1753: 26 George 2 c.22: An Act for the Purchase of the Museum, or Collection of Sir Hans Sloane, and of the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts; and for providing One General Repository for the better Reception and more convenient Use of the said Collections; and of the Cottonian Library, and of the Additions thereto.

[Preamble, reciting the Codicil to the Will of Sir Hans Sloane.]

Whereas Sir Hans Sloane of Chelsea, in the County of Middlesex Baronet, having, through the Course of many Years, with great Labour and Expence, gathered together whatever could be procured either in our own or foreign Countries, that was rare and curious, did, by a Codicil bearing Date the Twentieth Day of July in the Year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and forty-nine, and annexed to his last Will and Testament, after having expressed his Will and Desire that his Collection, in all its Branches, might be, if it were possible, kept and preserved together Whole and Intire, in his Manor House in the Parish of Chelsea, give, devise, and bequeath, to certain Trustees therein named, all that his Collection or Museum, at, in, or about, his said Manor House, consisting of all his Library of Books, Drawings, Manuscripts, Prints, Medals, and Coins, ancient and modern, Seals, Cameas, and Intaglios, Precious Stones, Agates, Jaspers, Vessels of Agate and Jasper, Chrystals, Mathematical Instruments, Drawings, and Pictures, and all other Things in the said Collection or Museum, more particularly described and numbered, with short Histories or Accounts of them, with proper References in certain Catalogues by him made, containing Thirty-eight Volumes in Folio, and Eight Volumes in Quarto, (except such Pictures as are not marked with the Word Collection), to have and to hold to them and their Successors and Assigns for ever, for such Purposes, and with such Powers, and under such Restrictions, as in the said Codicil are expressed, willing and desiring thereby, that the said Trustees, or any Seven or more of them, should make their humble Application to His Majesty, or to Parliament, at the next Session after his Decease, as should be thought most proper, in order to pay the full and clear Sum of Twenty thousand Pounds, of lawful Money of Great Britain, unto his Executors, or the Survivors of them, within Twelve Months after his Decease, in Consideration of the said Collection or Museum; and also to obtain such sufficient and effectual Powers and Authorities for vesting in the said Trustees, all and every Part of his said Collection or Museum before-mentioned, in all its Branches; and also his said Capital Manor House, with such Gardens and Out-houses as should thereunto belong and. be used by him at the Time of his Decease, and also the Water of or belonging to his Manor of Chelsea coming, from Kensington; and also obtain a sufficient Fund or Provision for maintaining and taking Care of his said Collection and Premisses, and for repairing and supporting his said Manor House, Water-work, and Premisses; but in case Payment of the said Sum of Twenty thousand Pounds should not be had and obtained, and made unto his Executors, or the Survivors of them, within Twelve Months next after his Decease, and no such Act of Parliament should be obtained, for settling, preserving, establishing, maintaining, and continuing, his said Collection and Premisses, in such Manner as in his said Codicil is expressed, then, and not otherwise, his Will was, and he did in such Case thereby direct, That his said Executors, or the Survivors of them, should, for the like Sum of Twenty thousand Pounds, sell and dispose of all and every Part of the said Collection and Museum, as before described, together with the Catalogues thereto belonging, for the Use of the several foreign Academies therein described, and in the Manner therein mentioned; and that in case the said offer should not be accepted by either of the said foreign Academies, his Executors, or the Survivors of them, should be at Liberty with all convenient Speed to sell and dispose of all and every Part of his said Museum or Collection, in the most speedy and advantageous Manner; and that the Monies arising by such Sale or Disposition should be considered as Part of his Personal Estate; and further his Will was, and he did thereby direct, That in case his said Collection should be sold or disposed of to either of the said foreign Academies, or in case of their Refusal, or Non-acceptance by his Executors, or the Survivors of them, that then his said Manor House and Garden, with the Appurtenances and the Water, should go and belong to such Person or Persons, and in such Manner, as he had given and devised the Rest of his Manors, Lands, and Tenements, at Chelsea, or elsewhere, as by the said Codicil, Relation being thereunto had, may more fully and at large appear: And whereas the said Sir Hans Sloane having, by several other Codicils of a subsequent Date, annexed to his said Will, added to the Number of the said Trustees, did, on or about the Eleventh Day of January One thousand seven hundred and fifty-three, depart this Life: And whereas the said Trustees, or Seven or more of them, have, pursuant to The Will and Intention of the said Sir Hans Sloane, in this Session of Parliament, being the next Session after his Decease, made their Application for Payment of the said Sum of Twenty thousand Pounds, in consideration of the said Collection or MuseumAnd whereas the said Trustees, at a General Meeting assembled, have consented to the Removal of the said Museum or Collection from the Manor House at Chelsea, to any proper Place within the Cities of London or Westminster, or the Suburbs thereof, if such Removal shall be judged most advantageous to the Publick, so as the said Collection be preserved intire without the least Diminution or Separation, and be kept for the Use and Benefit of the Publick, with free Access to view and peruse the same, at all stated and convenient Seasons agreeable to the Will and Intentions of the Testator, and under such Restrictions as the Parliament shall think fit: And whereas the said Museum or Collection of Sir Hans Sloane is of much greater intrinsick Value than the Sum of Twenty thousand Pounds: And whereas all Arts and Sciences have a Connection with each other, and Discoveries in Natural Philosophy, and other Branches of speculative Knowledge, for the Advancement and Improvement whereof the said Museum or Collection was intended, do and may, in many Instances, give Help and Success to the most useful Experiments and Inventions; therefore to the End that the said Museum or Collection may be preserved and maintained, not only for the Inspection and Entertainment of the Learned and the Curious, but for the General Use and Benefit of the Publick; may it please Your most Excellent Majesty, that it may be enacted; and be it enacted by the King’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same,

