494 C. 12. Anno fecundo & tertio Philippi & Marine. A. D. 1555 Looms, or receive any Profit, Gain or Commodity, directly or indirectly as is aforefaid, by any more than two Looms at one Time, upon Pain to forfeit for every Week that any Perfon fhall offend or do to the contrary, twenty Shillings. No Wearer (hall IV. And it is further ordained and enacted by like Authority, That no Perfon which fhall after the have a Tucking- r a jj ir ea fl. u fe^ exercife or occupy only the Feat or Myftery of a Weaver, and not Cloth-making, fhall during Skinner 428. the Time that he fhall ufe the Feat or Myftery of a Weaver, keep or have any Tucking-Mill, or fhall ufe or exercife the Feat or Myftery of a Tucker, Fuller or Dyer, upon Pain to forfeit for every Week that he fhall fo do, twenty Shillings. No Tucker or V. And it is further ordained and enacted by the like Authority, That no Perfon which after the faid Fuller (hall have p- ea ft ft^j u fe^ exercife or occupy the Feat or Myftery of a Tucker or Fuller, fhall during the Time that a oveone oom.j^ fl^ij r u fc the faid Feat or Myftery, keep or have any Loom in his Houfe or Poffeffion, or fhall directly or indirectly take any Profit or Commodity by the fame, upon Pain to forfeit for every Week, twenty Shillings. In what Places VI. And it is further ordained and enacted by like Authority, That no Perfon whatfoever, which here- CJoth«ma en be tofore hath not ukd or exercifed the Feat ' Myftery or Art of Cloth-making, fhall after the faid Feaft make woven. y or weave, or caufe to be made or woven, any kind of broad white Woollen Clothes, but only in a City, 4 & 5 - Ph. &M. Borough, Town Corporate or Market-Town, or elfe in fuch Place or Places where fuch Clothes have
- • 5. been ufed to be commonly made by the Space of ten Years next before the making of this Act, upon Pain
of Forfeiture for every Cloth otherwife made, five Pound. A Weaver fhall VII. Provided always, and be it further enacted by the Authority aforefaid, That it fhall not be lawful have but two to anv p er fon or Perfons, being a Weaver, or that doth or fhall ufe the Art or Myftery of a Weaver or Re^ait-dT' Weaving, dwelling out of a City, Borough, Town Corporate or Market-Town, to have in his and their 5 El. c. 4/ Service any more or above the Number of two Apprentices at one Time, upon Pain to forfeit for every Time that he fhall offend or do contrary to this Branch or Article, the Sum often Pound. None fhall be a VIII. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforefaid, That it fhall not be lawful to or for any Per- Wkfchbith been fon 01 ' Perfons > to fet U P the Art or Myftery of Weaving, after the faid Feaft of St. Michael, unlefs the an Apprentice?" f ame P er f° n or Perfons fo fetting up the fame Art or Myftery of Weaving, have been Apprentice to the S & 6 Ed. 6. ' fame Art or Myftery, or exercifed the fame by the Space of feven Years at the leaft, upon Pain of twenty c 8. Pounds to be forfeited to the King and Queen's_Majefties, her Grace's Heirs or Succeirors ; (2) The one Moiety of all which Forfeitures fhall be to the King and Queen's Highnefs, her Heirs and Succeffors, and the other Moiety to him or them that will fue for the fame in any Court of Record, by Action of Debt, Bill, Plaint or Information ; wherein no Wager of. Law, Eflbin or Protection fhall be admitted or allowed for the Defendant. The inhabitants . IX. Provided always, and be it enacted by the Authority aforefaid, That this Act, nor any Thing therein of certain Coun- conta j nec j 5 r> na ji - m an y w jj-g ex tend or be prejudicial to any Perfon or Perfons that doth or fhall dwell in the not bVpr^iudkedCounties °^ ferA, Cumberland, Northumberland and JVefimorland, but that they and every of them fhall and by this Statute, may have and keep Looms in their Houfes, and do and exercife all and every Thing and Things, for or concerning Spinning, Weaving, Cloth-working and Cloth-making in the faid Counties, as they or any of them might have done or exercifed lawfully before the making of this Eftatute ; any Thing contained in this Eftatute to the contrary in any wife notwithftanding. CAR XII. An Aft for the Sealing and Viewing of Clothes, commonly called Bridgwaters. In what Manner' T 7 HE RE before this Time the Boroughs and Towns of Bridgwater, Taunton and Chard in the Clothes called ' y y County of Somerfet have been well and fubftantially inhabited, occupied, maintained and upholder,, Bridgwaters fhall < f or t foe moft Part by Reafon of the making of Woollen Clothes, commonly called Bridgwater, Taunton they be bought ' and Chard Clothes, which in Times paft were much defired, as well beyond the Seas, as in th: Realm and ibid. ' of England, and thereby the Inhabitants and poor People of the faid Boroughs and Towns, and of the 4 Ed. i, c. i. ' Country thereabouts, were daily fet on work,- and had fufficient Living by the fame; and where alio the i R. 3. c. 8. <; r a j3 Towns in Times paft were of great Force and Strength to ferve the King and Queen's Highnefs Pro- ' genitors and Anceftors, Kings of this Realm : (2) Forafmuch as of late Days divers Perfons inhabiting ' and dwelling in Villages, Hamlets and fmall Towns of Hufbandry in the faid County of Somerfet, whicn ' were never Prentices, or fkilful in making of the faid Clothes, as well for their private Wealths and t ' Commodity, as alfo becaufe they would be out of due Search of their Clothes to be made according to the ' Statute therefore provided, not regarding the Maintenance of the faid Boroughs and Towns, nor the ' Common-wealth of the Handicraftfmen, and other poor People which chiefly had their Living and Sufte- ' nance by making of the laid Cloth, have of late Days exercifed, ufed and occupied the Myfteries of Cloth- ' making, Weaving, Fulling and Shearing, within their Houfes, and have fo deceitfully made, wrought 4 and ftretched the faid Clothes, to the Infamy and Slander of Cloth-making, in fuch Sort and Manner, ' that not only the fame Sorts of Cloths are grown out of Eftimation, but alfo the faid Towns are in great ' Decay, Ruin and Depopulation :' NoB:icifwiter H, f or Remedy whereof, Be it enacted by the Authority of this prefent Parliament, That no Perfon Cloth fhall b« whatfoever inhabiting or which fhall hereafter inhabit within the faid County, fhall after the Feaft of the v^ewef°feV-chedP ur 'f lcat ' on °f our Lady next coming, commonly called Candlemas, put to Sale any kind of fuch Clothes as ' and foiled. is aforefaid, or Clothes of like Nature, Making and Sort, made or to be made within the faid County, 4 except
