4 66 • C. 6—! Anno prima -Maria, Seflio tertia. A, D. 1553. CAP. VI. Highway*. The Inhabitants of the City of Glouccfter and Briftol, within feveral Liberties, and of the Hundreds of Barton next Briftol, Grombal, AJh, Barkley, Whit/lone, Tbornbury and Henbury in the County of Glou-- cefter, for their feveral Limits and Hundreds, fhall be charged with the Reparation of the Way between Briftol and Gloucefto: EXP. CAP. VII. An Act touching Cloth-making in Corporate Towns and Market Towns. Miking of Cloth' ufed 5 &6Ed, 6,c in Cities, Bo- c roughs, Corpo- 6 rate "Howns or Market Towns, may be cunti- c nued, &c. c The Inconve- c niencies enfuing the Statute of 5&6£d.6.c.S. ' HERE the City of JVorcefter, and divers other Cities, Boroughs and Towns Corporate within this Realm of England, of long Time have been upholden, repaired and only maintained by making, of Broad Clothes called Long Clothes, Short Clothes and Coloured Clothes, and the Citizens, Freemen and Inhabitants of the fame Cities, Towns and Boroughs Corporate, have thereby been greatly enriched, and. the poor People and Handicraftfmen of the fame and the Counties adjoining daily let a work, as Wea- vers, Walkers, Fullers, Fulling Mill-men, Sheer-men and Dyers, Forcers of Wools, Carters of Wools and Sorters of Wools, Spinners, Carders and Spullers of Yarn, and have had their only living thereby, tilL now of late, in the fifth Year of the Reign of our late Sovereign Lord King Edward the Sixth, that an Eftatute was made, That no Man fhould occupy Cloth-making ne put any Broad Cloth or Clothes to weaving or making, except he hath been Apprentice to Cloth-making by the Space of feven Years, or ' elfe have occupied and pra£tifed Cloth-making by the Space of feven Years or more, under Pain of For- ' feiture of great Penalties in the fame Eftatute limited; (2) by Reafon whereof divers and many good ' Clothiers, dwelling in the faid Cities and Towns Corporate, which had occupied and made Cloth by the ' Space of five or fix Years, and fome which have married Clothiers Wives, which had occupied Cloth- ' making by the Space of twenty Years before, by Reafon of the fame Eftatute have been enforced to leave. ' off and clearly difcontinue their Cloth-making, to their great Impoverifhment, and to the utter Undoing ' of a great Number of poor People and Handicraftfmen, which daily had their Living by the faid Clothiers : ' (3) And forafmuch as the perfect and principal Ground of Cloth-making is the true Sorting of Wools,
- and the Experience thereof confifteth only in Women, as Clothiers Wives, and their Women Servants,
' and not in Apprentices, they be thereby very like utterly to be undone for ever, unlefs fpeedy Remedy
- be therein provided :'
Certain Perfons H> I n Confideration whereof be it enacted, eftablifhed and ordained by the Queen's moft Excellent Ma- not rdfrained of jefty, with the Afient of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and the Commons, in this prefent Parliament makingofBroadafiembled, and by the Authority of the fame Parliament, That every Perfon or Perfons inhabiting in any ^hft^ndhf'th °^ t ^ le ^ a '^ Cities, Boroughs or Towns Corporate, or in Market-Towns, within the Realm of England, Stat. of"c& E 6 C where Cloth-making at any Time before the making of the faid Aft hath been ufed, fhall or may from Ed. 6. c. 6. henceforth lawfully make all Manner of Broad-clothes aforefaid, and put them to weaving, walking, fulling, Extended to the dying and fheering, without any Impediment, fo that the fame Clothes be fubftantially made, bearing
- ? ha £'!l nt , s of lawful Length, Breadth and Weight, according to the Statute for good and true Cloth-making made in the
ftc^'by x &5 6fth Year of the Reign of our faid late Sovereign Lord King Edward the Sixth ; any Article or Claufe in. Ph. &-M, c 5. the faid former Eftatute, or any other Eftatute for Cloth-making, made to the contrary in any wife not- . 36. withftandmg. CAP. VIII. An Act touching the Buying and Currying of Leather. 'HERE at the Parliament holden at Weftminfter upon Prorogation the xv. Day of April m the fixth Year of the Reign of our late Sovereign Lord King Edward the Sixth, it was amongft other Things enadted, That no Perfon or Perfons of what Eftate, Degree or Condition foever he or they be, fhould buy or engrofs, or caufe to be bought or engrolTed, any Kind of tanned Leather to fell the fame again, faving only Sadlers, Girdlers, Cordwainers and certain other Artificers, as by the fame Act. more plainly may ap- pear: (2) Sithence the making whereof forafmuch as many poor Artificers, as Shoemakers and Coblers, who afore that might buy from Time to Time their Stuff of the Currier ready provided and wrought fufRcientty, and to buy the fame at a Price reafonable, and now being very poor Men, and not able to buy two or three Hides or Backs of Leather at one Time, nor to pay ready Money for the fame, are inforced to give up their Occupations in great Number, to their utter Impoverifhment and Undoing; (3) And forafmuch alfo as fithence the making of the faid Eftatute all Kind of Stuff made of Leather is more flenderly and de- ceitfully wrought and made than ever it was, and neverthelefs as dear, or dearer ; whereby it may appear that the faid former Act was procured for the fingular Commodity of a few rich Shoemakers and other Artificers that are now common Regrators and Ingroffers of Leather, who without Refpecr. of perfect Work- manfhip, either of the Common-wealth, which is well perceived both in Mens Purfes, and alfo in their Shoes : (4) The Experience is well proved, they having the only Trade of buying of Leather, Stuff and Tallow in their Hands, and notwithftanding do deliver to the Currier fo little Stuff and Tallow, whereby the Leather cannot be fufEciently wrought : (5) And forafmuch as the Curriers are by divers Laws bound to the fufHcient Workmanfhip and Currying of Leather upon divers Pains, where they may buy no Lea- ther nor the Shoe-maker will not allow them fufficiently to do the fame.' II. Be Curriers as well as other Artifi- cers may buy Leather. A Rehearfal of a Branch of the Stat, of 5 & 6 Ed. &. c. 15. The Inconve- niences of the fcime iiranch.
