c. 18, POOR LAWS ters, &c. Letters of Horning to be direct at the instance of the Maf- CHAS. 71, ters of the faids Correction-houses, against thofe lyable in P. 1, 1672, payment of the faid allowance for the poor, conform to the faid Act of Parliament, and that quarterly in manner forefaid; and at the instance of the Collectors, to be namIed by the Heretors or Commiffioners of Excife, against the Heretors and Inhabitants of the faids Paroches: conform to the said Act of Parliament. It is alwayes hereby provided, that it fhall be lawful to Coal-Mafters, Salt- Coalmaf Mafters, and others who have Manufacturies in this King- power to dom, to feize upon any Vagabonds or Beggars, where ever feize. they can find them, and to put them to work in their Coalheughs or other Manufacturies, who are to have the fame power of correcting them, and the benefit of their work, as the Mafters of the Correction-houses. And farther, His Majefty, with advice forefaid, recommends and commits the execution of this prefent Act to His Privy Council, with power to them to appoint all means and wayes for making the fame effectual; To whom the Commiffioners of excife in the feveral Shires, are hereby Required to return an accompt of their diligence in the premiffes, by fome of their number the fecond Council day in November, and the fecond Council day in June yearly, under the pain of Fourty pounds Scots for every Commiffioner of Excife, who fhall be deficient in doing his part of the premiffes. No. XLIX. MARY, 1551, c. 25, (Black Acts.) THAT nane be permitted to beg except in the parish where they were born: That the headfmen of every parifh give badges to the Beggars thereof; and that none be ferved with alms but those who have badges: That the Juftice R make inquifition, and take dittay thereupon at every Juftice; and Letters are ordained to be directed to charge all officers of the Law to put this act in execution. to meet,and the herit No. L. WILL. and MARY, 11th Aug. 1692. Proclamation of the WILLIAM and MARY, &c. to macers of our Privy Council, meffengers at arms, our Sheriffs in that part, conjunctly and severally, fpecially constitute, Greeting; whereas feveral good Laws have been made by our Royal Predeceffors for maintaining the Poor, and Heritors, relieving the Lieges of the burden of Vagabonds: In prominifters, fecution whereof, We hereby require the Heretors, Miniand elders, fters, and Elders, of every Parish to meet on the fecond adjust the Tuesday of September next at their Parish Kirk, and there queta ; to make Lifts of all the Poor within their Parish, and to caft up the Quota of what may entertain them according One half by to their refpective Needs, and to caft the faid Quota, the ors, and the One Half upon the Heretors, and the other Half upon the other half Houfeholders of the Parish, and to collect the fame in the by the household Beginning of every Week, Month, or Quarter, as they fhall Judge moft fit, and to appoint Two Overseers yearly to collect and diftribute the faid Maintenance to the Poor Two over- according to their feveral Needs. And likewise to appoint an Officer to ferve under the faid Overfeers for inbringing of the maintenance, and for expelling Stranger Vagabonds from the Parish, whofe Fee is to be ftented on the Parish as the rest of the Maintenance for the Poor is When the ftented; And fuch Poor as are not provided of Houses for poor are to themselves or by their Friends, the Heretors are to probe provid- vide them with Houses on the expence of the Parish in ers. feers and an officer. ed in houfes manner forfaid. AND if any Parish fail in providing fufficiently for their monthly of own Poor, the Parish fo failing fhall pay the Sum of 2001. penalty on Scots, to be uplifted, a third Part to the Purfuer, and two cach parish Parts to be applied to the Maintenance of the Poor of the glect to Praish; and that Monthly, toties quoties as they shall fail in their Duty. And if there be any Mortifications already, or if any hereafter fhall accrue to any Parish, the who ne provide for their poor; CLAMA -CON CERNING fame fhall be applied, by the Advice of the Heretors and IST PROElders to the use aforefaid, but without Diminution of the TION, Stock of the faids Mortifications: And the Heretors and PRIVEElders are hereby appointed to have a fecond Meeting at COUNCIL, the said Parish Kirks this Year on the fecond Tuesday of October next for a more exact Settling of the Matter: THE POOR, And yearly thereafter the Heretors, Ministers, and Elders, The first of every Parish are to meet on the first Tuesday of Febru- Tuesdays of ary, and the first Tuesday of Auguft yearly, to confult and and Auguft. determine herein as fhall be thought fit for every enfuing appointed Half year, and to appoint Overfeers by the Year or Half for the half year, as they fhall conclude. February yearly meetings. to inform the sheriff's are to be deficient. AND all the Ministers are hereby required to give time. Ministers ous Information to the Sheriff of the Shire, if any Parish fhall fail in Performance of this Chriftian Duty, in Whole of delinor in Part, and the Sheriff or Sheriff Depute are hereby quents who required to call the Delinquents before them without any fined in Delay, and if Guilty to fine them in Double the Quota double the which the Minister fhall atteft to be wanting, and to caufe fum in which they poind for the fame immediately: And where Churches are are atvacant, that Two of the greatest Heretors refiding within teft to be the Parish fhall be appointed by the first Meeting in September next, to inquire into the Duty of Parishioners and Overfeers, and to inform the Sheriff of their Delinquency. Any of the AND if any of the Poor of the Parish are able to work, poor able the Heretors of the Parish are hereby authorised and re- to work to quired to put them to Work according to their Capacities, be employ either within the Parish, or in any adjacent Manufactory heritors, eias they fhall find