[The Sum of 20,000l. to be paid to the Executors of Sir Hans Sloane, in full Satisfaction for his Museum, &c.]

That out of all or any of the Monies to be raised by virtue of this Act, the full and clear sum of Twenty thousand Pounds of lawful Money of Great Britain, shall be paid in Manner herein-after mentioned to the Executors of Sir Hans Sloane, or the Survivors or Survivor of them, in full Satisfaction for the said Museum or Collection herein-before described, and for the Use of the said Manor House and Garden, with their Appurtenances, and of the said Water, until a more convenient Repository, more durable and more safe from Fire, and nearer to the chief Places of Publick Resort, shall be provided for the Reception of the said Museum or Collection, in Manner herein-after mentioned.

[Recital of Clauses in the Act of 12 & 13 Will. III. concerning the Cottonian Library.]

And whereas by an act, made in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Years of the Reign of King William the Third, intituled, An Act for the better settling and preserving the Library kept in the House at Westminster, called Cotton House, in the Name and Family of the Cottons, for the Benefit of the Publick, reciting, That Sir Robert Cotton, late of Connington, in the County of Huntingdon, Baronet, did, at his own great Charge, and by the Assistance of the most learned Antiquaries of his Time, collect and purchase the most useful Manuscripts, written Books, Papers, Parchments, Records, and other Memorials, in most Languages, of great Use and Service for the Knowledge and Preservation of our Constitution both in Church and State; and further reciting, That the said Library had been preserved with the utmost Care by Sir Thomas Cotton, Son of the said Sir Robert, and by Sir John Cotton, then living, Grandson of the said Sir Robert; and had been very much augmented by them, and lodged in a very proper Place in the said Sir John’s ancient Mansion House at Westminster, for publick Use and Advantage; it was enacted, That the said Mansion House, with the Garden, and all other Appurtenances, and also the said Library, should be vested in Trustees in the said Act named, and their Successors, for ever, for the Purposes therein mentioned; and as for and concerning the said Library, and the Room wherein the same was or should be contained, together with a convenient Passage for resorting thereunto, upon this Trust and Confidence, that the said Trustees, and their Successors, should, from Time to Time, and at all Times thereafter, as Occasion should require, inspect, consult, and take Care of the said Library, and other Particulars above-mentioned, and also make and appoint such Orders and Rules as they should think proper, for the reading and using the same, and for their better Preservation, and to the Intent and Purpose that the said Trustees, or the major Part of them, should nominate and appoint a good and sufficient Person, well read in Antiquities and Records, to have the immediate Care and Custody of the said Library:

[and in the Act of 5 Annae.]

