fhall lofe and forfeit twenty fhillings for every fuch offence? or if any butcher, by himself, or any other for him, by his privity or confent, fhall, after the end of the faid forty days, kill or fell any victual upon the faid day, that then every fuch butcher fhall forfeit and lofe for every fuch offence the fum of fix fhillings and eight pence; the faid offences, and every of them, being done in view of any Juftice of Peace, Mayor, or other head officer, of any city or town corporate within their limits refpectively, or being proved upon oath by two or more witneffes, or by the confeffion of the party offending, before any fuch Juftice, Mayor, or head officer, within their feveral limits refpectively, wherein fuch offence fhall be committed to which end, every fuch Juftice, Mayor, or head officer, fhall have power by this Act to minifter an oath to fuch witness or witneffes: all which fums or penalties fhall or may be levied by any Conftable or Church-warden, by warrant from any fuch Juftice or Juftices of the Peace, Mayor, or other head officer, as aforefaid, within their feveral limits where fuch offence fhall be committed or done, by distress and sale of the offender's goods, rendering to the party the overplus, or fhall be recovered by any perfon or perfons that will fue for the fame, by bill, plaint, or information, in any of his Majefty's courts of record, in any city or town corporate, before his Majefty's Juftices of the Peace in their general feffions of the peace: all which forfeitures fhall be employed to and for the use of the poor of the parishes where the faid offences fhall be committed or done; faving only that it fhall be lawful to and for any fuch Juftice, Mayor, or head officer, out of the faid forfeitures, to reward any fuch perfon or perfons that fhall inform or otherwife profecute any perfon or perfons offending against this prefent Act, according to their difcretions, fo that fuch reward exceed not the third part of the forfeiture: Provided that fuch bill, plaint, or information, fhall be commenced, fued, and profecuted, in the county, city, or town corporate, where fuch offence fhall be committed and done, and not elfewhere; wherein no effoin, protection, or wager of law fhall be allowed to the defendant: Provided always, That it fhall be lawful for any Conftable or Church-warden, that fhall have any fuit or action brought against them for any diftrefs by them or any of them to be taken by force of this prefent Act, to plead the general iffue, and to give the fpecial matter in evidence: Provided likewife, That no perfon or perfons whatfoever fhall be impeached by this Act, unless he be thereof questioned within fix months after $ 3 after the offence committed: Provided further, That this Act fhall not in any fort abridge or take away the authority of the courts ecclefiaftical. This Act to continue to the end of the firft feffion of the next Parliament. [Enforced by 29 Car. II. Cap. vii. and fee farther 10 & 11 W. III. Cap. xxiv. Sect. 14,] 29 Car. II. Cap. vii. An Act for the better Obfervation of the Lord's Day, commonly called Sunday. FOR the better obfervation and keeping holy the Lord's day, commonly called Sunday, be it enacted by the King's moft excellent Majefty, by and with the advice and confent of the Lords fpiritual and temporal, and of the Commons, in this prefent Parliament affembled, and by the authority of the fame, That all the laws enacted and in force concerning the observation of the Lord's day, and repairing to the church thereon, be carefully put in execution and that all and every perfon and perfons whatsoever fhall on every Lord's day apply themselves to the obfervation of the fame, by exercifing themselves thereon in the duties of piety and true religion, publicly and privately; and that no tradesman, artificer, workman, labourer, or other perfon whatfoever, fhall do or exercise any worldly labour, bufinefs, or work of their ordinary callings upon the Lord's day, or any part thereof, (works of neceffity and charity only excepted;) and that every perfon being of the age of fourteen years or upwards, offending in the premises, fhall, for every fuch offence, forfeit the fum of five fhillings; and that no perfon or per fons whatfoever fhall publicly cry, fhew forth, or expofe to fale, any wares, merchandises, fruit, herbs, goods, or chattels whatfoever, upon the Lord's day, or any part thereof, upon pain that every perfon fo offending thall forfeit the fame goods fo cried, or thewed forth, or expofed to fale. 2. And it is further enacted, That no drover, horfecourfer, waggoner, butcher, higler, their or any of their fervants, fhall travel, or come into his or their inn or lodging upon the Lord's day, or any part thereof, upon pain that each and every such offender shall forfeit twenty hillings for every fuch offence; and that no person or perfons perfons fhall ufe, employ, or travel upon the Lord's day with any boat, wherry, lighter, or barge, except it be upon extraordinary occafion, to be allowed by fome Juftice of the Peace of the county, or head officer, or some Juftice of the Peace of the city, borough, or town corporate where the fact fhall be committed; upon pain that every person fo offending fhall forfeit and lofe the fum of five fhillings for every fuch offence. And that if any perfon offending in any of the premises fhall be thereof convicted before any Juftice of the Peace of the county, or the chief officer or officers, or any Juftice of the Peace of or within any city, borough, or town corporate, where the faid offences fhall be committed, upon his or their view, or confeffion of the party, or proof of any one or more witnesses by oath, (which the faid Juftice, chief officer or officers, is by this Act authorized to adminifter,) the faid Juftice, or chief officer or officers, fhall give warrant under his or their hand and feal, to the Conftables or Church-wardens of the parish or parishes where fuch offence fhall be committed, to feize the faid goods cried, fhewed forth, or put to fale, as aforefaid, and to fell the fame, and to levy the faid other forfeitures or penalties, by way of diftrefs and fale of the goods of every fuch of fender diftrained, rendering to the faid offenders the overplus of the monies raised thereby; and in default of fuch diftrefs, or in cafe of infufficiency, or inability of the faid offender to pay the said forfeitures or penalties, that then the party offending be fet publicly in the ftocks, by the space of two hours. And all and fingular the forfeitures or penalties aforefaid fhall be employed and converted to the use of the poor of the parish where the faid offences fhall be committed; faving only that it fhall and may be lawful to and for any fuch Juftice, Mayor, or head officer or officers, out of the faid forfeitures or penalties, to reward any perfon or perfons that fhall inform of any offence againft this Act, according to their discretions, fo as fuch reward exceed not the third part of the forfeitures or penalties. 