prosecute such several and respective Offenders until he she or they shall be thereof respectively convicted, and also, as directs the allowance of the payment of such last-mentioned Rewards of Forty Pounds and Ten Pounds to the Sheriff or Sheriffs paying the same, upon his or their accounting with His Majesty; shall be, and the same is and are hereby severally and respectively Repealed.

And be it further Enacted, That from and after the passing of this Act, no Certificate which shall be granted pursuant to the said recited Act of the Tenth and Eleventh years of the reign of King William the Third, to any person or persons who shall apprehend and take and prosecute to Conviction any person guilty of any of the Felonies therein beforementioned, to discharge such person or persons so apprehending and prosecuting, from Parish and Ward Offices, shall be assignable or transferrable by the person or persons to whom such Certificate shall be originally granted, to any person or persons whomsoever; nor shall any such Certificate or Certificates exempt or discharge from Parish or Ward Offices, any other person or persons whomsoever than the person or persons to whom the same was originally granted; the said recited Act of the Tenth and Eleventh years of the reign of King William the Third, or any other Law Usage or Custom, to the contrary in anywise notwithstanding.

12

Provided always, and be it further Enacted, That nothing herein contained shall extend or be construed to extend to take away from or deprive the Executors or Administrators of any person or persons who shall happen to be killed by any Robber or Robbers, endeavouring to apprehend or in making pursuit after him or them, of any Reward or Rewards to which the Executors or Administrators of any person or persons so happening to be killed, would be entitled by the said recited Act of the Fourth year of the reign of their said late Majesties King William and Queen Mary; nor to deprive any person or persons of the Horse, Furniture and Arms, Money or other Goods, of any Robber or Robbers, and which by the same Statute are directed to become the property of any person or persons who shall take, apprehend, prosecute or convict any such Robber or Robbers as therein 13 mentioned; nor shall any thing herein contained extend or be construed to extend to deprive the Executors or Administrators of any Watchman or any other person or persons who shall happen to be killed by any Burglar or Housebreaker, endeavouring to apprehend or in making pursuit after him or them, of any Reward or Rewards to which such Executors or Administrators would be entitled by virtue of the said recited Act of the Fifth year of the reign of her said late Majesty Queen Anne.

AND whereas many persons are deterred from prosecuting persons guilty of Felony, upon account of the expense and loss of time attending such Prosecutions, whereby the ends of Justice are frequently

defeated,

14

defeated; BE it therefore Enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That from and after the passing of this Act, it shall and may be lawful for the Court, before whom any person shall be prosecuted or tried for any Grand or Petit Larceny or other Felony, and every such Court is hereby authorized and empowered, at the request of the Prosecutor or any other person or persons who shall become bound in any Recognizance to His Majesty, His Heirs and Successors, to prosecute or give Evidence or who shall be subponed to give Evidence accordingly against any person or persons accused of any Grand or Petit Larceny or other Felony, and who shall appear to prosecute and give Evidence, or who shall appear to the said Court to have been active in the Apprehension of any person or persons accused of any of the offences in the said hereinbefore recited Acts mentioned, or any of them, to order the Sheriff or Treasurer of the County in which the offence shall have been committed, to pay unto such Prosecutor and Witnesses, and person or persons concerned in such Apprehension as aforesaid, respectively, as hereinafter mentioned, as well the Costs, Charges and Expenses which such Prosecutor shall be put to in preferring the Indictment or Indictments against the person or persons so accused, as also such sum and sums of Money as to the said Court shall seem reasonable and sufficient to reimburse such Prosecutor and Witnesses, and person or persons concerned in such Apprehension as aforesaid, for the Expenses they shall have been put to in attending before the Grand Jury to prefer such Indictment or Indictments, and in otherwise carrying on such Prosecution, and also compensate such Prosecutor and Witnesses and person or persons concerned in such Apprehension as aforesaid, for their loss of time and trouble therein.

the Sheriff of the County.