And whereas by an Act, made in the Fifth Year of the Reign of Queen Anne, intituled, An Act for the better securing Her Majesty’s Purchase of Cotton House in Westminster; reciting the said former Act, made in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Years of the Reign of King William the Third; and also reciting, that since the making of the said Act, very little had been done in pursuance thereof, to make the said Library useful to the Publick, except what had been then lately done at Her Majesty’s Charge, and that there was no Way or Passage to set it out, as the said Act did direct, nor could there be any Way or Passage to the same, but through the best Rooms of the House, which would render the House wholly useless to the Family; so that the Library could not be resorted unto, nor had any Orders or Rules been appointed for reading or using the same, and thereby the Publick was wholly deprived of the Benefit designed by the said Act; and that the Place wherein the said Library was then contained, was a narrow little Room, damp and improper for preserving the Books and Papers; and that Her Majesty, to the Intent so great a Treasure of Books and Manuscripts, so generously given for the publick Service, might not remain any longer useless, and in Danger of perishing for Want of due Care, and that it might be in Her Majesty’s Power to make that most valuable Collection useful to Her own Subjects, and all learned Foreigners, had given Directions for treating with the said Sir John Cotton, for the Purchase of the said Cotton House and Garden; and that an Agreement had been made for the purchasing the Inheritance thereof for the Sum of four Thousand and five Hundred Pounds, which Her Majesty had directed to be paid on the investing the Inheritance of the Premises in Her Majesty, Her Heirs and Successors, which could not be done but by Act of Parliament, the said recited Act having directed it might not be sold or aliened; it was therefore enacted, That the said Capital Messuage called Cotton House, and the Garden and Buildings used and enjoyed with the same, with the Appurtenances, should be vested in Her Majesty, Her Heirs, and Successors: And it was thereby further enacted and declared, That a convenient Room should be built in or near Part of the said Ground thereby intended to be vested in Her Majesty, as Her Majesty, Her Heirs and Successors, should, by Writing, under the Sign Manual, appoint; in which Room when built, all the said Manuscripts, written Books, Papers, Parchments, Records, and other Memorials, as also all Coins, Medals, and other Rarities and Curiosities in the said Library contained, should be lodged and there remain to all Posterity; and that the said Room when built, should for ever be called and known by the Name of the Cottonian Library; and that from the Building thereof, the said Library should be managed and directed by the Trustees therein named, as Trustees to and for the Use of the Publick for ever: And whereas although the publick Faith hath been thus engaged to provide for the better Reception and more convenient Use of the Cottonian Library, a proper Repository for that purpose hath not yet been prepared; for the want of which, the said Library did, in the Year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and thirty-one, suffer by aFire,which consumed the House wherein the same was then placed, and what remains of the said Library still continues in the Room, to which upon the Occasion of the said Fire it was removed; and Persons desirous to view and consult the Treasure of Books and Manuscripts therein contained, cannot conveniently resort thereunto:

[Recital of Part of the Will of Arthur Edwards, Esq.]

And whereas Arthur Edwards, late of Saint George Hanover Square, in the County of Middlesex, Esquire, being desirous to preserve for the publick Use the said Library, and to prevent the like Accident for the future, did, by his last Will and Testament, bearing Date the Eleventh Day of June, in the Year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and thirty-eight, and duly proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, give, devise, and bequeath, unto the Trustees of the said Library, the Sum of Seven thousand Pounds (if his Effects real and Personal, not before disposed of by that his Will and Testament, should, after the Decease of Mistress Elizabeth Milles, amount to so much) to erect in a proper Situation such a House as might be most likely to preserve that Library, as much as can be, from all Accidents; but if it should so happen, that before this Part of his Will could take Place, there should be erected such a proper Building for this Use, then he did give, devise, and bequeath, the aforesaid Sum of Seven thousand Pounds to the said Trustees, to be employed in purchasing such Manuscripts, Books of Antiquities, ancient Coins, Medals, and other Curiosities, as might be worthy to increase and enlarge, the said Library; and did also thereby give to the said Trustees of the said Library, to be placed in some By-room or Corner thereof, all his Books, and the Cases in which they were then placed, and also his Pictures in his said Last Will and Testament described; which Books, Book Cases, and Pictures, he did desire and require might be delivered and given, as soon after his Decease as might be, to be placed in the said Library; and which, with the Approbation of the said Trustees, have been placed according to such Desire in the said Library; be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid,

[The said Legacy of 7000l. on the Decease of Elizabeth Milles, to be paid to and applied by th Trustees appointed by this Act.]

That when and as soon as the said Legacy of Seven thousand Pounds shall on the Decease of the said Elizabeth Milles become payable to the Trustees of the Cottonian Library, the same shall be paid to the Trustees by this Act appointed, for the Purposes herein-after mentioned, or to such Person or Persons as by the said Trustees, or the major Part of them, in any General Meeting assembled, shall be authorized to receive the same; to be applied by the said Trustees hereby appointed, either towards erecting or providing a proper Repository for the Cottonian Library; or if such Repository shall be erected or provided before the said Legacy shall become payable as aforesaid, towards purchasing such Manuscripts, Books of Antiquities, ancient Coins, Medals, and other Curiosities, as may be worthy to increase and enlarge the said Library; and that the Acquittance of any Person or Persons authorized by the said Trustees, or the major Part of them, in a General Meeting assembled to receive the said Legacy of Seven thousand Pounds, shall be, and be accepted as a sufficient Discharge to the Executors and Representatives of the said Testator, for the Payment of the said Legacy.

And whereas the Right Honourable Henrietta Cavendish Holies, Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer, Relict of Edward Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, and the Most Noble Margaret Cavendish Dutchess of Portland their only Daughter, have expressed their Approbation of a Proposal for the Purchase of the valuable Collection of Manuscripts, collected by the said Earl, and by Robert Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer his Father, in Consideration of the Sum of Ten thousand Pounds, upon Condition that the same shall be kept together in a proper Repository, as an Addition to the Cottonian Library, and be called by the Name of the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts; be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid,

[The Sum of 10,000l. to be paid to the Trustees of the Earl and Countess of Oxford and Mortimer, for the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts, which are to be placed in the same Repository with the Cottonian library.]

