The second parliament of Charles II opened on 8 May 1661, and on 8 July 1661 royal assent was given to the 'act for a free and voluntary present to his Majesty'. This tax was granted by parliament to aid the king in 'this suddain exigencie as a testimony of theire affections...and in ease of the poorer sort of [the king's] subjects'. Commissions were to be issued under the Great Seal to appropriate persons in the counties, cities and towns who were 'fit for the receiving of such subscriptions as [the king's] subjects shall voluntary offer'. The commissioners were directed to organise themselves and hold meetings which were to be publicised. No commoner was to contribute more than £200, and no peer more than £400.
The piece, Ref E179/245/6 at the National Archives consists of lists of subscriptions made by those promising to contribute. All were made at Derby, that for Morleyston and Litchurch on 6 November 1661. The list for Crich is shown below:-
| Chrich | Mr Thomas Wright tenn shillings |
| Richard Hard*n two shillings and six pence | |
| Mr Anthony Wood tenn shillings | |
| John Wilde ffive shillings | |
| Roger Woodhouse ffive shillings | |
| John Oates three shillings | |
| John Wotton two shillings six pence | |
| John Ellott two shillings six pence | |
| Thomas Low absent two shillings six pence | |
| Henry Johnson two shillings six pence | |
| Henry Low two shillings | |
| William Smith one shilling | |
| William Burgaine two shillings six pence | |
| Robert Wilcockson one shilling | |
| Richard Johnston two shillings | |
| John Goray Senior two shillings | |
| Widd Browne de Carr one shilling | |
| John Smith Hollins one shilling six pence | |
| Ffrancis Phepound one shilling | |
| Thomas Radford one shilling | |
| George Browne de Chrich two shillings | |
| John Beardall one shilling six pence | |
| George Haworth one shilling six pence | |
| Henry Wilcockson one shilling | |
| William Wood two shillings | |
| John Wood two shillings | |
| Sum total three pounds tenn shillings six pence |
The following document is reproduced with permission from The National Archives, ref. E179/245/6
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