Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
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There had been recently established, under the Great Seal of England, a Corporation for the Royal Fishing, of which the Duke of York was Governor, Lord Craven Deputy-Governor, and the Lord Mayor and Chamberlain of London, for the time being, Treasurers, in which body was vested the sole power of licensing lotteries (“The Newes,” October 6th, 1664). The original charter (dated April 8th, 1664), incorporating James, Duke of York, and thirty-six assistants as Governor and Company of the Royal Fishing of Great Britain and Ireland, is among the State Papers. The duke was to be Governor till February 26th, 1665. [From 4 March 1664 entry.]
The Royal Fishery Company
Chartered like other companies (East India, &c.) to compete with the Dutch by mirroring them organizationally, The Royal Fishery Company was reorganized in 1677, dissolved in 1690 and revived in 1692. (*Industrializing English Law: Entrepreneurship and Business Organization, 1720-1844.* By Ron, Harris. Cambrdege University Press, 2000. p 184, n. 45.)
Could someone explain why a “Fishery” would, according to Wheately, be the one granting lotteries?