To the Right Honorable the Lords Spirituall and Temporall in the high Court of. Parliament assembled, the humble Petition of John Leemkuall, Theodore Jacobson, Peter Spleet, State Ahrens and Nicholas Heyne, Merchants of London and Germans borne, but naturalized Trustees for the Protestant- Lutheran or Augustane Congregation in London.

Sheweth: That in the yeare 1669 vpon the instance and intercession of Sir John Berkman Lyonberge, then and still Envoy for the King of Sweden here, made in behalfe of the said Congre gation in the name of his said Master, his Maiesty was graciously pleased by his letters patents under the great Seale of England to graunt licence to the petitioners to erect and build on the mine of the late Church called Trinitie the lesse in London, demolished in the late dreadfull fire (being one of those Churches, which by the Act of Parliament made in the lOV1 yeare of his Majesty's raigne, touching the rebuilding of the City of London, were ordeined not to be rebuild) a Church for cele bration of divine worship in the Germane tongue, agreable to the discipline of the said Lutheran- protestant confession. And the soyle or ground, on which the said demolished Churches ordeined not to be rebuilt did lately stand, together with the Churchyarde thereunto belonging, being by the same Act of Parliament vested in the Lord Major and Aldermen of the City of London, and they thereby enabled with the consent of his Grace, the Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury, and the Bishop of London to alienate and sell the same to any purchaser or purchasers, the petitioners by vertue of his Maiestys' said gratious licence and graunt did for a valuable consideration in Money actualy paid, and with such consent as aforesaid, purchase of the said Lord Major and Aldermen the soyle or ground of the said late Church of Triuitie the lesse with the Churchyard thereunto belonging, who caused liverie and seizin thereof to be executed to the petitioners as Trustees for the Congregation aforesaid. And the petitioners did thereupon at their owne great cost and charge erect and build a Church accordingly, which hath ever since been used for the celebration of divine service in the Germane tongue.

That since the building of the said Church viz. in the 21st yeare of his Maiesty's raygne an additionall or explanatorie Act having been made in Parliament touching the rebuilding of the churches of the said City, by which it is enacted (amongst other things) that the scyte of the said Churches of the former Act ordejned and not to be rebuilt and the Churchyards thereunto belonging, not laid into Streets and Marketplaces, shall be used for burying places for the respective parishes, to which they did formerly belong, the inhabitants of the said late parish of Trinitie the lesse to entitle them selves to a right of burying their dead there, did in Michaelmass terme last in the name of one William Throckmorton, one of the said inhabitants, set on foot and bring an action at law against Gcrrard Martin, the Minister appointed to officiate in the said Church, for hindring the burying of a servant of the said Throckmorton in the said Churchyard. And although upon the petitioners humble addresse thereupon made to his Maiesty and his most honorable Priuie Councile, his Maiesty was graliously pleased after hearing Councile on both Sides on the 30th of October last, to order

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and require the said inhabitants to surcease the said suite and not disturbe the right and possession of the petitioners being in behalfe of a Congregation of Straingers, which order was afterwards confirmed by his Maiesty in November following, yet the said Throckmorton and other the said inhabitants con trary therunto and in manifest contempt thereof have proceeded in the said action and have obtejned a verdict by default against the said Minister for damages sustcjned and doe threaten to bring more and other actions against the Petitioners and their said Minister to the disturbance of their said possession, though legally derived to them as aforesaid.

The premisses considered for as much as the Petitioners are advised, that they can have noe releife against the said verdict in any inferior Court either in law or equilie, but onely this most honorable and supreame Court of Parliament, the Petitioners therefore must humbly pray, that by Judgment of this honorable house, they may be releived against the said Verdict, and their right and possession in the said Church and Churchyard secured from like disturbance for the future. i