That out of the Monies to be raised by virtue of this Act, the full and clear Sum of Ten thousand Pounds shall be paid by Order of the said Trustees hereby appointed for the Purposes herein-after mentioned, to the Trustees for the said Earl and Countess, to whom by an Indenture quadrupartite made the Second Day of August, in the Eleventh Year of the Reign of His present Majesty, and in the Year of our Lord One thousand seven hundred and thirty-seven, the said Collection of Manuscripts among other Things was assigned for the Purposes in the said Indenture mentioned; the said Collection of Manuscripts to be placed and continued in the same Repository in which the Cottonian Library is herein-after directed to be placed, and until the said Repository shall be erected or provided, in Manner herein-after mentioned; to be preserved in the Place where the same is now lodged, or in some other convenient Place to be approved by the said Trustees by this Act appointed, or the major Part of them, in a General Meeting assembled, at the Costs and Charges of the said Trustees for the said Earl and Countess, and of the Survivors and Survivor of them, and the Executors, Administrators, and Assigns of such Survivor, and of the Person or Persons to whose Use the said Sum of Ten thousand Pounds shall be payable for the said Collection.

[Trustees appointed for putting this Act in Execution.]

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the Archbishop of Canterbury for the Time being, the Lord Chancellor or Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of Great Britain for the Time being, the Lord Treasurer of Great Britain, or the First Commissioner of the Treasury for the Time being, the Lord President of the Council for the Time being, the Lord Privy Seal for the Time being, the Lord High Admiral of Great Britain, or the First Commissioner of the Admiralty for the Time being, the Lord Steward of His Majesty’s Houshold for the Time being, the Lord Chamberlain of His Majesty’s Houshold for the Time being, the Bishop of London for the Time being, each of the Principal Secretaries of State for the Time being, being a Peer or Lord of Parliament, the Speaker of the House of Commons, for the Time being, each of the Principal Secretaries of State for the Time being, not being a Peer or Lord of Parliament, the Chancellor of the Exchequer for the Time being, the Lord Chief Justice of the Court of King’s Bench for the Time being, the Master of the Rolls for the Time being, the Chief Justice of His Majesty’s Court of Common Pleas at Westminster for the Time being, His Majesty’s Attorney General for the Time being, His Majesty’s Solicitor General for the Time being, the President of the Royal Society for the Time being, the President of the College of Physicians for the Time being, together with the Right Honourable Charles Lord Cadogan, and Plans Stanley Esquire, and together with Samuel Borroughs and Thomas Hart Esquires, Two of the present Trustees of the Cottonian Library, (having been so appointed by the Heirs Male of the Body of the said Sir Robert Cotton, in pursuance of the said herein-before recited Acts made in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Years of the Reign of King William the Third, and in the Fifth Year of the Reign of Queen Anne), and together with the Most Noble William Duke of Portland, and the Right Honourable Edward Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, shall be Trustees for putting this Act in Execution;

[who are to appoint Fifteen other Persons to be Associates to them,]

and that they, or the major Part of them, in a General Meeting assembled, whereof the said Archbishop of Canterbury, the Lord Chancellor or Lord Keeper, and the Speaker of the House of Commons, shall be Three, shall, in such manner as they shall think fit, elect and nominate Fifteen other Persons to be associated to them in the execution of the Trusts hereby in them reposed;

[who are to continue Trustees for Life.]

which Fifteen Persons, so elected and nominated, shall be and continue for the Term of their natural Lives, Trustees for putting this Act in Execution, with the like Power, in all Respects, as hereby is given to the Trustees herein-before first appointed;

[Election of new Trustees to be made in the Room of such as shall die.]

and when any of the said Trustees so elected and nominated shall die, the Trustees herein-before first appointed, and their Successors, shall in like Manner elect and nominate a fit Person or Persons to supply the Place or Places of him or them so dying; and so toties quoties, as any of the said Trustees so elected and nominated, or others so elected and nominated, to supply their Places, shall happen to die.

[Nomination of a Trusteee vacant by the Death of Lord Cadogan, or Hans Stanley.]

Provided always, and be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That when either the said Charles Lord Cadogan, or Hans Stanley, shall die, it shall and may be lawful for the Survivor to nominate another fit Person to succeed the Deceased in the Place of a Trustee so vacant; and after the Decease of both of them (the said Charles Lord Cadogan and Hans Stanley), it shall and may be lawful for the Heirs Male of their Bodies, and upon Failure of the Heirs Male of the Body of either of them, to and for the Heirs Male of the Body of the other of them, being of full Age, or their respective Guardian or Guardians during their Minority, to nominate a Trustee for the Purposes of this Act, in the Room of the Person last nominated by the Survivor of them; and so as often as any Person supplying the Place of the said Charles Lord Cadogan, or Hans Stanley, shall happen to die.

[Nomination of a Trustee vacant by the Death of Samuel Burroughs, or Thomas Hart.]

