Page:Ruffhead - The Statutes at Large - vol 2.djvu/131

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A. D. 1494- Anno undccirr.o Henrici VII. C. 27. 93 CAP. XXVII. A Remedy to avoid deceitful Sleights ufecT upon Fuftians. 1 -p p 1 Parliament aflembled, That whereas Fuftians brouehl c y 1 into this Realm, have been and fhould be the moft profitable Cloth for reatly tffed arhbng the common People of this Realm, and lingeit 1 any Thing that have com?. into the fame Realm from the faid Parts to that Intent, for h ith been that fuch Fuftians afore this Time have been truly wrought and (horn with the

i with no other [nftruments orothei rj u an occupied upon the fame; (; now fo miawfu! i>-

« , fubtil and undue Sleights and Means, have deceivably imagined and connived rice* pna&d

  • Inftrumcnts of Iron, with the which Iro'ns, in the mofl higheft and fecret Places of their Houfes, they u r<-n fuftuM.
  • ftrike and • irons ovei the faid Fuftians unftiorn ; by Means whereof they pluck off both the

Fiiftiahs, and break commonly both the Ground and Threads in funder, « aiu j j fle king thej i lake the lame Fuftians to appear to the common People fine, whole, and 1 found ; and alfo tn< . i Cotton of fuch Fuftians, and then take a lijrht Candle and fct it in the i.ui burning, which finpgeth and burnetii away the Cotton of the fame Fuftian from the one End to

  • the n to tlr hard Threads, inftead of (hearing, and after that p it them in Colour, and fo fub-

' tillj :. , thai their falfe Work cannot be efpied, without it be by Workmen .Shearers of fuch Fu- ' ftians, oi rer oi the fame; (0 and fo. by fuch Subtilties, whereas Fuftians made in Doublets, ' or put to any other Ufe, were wont and might endure the Space of Two Years and more, will not endure ■ now whole by the Space of Four Months (carccly, to the great Hurt of the poor Commons and Scrving- ' men of this Realm, to the great Damage, Lofs, and Deceit of the King's true Subjects, Buyers, and ' Wearers of fuch Fufti in :' (4] 1 r Remedy whereof, be it enacted, ordained, and eftablifhed by the King our Sovereign Lord, ami the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and the Commons, in this prefent Parliament aflembled, and by Authority of the fame, That no fuch Iron or Inftruments, nor any other untrue fubtil A ^ em5d 5"° Mean or Sleight be from henceforth ufed upon any Fuftian within this Realm, but only by the Broad Shears, av01 (5) upon Forfeiture of xx. s. to be levied for every Default of every fuch Perfon or Pcrfons hereafter offend- The Lord Mayor ing ami ufing any fuch deceivable Inftruments or Sleights, as is aforefaid; the one Half of the Forfeitures to and Shearmen ing our Sovereign Lord, and the other Half to him or them that will fue for the fame Forfeitures ot L( "idunniay by Action of Debt, Bill, Plaint, or Information, in any of the King's Courts of Record, where the fame "^q 3 "'! ■ rch f may be determined after the Courfe of the Common Law; (6) and that the Defendant in fuch Behalf in no Fuftians TncT C wile he admitted to wage his Law, nor that any Protection or Efioin be in the fame allowable. (7) And C!oth. over this, be it ordained by the faid Authority, that the Mayor and Wardens of Shearmen of the City of TheLordMayor, London for the time being have Authority to enter and fearch the Workmanfhip of all Manner Perfons oc- or h:s Deputy, cupvins? the Broad Shear, as well Fuftian;, as Cloth : and the Execution of this prefent Act to be as well of ? c " T y make tV '. " <- r^ • ic Search. Denizens, as of foreigners and Strangers. ExpMiuAh 39 El. c. 13. Statutes made at Weftminfter, Anno 12 Hen. VII. and Anno Dom. 1496. HE King our Sovereign Lord Henry the Seventh after the Conqueft, by the Grace of God King of England and of France, and Lord of Ireland, at his Parliament holdcn at Wcjlminjler the Sixteenth Day oi January, in the Twelfth Year of his Reign, to the Honour of God and of holy Church, ' and for the common Profit of the Realm, and by the Affent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and the 4 Commons, in the faid Parliament aflembled, and by Authority of the fame Parliament, hath done to be ' made certain Statutes and Ordinances, in Manner and Form following.' C A P. I. For Worfteds, Sayes, and Stamins, Ncrff. ' r T**0 the King our Sovereign Lord, prayen your Commons in this prefent Parliament aflembled, That The M,!; 4 S, where the common Weal and Profit of your Inhabitants within your County of Norfolk, have in w< r(i-J, Sec. in f Time parted been by the due Occupation of making of Worfteds, Sayes, and Stamins, which Occupation N ? rfo " c m3 y

  • now is like to decay, for as much as the Occupiers of the fame may not have any Apprentice, but if his ^p^^re

' Father may difpend Lands or Rents to the Value of xxs. by Year, of which Ability, can few or none be _ H.4. c. 17. ' had to be Apprentice 3 (2) fo that for lack of Apprentices the faid Occupation is like to be let apart, and 7 EJ.a. .-. 1. ' in Time to come to be utterly deftroyed, which fhould be the Lofs of the common Weal of your faid »H. 7. c. 11. ' County, and the impovenftaing of the Inhabitants of the fame:' (3) That it may like your Highnefs of your benign Grace, in Confederation of the Premifies, by the AfTcnt of your Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and of the Commons, in this prefent Parliament aflembled, and by Authority of the fame, be enacted, or- dained, and eftablilhed, That every Perfon of the aforefaid Occupation within your County of Norfolk; the which the four Wardens of the faid Occupation within your forefaid County yearly chofen (hall enable to keep a Prentice, (hall by this prefent Act be at Liberty to take and keep at all Times One or Two Ap- prentices