expedient, furnishing them always with ther in the Meat and Cloth. parish, or in an adjaAND if any young Children be found Begging, under cent manuthe Age of 15 Years, any Perfon who fhall take the faid factory. Children and bring them before the Heretors, Ministers, and Elders, and caufe registrate the Name and Defignation be taken to of the Child in the Seffion Book, and shall there enact him- fervice till felf to educate the faid Child either to Trade or Work, 30, in terms and take an Extract of the Act from the Clerk of the Seffion, the faid Child fhall be obliged to serve the said Perfon, fo educating him for Meat and Cloaths until he pass the 30th Year of his Age: And all Manufactories are de I ed by the Children to of the act 1617. IST PRO. CLAMA- clared to have the fame Priviledge as to the Education of fuch young Ones; and this to extend, not only to the Children of Beggars, but alfo to poor Children, whose Parents are dead, or with confent of the Parents, if they be CERNING alive; And if any young Ones, about 15 Years of Age, THE POOR. fhall voluntarily engage themfelves, upon the like Condi COUNCIL, -CON tions, the fame method is to be extended to them in every point: And if any of the young Ones, fo educated, fhall difobey their Mafters, when reasonably employed, their Masters are hereby warranted to correct them as they judge expedient, Life and Torture excepted. And if any Perfon harbour or refet any fuch Servant belonging to any other, they shall return them to their Master, on demand, under the Pain of One Hundred Merks, toties quoties as oft as they shall be required fo to do: And if any Mafter Sheriff and shall exact any inhuman or too rigid Service from any juftices of fuch Servant, the Sheriffs, or Juftices of Peace, upon appeace to judge in plication by the Servants, are to judge in the case; and if cafe of any the feverity fo deferve, the Servant may be loofed from inhuman or fuch a Mafter, the Servant, or fome for him, paying the rigid fer- Mafter as much Yearly as the Fee of Servants of that qua vice. Beggars to repair to their own of imprisonment, and being fed on bread and water lity would extend to each Year, to the number of Years wanting to the 30th Year of the Servant's Age: And the Heretors meeting on the Days appointed, or Major Part of them, are authorised and required to conclude and determine Matters for that half Year. AND to the End that the Poor may be returned to their own Parishes, and the Nation freed of Vagabonds, we parishes, ftrictly require and command all the Beggars within the Kingdom forthwith to repair to their feveral Parishes, with all diligence, and to keep the ordinary High ways to the fame, and fo foon as they come to their Parish, to prefent themselves to the Heretors and Elders, that their Names may be lifted amongst the Poor of the Parish, and they lodged and entertained accordingly; with Certification to all who shall be found Begging without the Bounds of their and, for fe- Parish after the faid fecond Tuesday of September next, they shall be seized as Vagabonds, imprifoned and fed on marked on Bread and Water for a Month, or till they be fent home to their Parish in manner after mentioned; and if they be found vaguing a fecond time, they are to be marked with for a month, cond fault, to be the face with an iron. TION, PRIVY CERNING an Iron on the Face; and all the Lieges are hereby prohi- IST PRObited to give any Alms to fuch Begging Vagabonds, other CLAMAthan Bread and Water allenarly after the said second Tuesday of September until they arrive at their own Parishes. coUNCIL, AND to the end that our Will hereanent may be more -CONspeedily made practicable, we strictly command and charge THE POOR. all our Lieges within this our ancient Kingdom, to apprehend fuch Beggars as they fhall find vaguing without their All begown Parish after the fecond Tuesday of September, and gars to be apprehendforthwith to carry them to the principal Heretor of the ed by any Parish where they are apprehended, if it be in Landward, of the and to one of the Baillies in Towns, who fhall examine lieges, and the Beggar in the Shire and Parish where he was born, the princiand fhall direct him forthwith to the nearest Parish that pal heritor, lies in the road to the Parish of his Birth, and deliver him or magiftrate, who to the nearest Heritor that lies in that high way in the hall fend next Parish, and fo forth from Parish to Parish in the fame them to the carried to road until he arrive at the Parish of his nativity, who shall Parish where they then lift him and entertain him amongst the Poor: And were born. the Heretors to whom the Vagabonds are delivered, are hereby authorifed and required to fend two fencible Men of their Parish to convey every Beggar to the Heretor of the next Parish, and to fend a Note of the Beggar's name and the Parish where he was born, which is to be delivered to the next Heretor who receives him, and every Heretor who receives him is to return a Note figned of his reit, and fo forth from Heretor to Heretor in every several Parish. And if any of the faids Beggars offer to make their efcape in their tranfportation, the Beggar fo doing fhall be fcourged and fed with bread and water during the reft of his Journey: And whoever gives alms to any thefe givPenalty on Beggar not in their Parish after the fecond Tuesday of Sep- ing alms, tember, and shall not seize him in order to his tranfporta- and diftion, as faid is, fhall be fined in 20 fhillings Scots toties quo- act. obeying the ties, to be uplifted by the Overseers, and applied to the use of the Poor of the Parish; And if the Heretor to whom Penalty on the Vagabond fhall be brought, fail in his duty of fending the heritor him, he fhall be fined in 20 pounds Scots toties quoties, to disobe ying. be applied as faid is; if any fencible man, fent to convey them, refuse or fail in his duty, he is to be fined in two merks Scots toties quoties, to be applied as faid is; and the |