergymen for the recovery of part of the penalties, to the payment of which they had by their own neglect become liable; and to petitioner was induced to believe that himself, or any other person who might sue for the same, would find that encouragement and protection, to which, by the laws of this country, he was led to believe himself entitled; and that the petitioner never had any desire, or ever sought, to imprison the persons of the clergy, as bath been imputed to him, he being well aware that he was prohibited from so doing by the 17th section of the said Act, it being therein provided that no execution shall be levied against the body of any spiritual person for any penalty, if the same can be recovered within three years by sequestration of the benefice; and that the representations made by the clergy derogatory to the character of the petitioner as a Christian and a gentleman, of his having entrapped them, nourished or engendered their offences, or kept back their licences or notifications, he most solemnly declares are untrue; so far from which, the petitioner did at great trouble prepare a faithful abstract of all the statutes in force respecting residence, and added thereto forms of notification, and petitions for licences of non-residence, which, at his own personal expence, he caused to be printed and distributed gratis, not only to the clergy of the dioceses wherein he acted as secretary but also to the clergy of other dioceses; and that he did also at his own personal expence, from the month of April 1806 to the month of April 1813, cause advertisements to be inserted in the provincial newspapers, and circular letters to be written to the clergy, for the purpose of acquainting them with the necessity there was for them to renew their licences, if the cause which created their existence still continued, and to request others of the clergy to deliver the notifications required by the said Act; and that so conscious is the petitioner of the rectitude of his conduct, that he invites the whole body of the clergy against whom he has commenced actions to adduce a single case in evidence at the bar of the House of his ever having entrapped any of them, nourished or engendered their offences, or kept back either their licences or notifications; and that the petitioner had commenced actions for penalties against clergymen in twenty different dioceses, 464 and therefore his researches are not confined to the four dioceses in which he had been employed as secretary, but his information has been derived, not only from an extract published by authority of the right honourable the House of Lords, which was introduced to his attention by a dignitary of the church, who complained that such a publication should be permitted by government, as it held up a large proportion of the clergy prosecution, but also from many long, tedious, and expensive journeys, which the petitioner has made, in order to elucidate the subject; and that, since the petitioner has commenced actions for penalties under the before mentioned Act, not only curbs and associations of the clergy have been publicly convened, for the purpose of defeating the petitioner in his legal claims, which combination the petitioner humbly submits is contrary to the known law of the land, but also several of the clergy have caused friendly actions to be commenced against themselves, in order, if possible, to defeat the petitioner's vested rights; and the petitioner is informed that some of them have consulted counsel whether they could not avoid the penalties to which they were liable, by a resignation of their benefices and retaking them; and that the petitioner feels perfectly satisfied that the House will not lend its aid to deprive him of a right so sacred as that which is vested in him by a recent Act of the legislature, framed by the united wisdom of both Houses of Parliament, and that no measures will be adopted by the House to abridge him of the penalties under the said Act, upon the ex parte reports which have been communicated to the House; and that the petitioner has not only, by the means aforesaid, been put to a very considerable expence in putting the clergy in possession of the law of the land on the subject, and in obtaining the necessary evidence and information in support of his said actions, but has by their neglect, is not renewing their licences, sustained an annual loss of at least 300l. during nine years in which he was secretary to four lords bishops; the petitioner therefore places himself under the protection of the House, and prays that the Bill to discontinue proceedings in certain actions already commenced, and to prevent vexations suits against spiritual persons, under an Act passed in the 43rd year of his present Majesty, may not in its present shape pass into a law, and that he may be heard, by 465 himself or counsel, against the said Bill, and be allowed to produce such evidence as he may be advised, or that the House will be pleased to grant him such relief as to them shall seem meet."
§ Ordered, that the said Petition do lie upon the table.