PART II. STATUTES INCIDENTALLY AFFECTING OR INTEREST- CLASS I. STATUTES RELATIVE TO THE LORD'S DAY. Anno 1 ELIZ. Cap. 2. Sect. 14. An Act for the Uniformity of Common Prayer and Service in the Church, and Administration of the Sacraments. CLASS I. No. 1. Stat. 1 upon the XIV. AND that from and after the said feast of the PART II. Nativity of St. John Baptist next coming, all and every person and persons inhabiting within this realm, or any other the Queen's Majesty's dominions, shall diligently and Eliz. c. 2. faithfully, having no lawful or reasonable excuse to be ab- Every persent, endeavour themselves to resort to their parish church son shall or chapel accustomed, or, upon reasonable let thereof, to resort to some usual place where common prayer and such service the church of God shall be used in such time of let, upon every Sun-holydays. day, and other days ordained and used to be kept as holy Godbolt days, and then and there to abide orderly and soberly dur- 148. pl. 191. ing the time of the common prayer, preaching, or other may conservice of God there to be used and ministered; upon pain vict the ofof punishment by the censures of the Church, and also fender, &c. by 3 Jac. 1. upon pain that every person so offending shall forfeit for c. 4. s. 27. every such offence twelve pence, to be levied by the Church-2 Roll. wardens of the parish where such offence shall be done, to 438, 455, the use of the poor of the same parish, of the goods, lands, The forfeitand tenements of such offender, by way of distress a. Anno 1 CAR. I. Cap. 1. An Act for punishing divers Abuses committed on the Lord's Day, called Sunday. One Justice March 93. ure for not coming to church. No. 2. FORASMUCH as there is nothing more acceptable to There shall God than the true and sincere service and worship of him be no as • Qualified as to Dissenters complying with the requisitions of stat. 1 Will. and Mary, c. 18. s. 2. See the same, Part II. Class III. No. 1. semblies for No. 2. unlawful pastimes upon the Lord's Day. 1 Haw. P. C. c. 6. PART II. according to his holy will, and that the holy keeping of the CLASS I. Lord's Day is a principal part of the true service of God, Stat. 1 which in very many places of this realm hath been and now Car. 1. c. 1. is profaned and neglected by a disorderly sort of people, in exercising and frequenting bear-baiting, bull-baiting, interludes, common plays, and other unlawful exercises and pastimes upon the Lord's Day; and for that many quarrels, bloodsheds, and other great inconveniences have grown by the resort and concourse of people going out of their own parishes to such disordered and unlawful exercises and pastimes, neglecting Divine service both in their own parishes and elsewhere; be it enacted by the King's most excellent Majesty, the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and the Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, That from and after forty days next after the end of this session of Parliament, there shall be no meetings, assemblies, or concourse of people out of their own parishes on the Lord's Day, within this realm of England or any the dominions thereof, for any sports and pastimes whatsoever; nor any bear-baiting, bull-baiting, interludes, common plays, or other unlawful exercises and pastimes, used by any perEvery per- son or persons within their own parishes; and that every son using any unlaw- person or persons offending in any the premises shall forfeit for every offence three shillings four pence, the same to be employed and converted to the use of the poor of the parish the Lord's where such offence shall be committed; and that any one Day shall forfeit 3s. Justice of the Peace of the county, or the chief officer or 4d. to the officers of any city, borough, or town corporate, where such poor of the offence shall be committed, upon his or their view, or conparish. fession of the party, or proof of any one or more witness by viction by oath, which the said Justice or chief officer or officers shall warrant by virtue of this Act have authority to minister, shall find from a Jus- any person offending in the premises, the said Justice or the Consta- chief officer or officers shall give warrant under his or their hand and seal, to the Constables and Church-wardens of the levy the pe- parish or parishes where such offence shall be committed, to levy the said penalty so to be assessed, by way of distress and sale of the goods of every such offender, rendering to the said offender the overplus of the money raised of the said goods so to be sold; and in default of such distress, that the party offending be set publicly in the stocks by the space of three hours; and that if any man be sued or impeached for execution of this law, he shall and may plead the general issue, and give the said matter of justification in sue, limita- evidence: Provided, That no man be impeached by this tion of the Act except he be called in question within one month next ful pas times on After con tice, &c. bles may nalty, &c. General is action. No. 2. after the said offence committed: Provided also, That the PART II. ecclesiastical jurisdiction within this