Provided also, and be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That when either the said Samuel Burroughs, or Thomas Hart, shall die, it shall and may be lawful to and for Frances Hanbury Widow, and Relict of Francis Hanbury Esquire, (which Frances Hanbury is the Heir-general of the said Sir Robert Cotton), and after her Decease to and for the Heirs Male of her Body, being of full Age; and in Default of such Issue, to and for her First, Second, Third, Fourth, and every other Daughter, severally, successively, and in Remainder, one after another, in Order and Course as they respectively shall be in Priority of Birth: and the several and respective Heirs Male of the Bodies of such Daughters, being of full Age, or the respective Guardians of the Heirs Male of the said Frances and of her said Daughters, during their Minority; to nominate another fit Person to supply the Place of the deceased Trustee, and so as often as any Person supplying the Place of either of the said Trustees shall happen to die.

[Nomination of a Trustee vacant by the Death of William Duke of Portland, or Edward Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer.]

Provided also, and be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That when either the said William Duke of Portland, or the said Edward Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, herein-before appointed Trustees for the Purposes of this Act, shall die, it shall and may be lawful to and for the said Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer, and the said Dutchess of Portland, or the Survivor of them, and after the Decease of the said Countess and Dutchess, to and for the Heirs Male of the Body of the said Dutchess, being of full Age, or their Guardian or Guardians, during their Minority; and upon Failure of such Heirs Male, to and for the Heirs Male of the Body of Edward now Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, being of full Age, or their Guardian or Guardians, during their Minority; to nominate another fit Person to supply the Place of the said Duke or the said Earl; and upon the Death of any Person so supplying the Place of either of them, to nominate another fit Person in his Stead; and so as often as any Person so supplying the Place of either of them shall happen to die.

[Trustees so nominated, invested with like Powers as those nominated in the Act.]

And be it declared and enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the Trustees so to be nominated by the Survivor of the said Charles Lord Cadogan and Hans Stanley, and by the Heirs Male of the Bodies of them, or either of them, or the respective Guardians of such Heirs Male, in Manner aforesaid, and by the said Countess and Dutchess, or the Survivor of them, or by such Heirs Male of the said Dutchess or of the said now Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer, as aforesaid, or by their Guardian or Guardians, in Manner aforesaid, shall have the like Power in all respects in the Execution of this Act, as is hereby given to the Trustees herein-before first named and described.

[A general Repository be provided for the Reception of Sloane’s Museum, the Cottonian Library, Harleian Manuscripts, and Edwards’s Additions.]

And be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That within the Cities of London or Westminster, or the Suburbs thereof, One General Repository shall be erected or provided in such convenient Place, and in such Manner, as the Trustees hereby appointed, or the major Part of them, at a General Meeting assembled, shall direct, for the Reception, not only of the said Museum, or Collection of Sir Hans Sloane, but also of the Cottonian Library, and of the Additions which have been or shall be made thereunto, by virtue of the last Will and Testament of the said Arthur Edwards, and likewise of the said Harleian Collection of Manuscripts, and of such other Additions to the Cottonian Library, as with the Approbation of the Trustees by this Act appointed, or the major Part of them, at a General Meeting assembled, shall be made thereunto, in Manner herein-after mentioned, and of such other Collections and Libraries as with the like Approbation shall be admitted into the said General Repository; which several Collections, Additions, and Library so received into, the said General Repository, shall remain and be preserved therein for publick Use, to all Posterity.

[The Museum to be kept intire.]

Provided always, That the said Museum or Collection of Sir Hans Sloane, in all its Branches, shall be kept and preserved together in the said General Repository, whole and intire, and with proper Marks of Distinction.

[The Harleian Collection to be an Addition to the Cottonian Library.]

Provided also, That the said Harleian Collection of Manuscripts shall be kept together in the said General Repository, as an Addition to the Cottonian Library.

[The Museum to remain in the Manor House, till a General Repository be provided, under the Care of a Person to be nominated for that Purpose.]

Provided always, That until the said General Repository shall be erected or provided in Manner before-mentioned, the said Collection or Museum of Sir Hans Sloane shall remain in his said Manor House for publick Use, under the Care of such Person or Persons as by the said Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Chancellor, or Lord Keeper, and the Speaker of the House of Commons, or any Two of them shall be nominated for that Purpose; with such Salary or Salaries, and Allowances, for attending and preserving the same, as by all the Trustees by this Act appointed, or the major Part of them in a General Meeting assembled, shall be limited and directed; and the said Museum or Collection shall there be visited and seen by all Persons desirous to view the same, under such Rules as by the said Trustees, or the major Part of them, in like Manner assembled, shall be established; and that until the said Museum or Collection shall be removed to the said General Repository hereby intended to be erected or provided, the Expence of preserving the said Museum or Collection, and of repairing and supporting the said Manor Mouse and Premises, shall be defrayed by the said Trustees but of such Monies as shall be payable to them for that Purpose by virtue of this Act.

