Documents from Warwickshire, dated 1620 and 1622

Truth of the matter, I have eight documents that I found at a Flea Market
this past summer here in Ohio, that I purchased at a nominal price. They
measure in at 340 mm by 40 mm, are on rather stiff paper, and I am more than
willing to scan them or a few for your inspection. Yes I would like to know
what they are, who the people are in question, and the full meaning of the
written text, as well as to know if they have or contain any historical
distinction.

Charani...

8>< snip

I don't know what the documents are but they sound interesting. I
don't think they'd be on paper at that date though, more like
parchment or vellum, but I may be wrong.

They are written in a script that I am having trouble reading, the ink has
not faded with the script quite clear, I just can't read or understand them.
Under each one someone has taken the liberty of writing their interpretation
of the receipt.

As an example: Sir Nicholas Salter, Henry Galway, John Hare and William
Galway, farmers of the customs, subsidies and imposition on French and
Rhenish wines, pay to Lady Day, 1622. > With at the end 150 Pounds.

Eve McLaughlin...

They look like straightforward receipts for customs duties on luxury
goods. 'Farmer' in this context, has nothing to do with agriculture.
The system was that if a tax or duty had to be collected, the
king/government did not necessarily do it in person. Very few people
were ever keen to pay duties or taxes, so it would be tough for a paid
official to collect. A determined business man (think Al Capone) could
make a bid for the 'farmed' tax (think farming out) or right to collect
as much as he could. He then sent his demands to those who owed the
money, and followed this up with the heavy mob, if necessary. If the
amount due was (say) 1000 pounds, the king might hope to collect 800,
with a lot of grief. delay, illwill. If the farmer bid 600 pounds, and
then, by whatever method, collected Ł900, bully for him. The grief,
illwill and delay were passed on.

Another one states: Fulk Lord Brooke, pays a sum lent by him to King
Charles. 200 Pounds, under that (Fulk Goreville, Lord Brooke: assassinated
in Sept. 1628).

Eve McLaughlin...

well, lucky Fulke Greville, since not many people ever got money out of
the Sturats (except James I's boyfriends). This is interesting, since
debts to the King personally would not normally be farmed, but if it was
a tough one to collect, maybe. Assassination is an extreme form of debt
collecting, though!

Another one states: Nicholas Harman and Thomas Catch, farmers of the
imposition of poundage on white refined and unrefined sugars, assigned to
them by an indenture of Jan. 13, 1621, pay to St. John Baptist Day, 1622. >
1000 pounds at the end.

Eve McLaughlin...

They had bought the collection of duties per pound on, a nice little
earner.
As they are in America, we must assume that the family of the tax
farmer/s took them there. They were not official (government)
documents, and must be quite rare survivals,

I have no desire to sell them and would be more than glad and willing to
share copies with any Society or Record Office that could bring light to
what I assume to be documents of historical value, and hopefully important
distinction.