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8. underline IIo The Ordinary Civil Revenue of our Kings /underline deletion Kings /deletion; Which during the Reign of the Norman, deletion & /deletion add and /add Several of His Successors, appeared to have been composed of the following Articles.

1.The Demesne Lands which were either the share reserved to the Crown at the first distribution of Lands, or accrued to it afterwards by forfeitures &c. these as appears by Doomsday Book were formerly very large, comprehending many Manours, Lordships &c. of which at present there are very trifling remains, having been almost entirely granted away to their Children, Favorites &c. Parliament had frequently endeavoured to prevent the dissipation of this Branch of the Revenue & at last after the extravagant Grants of deletion Will.III /deletion add William III

                                                       /add had shewn the 

absolute necessity of putting a stop to it, an Act passed note +A.1st C.7. /note in the beginning of Queen Anne’s+ Reign

                                                                           declaring all

future Grants or Leases from the Crown for more than 31. Years or ?3? Lives Void, except in the case of Houses, the Grants of which were limitted to 50 Years; but the remedy came too late to be of any immediate use, most of the Valuable possessions of the Crown being upon long leases, whenever they fall in, distant posterity