[When the Museum shall be removed, the Manor House, &c. to go with the other Lands devised by Sir Hans Sloane.]

Provided also, and be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid, that when, and as soon as the said Museum or Collection shall be removed into the said General Repository, then, and from thenceforth, the said Manor House and Garden, with their Appurtenances and Water, shall go and belong to such Person or Persons, and in such Manner, as the said Sir Hans Sloane hath given and devised the Rest of his said Manors, Lands, and Tenements, at Chelsea, or elsewhere.

[The Trustees incorporated by the Name of The Trustees of the British Museum, &c.]

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That for the better Execution of the Purposes of this Act, the said Trustees hereby appointed shall be a Body Politick and Corporate, in Deed and Name, and have Succession for ever, by the Name of The Trustees of the British Museum; and by that Name shall sue and be sued, implead and be impleaded, in all Courts and Places within, this Realm; and shall have Power to have and use a Common Seal to be appointed by themselves; and to make Bye-laws and Ordinances for the Purposes of this Act; and to assemble together, when, where, and as often, and upon ’such Notice, as to them shall seem – meet, for the Execution of the Trust hereby in them reposed; and shall also have full Power, Capacity, and Ability, to purchase, take, hold, and enjoy, for the Purposes of this Act, as well Goods and Chattels, as Lands, Tenements, and Hereditaments, so as the yearly Value of such Lands shall not exceed Five hundred Pounds above all Charges and Reprjzes; the Statute of Mortmain, or any other Statute and Law to the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding.

[Trustees impowered to make Statutes for the Preservation &c. of the said Collections,]

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the Trustees so appointed and incorporated by this Act, or the major Part of them, at any General Meeting assembled, shall, from Time to Time, and as often as they shall think fit, make, constitute, and establish, such Statutes, Rules, and Ordinances, for the Custody, Preservation, and Inspection, of every Part of the several Collections hereby intended to remain in the said General Repository, as to them shall seem meet; and shall and may in like Manner assign such Salaries and Allowances as they shall think fit, to the Officers and Servants, who in Manner herein-after mentioned shall be appointed to attend and assist in the Care and Preservation of the several Collections contained in the said General Repository;

[and to appoint Salaries to their Officers.]

and shall and may, at their Pleasure, in like Manner, suspend or remove any such Officer or Servant, for Misbehaviour or Neglect of Duty.

[Nomination of the Principal Librarian.]

And be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the Principal Librarian, to whom the Care and Custody of the said General Repository shall be chiefly committed, shall, from Time to Time, be nominated and appointed in Manner following; that is to say, The said Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Chancellor, or Lord Keeper, and the Speaker of the House of Commons, or any Two of them, shall recommend to His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, Two Persons, each of whom they shall judge fit to execute the said Office; and such of the said Two Persons so recommended, as His Majesty, His Heirs and Succcessors, by Writing under His, or Their Sign Manual, shall appoint, after he shall become bound to the said Trustees by this Act appointed, for the due and faithful Discharge of his Office, in such penal Sum not being less than One Thousand Pounds, as the said Trustees, at any General Meeting assembled, or the major Part of them, shall think proper, shall have and hold the said Office, during such Time as he shall behave well therein.

[Nomination of the Rest of the Officers and Servants.]

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the Rest of the Officers and Servants, whose Attendance and Assistance shall be necessary in the Care and Preservation of the said General Repository, shall, from Time to Time, be nominated and appointed by the said Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Chancellor, or Lord Keeper, and the Speaker of the House of Commons, or any Two of them.

[No officer’s Place to be supplied by a Deputy.]

Provided always, That no such Person to whom the Care and Custody of the said General Repository shall be chiefly committed, nor any of the Rest of the said Officers or Servants, unless in Cases of occasional Sickness, or other necessary Cause of Absence, to be approved by the said Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Chancellor, or Lord Keeper, and the Speaker of the House of Commons, or any Two of them, shall be permitted to supply his Place by a Deputy.

[Assistants and subordinate Officers allowed.]

Provided nevertheless, That the Person to whom in Manner aforesaid the Care and Custody of the said General Repository shall be chiefly committed, shall and may be assisted by such subordinate Officers and Servants, as in Manner aforesaid shall be appointed, continually to assist him in the Execution of his Duty.

[Sloane’s Museum, Cottonian Library, and Harleian Collection, vested in the Trustees, in Trust for the Publick Use.]