realm or any the domin- CLASS I. ions thereof, by virtue of this Act, or any thing therein Stat. 1 contained, shall not be abridged, but that the Ecclesiastical Car. 1. c. 1. Court may punish the said offences as if this Act had not The ecclebeen made. This Act to continue until the end of the first siastical jusession of the next Parliament, and no longer. [3 Car. 1. risdiction c. 4. continued until the end of the first session of the next not Parliament, and further continued by 16 Car. 1. c. 4. and abridged. enforced by 29 Car. 2. c. 7.] Anno 3 CAR. I. Cap. 1. No. 3. travels on 1 Car. 1. c. 1. An Act for the further Reformation of sundry Abuses committed on the Lord's Day, commonly called Sunday. FORASMUCH as the Lord's Day, commonly called Sunday, is much broken and profaned by carriers, waggoners, carters, wain-men, butchers, and drovers of cattle, to the great dishonour of God, and reproach of religion; be it therefore enacted by the King's most excellent Majesty, and Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and, by the Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, That no carrier with any horse or horses, nor A carrier, waggon-men with any waggon or waggons, nor carman with &c. that any cart or carts, nor wain-man with any wain or wains, the Lord's nor drovers with any cattle, shall, after forty days next after Day shall the end of this present session of Parliament, by themselves forfeit 20s. or any other, travel upon the said day, upon pain that every! person and persons so offending shall lose and forfeit twenty shillings for every such offence: or if any butcher, by him- Butchers self or any other for him, by his privity or consent, shall, that sell or after the end of the said forty days, kill or sell any victual kill victual upon the said day, that then every such butcher shall for- day shall feit and lose for every such offence the sum of six shillings forfeit 6s. and eight-pence; the said offences, and every of them, being done in view of any Justice of Peace, Mayor, or other head officer of any city or town corporate within their limits respectively, or being proved upon oath by two or more witnesses, or by the confession of the party offending, before any such Justice, Mayor, or head officer, within their several limits respectively, wherein such offence shall be committed: to which end, every such Justice, Mayor, or head officer, shall have power by this Act to minister an oath to such witness or witnesses: all which sums or penal- After conties shall or may be levied by any Constable or Church-viction, and upon that 8d. No. 3. Stat. 3 PART II. warden, by warrant from any such Justice or Justices of CLASS I. the Peace, Mayor, or other head officer, as aforesaid, within their several limits where such offence shall be committed Car. 1. c. 1. or done, by distress and sale of the offender's goods, rendering to the party the overplus, or shall be recovered by by warrant from a Jus- any person or persons that will sue for the same, by bill, tice, &c. plaint, or information, in any of his Majesty's Courts of the consta- Record, in any city or town corporate, before his Majesty's Justices of the Peace in their General Sessions of the Peace: the said all which forfeitures shall be employed to and for the use forfeitures of the poor of the parishes where the said offences shall be committed or done, saving only that it shall be lawful to or they and for any such Justice, Mayor, or head officer, out of may be re- the said forfeitures, to reward any such person or persons covered by that shall inform or otherwise prosecute any person or per bles, &c. to the use of the poor, suit. No. 4. 1 Car. 1. c. 1. sons offending against this present Act, according to their discretions, so that such reward exceed not the third part of the forfeiture: Provided that such bill, plaint, or information shall be commenced, sued, and prosecuted in the county, city, or town corporate, where such offence shall be committed and done, and not elsewhere; wherein no essoin, protection, or wager of law shall be allowed to the defendant: Provided always, That it shall be lawful for any Constable or Church-warden, that shall have any suit or action brought against them for any distress by them or any of them to be taken by force of this present Act, to plead the general issue, and to give the special matter in evidence: Provided likewise, That no person or persons whatsoever shall be impeached by this Act, unless he be thereof questioned within six months after the offence committed: Provided further, That this Act shall not in any sort abridge or take away the authority of the Courts Ecclesiastical. This Act to continue to the end of the first session of the next Parliament. [Enforced by 29 Car. 2. c. 7. and see further 10 and 11 W. 3. c. 24. sect. 14.] Anno 29 CAR. II. Cap. 7. An Act for the better Observation of the Lord's Day, commonly called Sunday. FOR the better observation and keeping holy the Lord's Day, commonly called Sunday; be it enacted by the King's most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and of the Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority |