Post Office Revenues Act 1670
(22 & 23 Cha 2 c.27)

An Act for explaining of a Proviso conteyned in an Act, entituled An Act for setling the Profitts of ye Post-Office and Power of granteing Wine-Licences on His Royall Highnes ye Duke of Yorke and the Heyres Males of his Body.

WHEREAS in and by an Act of Parliament passed in the fifteenth yeare of His Majesties Raigne entituled, An Act for settling the Profitts of the Post Office, and Power of granting Wine Licences on His Royall Highnesse the Duke of Yorke, and the Heyres Males of his Body: It is amongst other things enacted, That all the Yearely Rents, Sume or Sumes of Money, Revenues, Issues, and Profitts whatsoever, that shall grow due, accrew, or be payable unto His Majesty his Heyres or Successors, for, or by reason of the Generall Letter Office, or Post Office, or Office of Postmaster Generall or annexed, incident, or belonging to the said Post-Office, or Generall Letter-Office, or Office of Postmaster Generall, or issueing out [of] the same, or accrewing or growing due for, or by reason of the same, should be, and thereby were vested and settled upon James Duke of Yorke, and the Heyres Males of his Body begotten, or to be begotten, Neverthelesse with, and under this Provisoe, That it should and might be lawfull, for the Kings Majesty, his Heyres and Successors, at any time or times dureing the said Estate-Taile, by Warrant under his Privy Seale, to charge any Sume or severall Sumes of Money, not exceeding in the whole the Sume of Five thousand, three hundred fourscore and two Pounds ten shillings, to be paid out of the Profitts of the Office of Postmaster Generall, to the which said Sume of Five thousand three hundred [fourescore] and two Pounds ten shillings, the severall Sumes and Payments then already charged thereupon, did in the whole amount (The Grant of which Sumes were not to be avoided by the said Act) and which said Sumes of Money, not exceeding the said Sume of Five thousand three hundred fourescore and two Pounds ten shillings, to be granted by His Majesty, as aforesaid, were and should be by Authority of the said Act confirmed, and made in full force, as in and by the said Act more at large appeares. And whereas it was intended, that the Sumes of Money soe as aforesaid to be charged, should be annually paid though not soe expressed in the said Act, and the Sumes of Money charged upon the Profitts of the said Office, at the time of the making the said Act, were made payable yearly, and have been ever since accordingly answered, and yet neverthelesse some doubt is made, whither the said Sume of Five thousand three hundred fourscore and two Pounds ten Shillings can, or may be charged upon the Profitts of the said Office of Postmaster-Generall, as a continuing yearly payment, and whither any Disposition Grant, or Assignement thereof, or of any part thereof heretofore made by His Majesty, can or may be good, and effectuall in Law, against the said James Duke of Yorke, and the Heyres Males of his Body, dureing the said Estate-Tayle by reason of the doubtfull penning of the said Act, Bee it therefore declared, and enacted by the Kings most excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice, and Consent of the Lords Spirituall, and Temporall and of the Comons in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That the said Surne of Five thousand three hundred fourescore and two Pounds ten Shillings in, and by the said Act allowed, to be charged upon the Profitts of the said Office, and the Power thereby given His Majestie, for charging the same is, and at the time of the said Act was intended, and soe for ever hereafter shalbe construed, and taken to be a Power of charging the Profitts of the said Office, with the annuall and perpetuall paymt. of Five thousand three hundred fourscore and two Pounds ten Shillings a yeare, And that all former Grants, Dispositions, or Assignements thereof, or of any part thereof, shalbe good and effectuall in Law, against the said James Duke of Yorke, and the Heyres Males of his Body begotten, and against all and every other person and Persons, Claiming by, from or under him them, or any of them, And such Grants Dispositions or Assignements thereof, or of any part thereof shalbe held, and enjoyed according to the Tenor, Effect, and Purport of the same, Any Doubt, or Question made, or to be made upon the penning of the said former Act to the contrary notwithstanding.

PROVIDED alwaies, that nothing in this Act, or in any former Grant, Disposition, or Assignemt of the said Sume of Five thousand three hundred fourescore and two Pounds ten Shillings, or any part thereof contained, shall extend to charge the Profitts of the said Office doubly, or with any other or greater Sumes, then the annuall and perpetuall payment of Five thousand three hundred fourescore and two Pounds ten Shillings, Any thing herein, or in any former Grant, made by His Majesty, to the contrary notwithstanding.