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the said Museum or Collection of Sir Hans Sloane, from and after Payment of the said Sum of Twenty Thousand Pounds, and the said Manor House and Garden, with the Appurtenances and Water, until the said Museum or Collection shall be removed to the said General Repository; and also the said Cottonian Library and Additions thereunto; and the said Harleian Collection of Manuscripts, from and after Payment of the said Sum of Ten Thousand Pounds; and the said General Repository, when the same shall be erected or provided for the Use thereof, shall be vested in the said Trustees by this Act appointed, and their Successors, for ever; upon this Trust and Confidence nevertheless, That a free Access to the said General Repository, and to the Collections therein contained, shall be given to all studious and curious Persons, at such Times, and in such Manner, and under such Regulations for inspecting and consulting the said Collections, as by the said Trustees, or the major Part of them, in any General Meeting assembled, shall be limited for that Purpose.

[His Majesty may grant to the Trustees any Messuage or Building, &c. in Perpetuity, for a General Repository.]

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That it shall and may be lawful to and for His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, at any Time hereafter, by Letters Patent or Indenture, under the Great Seal of Great Britain, to give and grant unto the said Trustees and their Successors, in Perpetuity, for the Purposes of this Act, the Right or Use in or of any Room, Messuage, or Building, or Rooms, Messuages, or Buildings, with the Appurtenances, or any Ground or Site requisite for the Erection of the said General Repository, or for making any Addition thereto; any Restrictions, or Matter or Thing contained in an Act of Parliament made in the First Year of the Reign of Her late Majesty Queen Anne,

[Act 4 Annae.]

intituled, An Act for the better Support of Her Majesty’s Household, and of the Honour and Dignity of the Crown; or any other Law or Statute in any wise notwithstanding.

[Bodies Politick and Coporate, &c. impowered to dispose of Lands, &c. to the Trustees for such Repository.]

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That it shall and may be lawful to and for all Bodies Politick and Corporate, Trustees, Mortgagees, and Feoffees, in Trust, Guardians and Committees for Infants, Lunaticks, and Ideots, Executors, and Administrators whatsoever, and to and for all Femes Covert, who are or shall be seised of any Lands, Tenements, or Hereditaments, in their own Right, and to and for all and every other Person and Persons whomsoever, who are or shall be seised, possessed of, or interested in, any Lands, Tenements, or Hereditaments, to sell and convey to the said Trustees and their Successors, or to such Person or Persons as they, or the major Part of them, at any General Meeting assembled, shall appoint, all such Lands, Tenements, Hereditaments, Estates, and Interests, or any Part thereof, as the said Trustees, or the major Part of them, shall purchase, for the Purpose of erecting or providing such General Repository as aforesaid; and all Contracts, Agreements, Sales, and Conveyances, which shall be made by any such Bodies Politick or Corporate, or Collegiate, or other Persons aforesaid, shall be valid and effectual to all Intents and Purposes; any Law, Statute, Usage, or any other Matter or Thing to the contrary notwithstanding:

[Money to be laid out to the same Uses as Lands, &c. purchased, were settled to;]

And that every such Sum of Money as shall be paid for the Purchase of any Lands. Tenements, or Hereditaments, to or for the Use of any such Body Politick or Corporate, or other Person as aforesaid, shall be respectively laid out in the Purchase of Lands, Tenements, and Hereditaments, and settled to and upon, and subject to such Titles, Uses, Trusts, Limitations, Remainders, and Contingencies, as the said Lands, Tenements, and Hereditaments, purchased by the said Trustees, were settled, limited, and assured, at the Time of such Purchase, and shall be held and enjoyed accordingly; and that until such Purchases shall be made,

[and to be vested in the publick Funds till Purchase be made.]

the Money shall be vested in some of the publick Funds, or Government Securities, at Interest, which shall be paid to or for the Use of such Person or Persons as would have been intitled to the Rents and Profits of such Lands, Tenements, and Hereditaments.

[Reservation to all other Persons interested, of their Rights to the Premises, vested in the Trustees.]

Saving nevertheless, to His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, and to all and every Person and Persons, Bodies Politick and Corporate, their Heirs and Successors, Executors, or Administrators, other than and except the Trustees and Visitors by the said Sir Hans Sloane appointed by his Codicil herein-before recited, and other than and except the Trustees of the Cottonian Library, and the Trustees for the said Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer, all such Right, Title, Estate, or Interest, in or to the Premises hereby vested in the Trustees by this Act appointed, and their Successors, as they, or any of them, had or might enjoy if this Act had not been made; any Thing herein contained to the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding.

[Here follow certain Provisions for raising a Sum of Money by Way of Lottery for the Purposes of this Institution.]

[Application of the Monies arising by this Act.]

And be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That all the Monies which shall arise from the said Lottery, subject to the Charge of Management thereof, after Payment made, or Money sufficient reserved for the Payment of the Sums hereby directed to be issued to the Proprietors of the Fortunate Tickets, shall be appropriated, and in Manner herein-after mentioned, issued, applied, and reserved, to the several Uses, Intents, and Purposes, herein-after expressed, and to no other Use, Intent, or Purpose whatsoever; that is to say,

[20,000l. to the Executors of Sir Hans Sloane.]

