Committee for Compounding with Delinquents

In 1643, near the start of the English Civil War, Parliament set up two committees the Sequestration Committee which confiscated the estates of the Royalists who fought against Parliament, and the Committee for Compounding with Delinquents which allowed Royalists whose estates had been sequestrated, to compound for their estates — pay a fine and recover their estates — if they pledged not to take up arms against Parliament again. The size of the fine they had to pay depended on the worth of the estate and how great their support for the Royalist cause had been.^[1]

To administer the process of sequestration, a sequestration committee was established in each county. If a local committee sequestrated an estate they usually let it and the income was used "to the best advantage of the State".^[2] If a "delinquent" wished to recover his estate he had to apply to the Committee for Compounding with Delinquents based in London,^[2][3] as the national Sequestration Committee was absorbed by the Committee for Compounding in 1644.^[4]

After the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660, most of the sequestrated land was returned to the pre-war owners.^[5]

See also

• Committee for the Advance of Money
• Committee for Plundered Ministers
• Drury House Trustees responsible for the sale of Royalist lands.^[6]

References

1. ^ Document 17: State Papers: Committee for Compounding with Delinquents document relating to Francis Choke, of Avington, Berkshire, dated 1646 (Catalogue reference: SP 23/193 folio 825) The National Archives
2. ^ ^{a b} O'Riordan, Christopher (1987). The story of a gentleman's house in the English Revolution", Transactions of the London and Middlesex Archaeological Society, vol. 38 [1987, pp.165-7.
3. ^ In a paternalistic society most of the property sequestrated was owned by men.
4. ^ State Papers Domestic: The Commonwealth, 1642-1660, Domestic Records Information 17, The National Archives, Retrieved 10 March 2010
5. ^ Habakkuk H. J. (All Souls College, Oxford) Landowners and the Civil War The Economic History Review Volume 18 Issue 1, Pages 130 - 151, Published Online: 11 February 2008
6. ^ Thirsk Joan (1984).The rural economy of England: collected essays, Volume 25 of History series, Hambledon Press, 25, Continuum International Publishing Group, ISBN 9780907628293. p. 88

Further reading

• Ergerton Chesney, H (1932). The Transference of lands in England 1640–1660, Transactions of the Royal Historical Society (Fourth Series) (1932), 15: 181-210 Cambridge University Press.
• Sequestration Committee: Books and Papers:SP 20, The National Archives. "Sequestration Committee, 1643-1650" (Covering dates 1643-1653)
• Committee for Compounding with Delinquents: Books and Papers SP 23, The National Archives, "Committee for Compounding with Delinquents, 1643-1656 and Committee for Scottish Affairs, 1643-1656" (Covering dates 1643-1664)
• Search for: creator:"Great Britain. Committee for Compounding with Delinquents (1643-1660)", Internet Archive