The Early History of English Poor ReliefLeonard, E. M., of Girton College
History
The Early History of English Poor Relief
Leonard, E. M., of Girton College
Poor laws -- Great Britain -- History
That the _maymed or hurt_ soldiers and all other impotent persons
be carefullye seene vnto to be releived w^{th}in their seu(er)all
parishes, hundreds or divisions, accordinge to the lawe _therfor
provyded_, and that where the provisions form(er)lye made be not
sufficient it may be _now for this tyme of derth_ increased; and where
one parishe is not able to geve sufficient releife to such their pore,
that parrishe to haue the supplye of such parishes nere adioyninge
as have fewer pore and are better able to geve releife, _and that no
vagabond or sturdy beggar or any y^t may otherwise gett ther lyving by
ther labors be not suffred to wander abrod under coller of beggy(n)g
in any town or high waye, and y^t the Justyces do presently gyve order
that ther be p(er)so(n)s sufficiently weaponed to asist the constables
of every town to attach such vagabo(n)ds both in ther towns side and
high wayes and to com(m)itt them to prison w^hout bayle, but as twoe
of y^e justyces of y^e peace n^r y^t divisio(n) shall order, and if
the townshipp shall not obs(er)ve this order for y^e attachy(n)g and
punisy(n)g of y^e sayd vagabo(n)ds then the justyces shall se due
punishme(n)t by fyne uppo(n) the whole townshipp or uppo(n) such
partyes in y^e town as shall be found in fault_.
That the Justices of the peace doe once eu(er)ye moneth c(er)tefie
their doings and proceadings by force of these Instruccons vnto the
Sheriffe of the said countie, in w^{ch} c(er)tificat they shall
also make c(er)tificat of such Justices as shalbe absent from any
these services and the trewe cause of their absence, and shall also
c(er)tefie the vsuall prices of all kyndes of grayne in their marketts
for that moneth past, of all w^{ch} the same Sheriffe to c(er)tefie
the privie Counsell once in eu(er)ye fortie dayes at the farthest, _so
as y^t defalt in any justyce y^t shal be absent may be duly considered
and corrected by authorety of hir Ma^{t's} counsell as reaso(n) shall
req(u)ir and so as such perso(n)s as ar placed as Justyces for ther
creditt may not contynew in those roomes, wherin they shall be found
not disposed to attend such a necessary and Godly servyce as this is,
but y^t others of better dispositio(n) may supply those roomes, if
ther shall be ned of any such no(m)ber, as in most places is thorght
not very nedefull, the nornber being in co(mm)on opinio(n) more
hurtful tha(n) proffitable to Justyce_.
And, yf any shall offend against the trewe meaninge of these
instruccons or of any parte thereof or shall vse any sinister means to
the defraudinge thereof, that such be severely punished accordinge to
the lawes, and for such obstinat persons as shall not conforme them
selves the Justices shall at their pleasure bynd to appere before _y^e
Q. Ma^{t's}_ privie Counsell _by a daye certen_ there to be further
dealt w^{th} _by sever_ punishment for the better ensample of _all_
others[750]....
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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