In the first Place the full and clear Sum of Twenty thousand Pounds, Part thereof, shall, before the Eleventh Day of January One thousand seven hundred and fifty-four, be issued by Order of the said Trustees, or the major Part of them, at any General Meeting assembled, to the Executors of Sir Hans Sloane, or the Survivors or Survivor of them, in Consideration of his said Museum or Collection, and of the Use and Benefit of the said Manor House and Garden, with the Appurtenances and Water, until such Time as the said Museum or Collection shall be removed to the said General Repository:

[10,000l. to the Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer.]

In the next Place, and in like Manner, shall be issued to the said Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer, and her Trustees, the full and clear Sum of Ten thousand Pounds, or so much thereof as, together with the Legacy of Seven thousand Pounds bequeathed to the Trustees of the Cottonian Library, in Manner above mentioned, shall be sufficient, in case the said Legacy shall, before that Time, take Effect, to pay the Price for the said Harleian Collection of Manuscripts, so as the said Collection, until such time as the said General Repository shall be erected or provided for the Reception thereof, shall remain in the Place where the same is now lodged, or in some other convenient Place to be approved by the said Trustees, or the major Part of them so assembled, and shall be there preserved and maintained at the Costs and Charges of the said Countess of Oxford and Countess Mortimer, and her Trustees; after Payment of which several Sums of Twenty thousand Pounds, and Ten thousand Pounds, so much Money shall and may be issued and applied by Order of the said Trustees, or the major Part of them so assembled, as shall be sufficient to defray the Expence of erecting or providing the said General Repository, and of the necessary a General Furniture thereof,

[A General Repository to be provided thereout, and other necessary Expences attending the preserving the Museum, Cottonian Library, and Harleian Collection of Manuscripts.]

and of such Cabinets, Book Cases, and other Conveniences or Embellishments, as the Condition of the several Collections in the said General Repository contained, shall require; and also of the Expence which may be incurred in preserving and maintaining the said Museum or Collection of Sir Hans Sloane, at his said Manor House at Chelsea, during such Time as the said Museum or Collection shall remain there, and in removing the said Museum or Collection; and also in removing the Cottonian Library, and the Additions thereunto made or to be made, and the Harleian Collection of Manuscripts, to the said General Repository;

[30,000l. to be put out at Interest in the Publick Funds, towards Payment of Officers’ Salaries, and other necessary Expences.]

which Expence being defrayed, the Sum of Thirty thousand Pounds shall and may be reserved to be placed out at Interest, by Order of the said Trustees, or the major Part of them, in any General Meeting assembled, in any Parliamentary Security or Securities, or to be lent, from Time to Time in Part or in the Whole, upon the Credit of any Taxes or Duties imposed by Parliament, at such Interest for the Forbearance of such Loan, as by any Act imposing such Taxes or Duties, or any other Act, shall be limited; the Interest of which Sum of Thirty thousand Pounds so reserved shall and may be issued and applied, by like Order of the said Trustees, or the major Part of them so assembled, for and towards Payment of the Salaries and Allowances which, in Manner aforesaid, shall be assigned by the said Trustees to the Officers and Servants attending or assisting in the said General Repository, and for and towards the Payment of such other Costs and Charges as the Custody and Preservation of the said several Collections, and the Repairs or Alterations of the said General Repository, and the due Execution of the Trust hereby reposed in the said Trustees, shall require: And if after Payment of the said first-mentioned Sum of Twenty thousand Pounds, and of the said Sum of Ten thousand Pounds, or Part thereof, upon the Contingency herein-before mentioned; and after Payment of so much Money as the Expence of erecting, or providing and furnishing the said General Repository, and of such Cabinets, Book Cases, and other Conveniences and Embellishments, and of maintaining or preserving the said Museum or Collection of Sir Hans Sloane at the said Manor House at Chelsea, and of removing the said several Collections to the said General Repository, shall amount to;

[The Surplus, if any, to be reserved for the future Disposition of Parliament;]

and if, after reserving the last-mentioned Sum of Thirty thousand Pounds for the Purposes aforesaid, any Surplus shall remain of the Monies so raised by virtue of this Act, the same shall be reserved for the future Disposition of Parliament.

Provided always, That in the mean Time, until such Surplus shall be disposed of by Parliament, it shall be lawful to and for the said Trustees, or the major Part of them so assembled as aforesaid, to place out or lend the said Surplus, or any Part thereof,

[and may be placed out at Interest, to be applied to the Uses of this Act.]

upon such Securities, and upon such Credit, as they are herein-before impowered to place out or lend the said Sum of Thirty thousand Pounds herein-before directed to be reserved, the Proceed or Interest thereof, until the Principal Money shall be so disposed of by Parliament, to be applied to such Uses, for the better accomplishing the Design of this Act, as by the said Trustees, or the major Part of them, in any General Meeting assembled, shall be limited and directed.

Source: Biodiversity Heritage Library.

Further reading: Wikipedia.