13. Provided, That nothing in this A&t contained shall extend to the prohibiting of dreffing of meat in families, or dreffing or felling of meat in inns, cooks' fhops, or victualling-houfes, for fuch as otherwife cannot be provided, nor to the crying or felling of milk before nine of the clock in the morning, or after four of the clock in the afternoon. 4. Provided also, That no person or perfons fhall be impeached, $ 4 peached, profecuted, or molefted for any offence before mentioned in this Act, unlefs he or they be profecuted for the fame within ten days after the offence committed.. 5. Provided and be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That if any perfon or perfons whatfoever, which fhall travel upon the Lord's day, fhall be then robbed, that no hundred, or the inhabitants thereof, fhall be charged with, or anfwerable for any robbery fo committed, but the perfon or perfons fo robbed fhall be barred from bringing any action for the faid robbery; any law to the contrary notwithstanding: nevertheless, the inhabitants of the counties and hundreds (after notice of any fuch robbery to them or fome of them given, or after hue and cry for the fame to be brought) fhall make, or cause to be made, fresh fuit and pursuit after the offenders, with horfemen and footmen, according to the Statute made in the twenty-feventh year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth, upon pain of forfeiting to the King's Majefty, his heirs and fucceffors, as much money as might have been recovered against the hundred by the party robbed, if this law had not been made. 6. Provided alfo, That no perfon or perfons, upon the Lord's day, shall ferve or execute, or caufe to be ferved or executed, any writ, procefs, warrant, order, judgment, or decree, (except in cafes of treafon, felony, or breach of the peace,) but that the fervice of every fuch writ, procefs, warrant, order, judgment, or decree, shall be void to all intents and purposes whatfoever: and the perfon or perfons fo ferving or executing the fame shall be as liable to the fuit of the party grieved, and to answer damages to him for doing thereof, as if he or they had done the fame without any writ, procefs, warrant, order, judgment, or decree at all. 21 Geo. III. Cap. xlix. An Act for preventing certain Abuses and Profanations on the Lord's Day, called Sunday. WE WHEREAS certain houses, rooms, or places, within the cities of London or Westminster, or in the neighbourhood thereof, have of late frequently been opened for public entertainment or amufement upon the evening of the Lord's day, commonly called Sunday; and at other other houfes, rooms, or places, within the faid cities, or in the neighbourhood thereof, under pretence of enquiring into religious doctrines, and explaining texts of holy Scripture, debates have frequently been held on the evening of the Lord's day, concerning divers texts of holy Scripture, by perfons unlearned and incompetent to explain the fame, to the corruption of good morals, and to the great encouragement of irreligion and profaneness; be it enacted by the King's moft excellent Majefty, by and with the advice and confent of the Lords spiritual and temporal, and Commons, in this prefent Parliament affembled, and by the authority of the fame, That, from and after the paffing of this prefent Act, any houfe, room, or other place, which fhall be opened or used for public entertainment or amusement, or for publicly debating on any fubject whatsoever, upon any part of the Lord's day, called Sunday, and to which perfons fhall be admitted by the payment of money, or by tickets fold for money, fhall be deemed a diforderly houfe or place; and the keeper of fuch houfe, room, or place, fhall forfeit the fum of two hundred pounds for every day that fuch house, room, or place, fhall be opened or used as aforefaid on the Lord's day, to fuch perfon as will fue for the fame, and be otherwise punishable as the law directs in cafes of dif orderly houfes; and the person managing or conducting fuch entertainment or amufement on the Lord's day, or acting as Master of the ceremonies there, or as Moderator, Prefident, or Chairman, of any fuch meeting for public debate on the Lord's day, fhall likewife, for every fuch offence, forfeit the fum of one hundred pounds to fuch perfon as will fue for the fame; and every door-keeper, fervant, or other perfon, who fhall collect or receive money or tickets from perfons affembling at fuch house, room, or place, on the Lord's day, or who fhall deliver out tickets for admitting perfons to fuch houfe, room, or place, on the Lord's day, fhall alfo forfeit the fum of fifty pounds to fuch perfon as will fue for the fame. 2. And whereas, by reason of the many fubtile and crafty contrivances of perfons keeping fuch houses, rooms, or places, as aforefaid, it may often be difficult to prove who is the real owner or keeper thereof; be it enacted by the authority aforefaid, That any perfon who fhall at any time hereafter appear, act, or behave him or herself as Mafter or Miftrefs, or as the perfon having the care, government, or management of any fuch houfe, room, or place, as aforefaid, fhall be deemed and taken to be the keeper |