And be it further Enacted, That in case the said Judge, Justices or To be paid by Court shall make any Order and direction for the payment of any such sum or sums of Money to any person or persons concerned in the Apprehension and taking of any person or persons accused of any of the offences in the said hereinbefore recited Acts mentioned, or any of them, the same shall be paid by the Sheriff of the County in which the offence shall have been committed, in the like manner, and at the same period of time as the Rewards are directed to be paid by the said recited Acts, of fourth William and Mary, sixth William three, fifth Anne, and fourteenth and fifteenth George the second.

And be it further Enacted, That every such Order for the Costs and Charges assigned by this Act to Prosecutors and Witnesses, shall be made out by the Clerk of Assize or Clerk of the Peace respectively; which Order the Clerk of Assize or Clerk of the Peace is hereby directed and required forthwith to make out and deliver unto such Prosecutor, upon being paid for the same the sum of One shilling and no more; and the Treasurer of the said County, Riding or Division is hereby authorized and required, upon sight of such Order, forthwith to pay to such Prosecutor or other Person authorized to receive the same, such Money as aforesaid, and shall be allowed the same in his account.

257.

C

WHEREAS

The Order for Costs to

be made by

the Clerk of

Assize, and to be paid by

the Treasurer of the County

QQ Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q

A

BIL L

[AS AMENDED ON RE-COMMITMENT]

For Repealing such Parts of several Acts, as allow pecuniary and other Rewards on the Conviction of Persons for Highway Robbery, and other Crimes and Offences; and for facilitating the means of prosecuting Persons accused of Felony and other Offences.

Note.-The Figures in the Margin denote the Number of the Folios in the written Copy.

N. B.-The Clauses marked (A. B. and C.) were added by

the Committee.

W

HEREAS by an Act of Parliament made and passed in Preamble:

the Fourth year of the reign of their late Majesties King Act,4W.& M. William and Queen Mary, intituled, "An Act for encouraging the "apprehending of Highwaymen," it is enacted, That from and after the twenty-fifth day of March one thousand six hundred and ninetythree, all and every person and persons who shall apprehend and take one or more Thieves or Robbers, and prosecute him or them so apprehended and taken, until he or they be convicted of any Robbery committed in or upon any Highway, Passage, Field or open Place, shall have and receive from the Sheriff or Sheriffs of the County where such Robbery and Conviction shall be made and done, without paying any Fee for the same, for every such Offender so convicted, the sum of Forty Pounds, within one Month after such Conviction, and demand thereof made, on tendering to such Sheriff or Sheriffs a Certificate of such Conviction, and that such Felon or Felons was or were taken by the person or persons claiming such Reward; such Certificate to be signed in manner thereby directed; and which said Rewards on such Convictions as aforesaid, are by the said Act directed to be allowed to the respective Sheriffs paying the same, or to their Executors or Administrators, in accounting with their said late Majesties their Heirs and Successors:

And whereas by an Act of Parliament made and passed in the Sixth 6 W. 3. and Seventh years of the reign of his late Majesty King William the

257.

A

Third

by the Overseers of the Poor ;

any

"for the County in which such parish or place does lie, as to the said "Justice shall seem meet:" And whereas it is expedient, that when Two Inhabitants of any parish or place paying scot and bearing lot therein, shall give Notice in writing to any Constable of such parish or place, of any person keeping a Bawdy-house, Gaminghouse, or any other disorderly house, in such parish or place, that the Overseers of the Poor of such parish or place shall have Notice thereof; To be given THEREFORE, BE it Enacted, and it is hereby Enacted, That a Copy of the Notice which shall be given to such Constable, shall also be served on or left at the Places of Abode of the Overseers of the Poor of such parish or place, or one of them, and such Overseers or Overseer of the Poor shall be summoned, or have reasonable Notice to attend before such Justice of the Peace before whom such Constable shall have Notice to attend, and if such Overseers or Overseer of the Poor shall then and there enter into such Recognizance to prosecute such Offender as the Constable is in and by the said Act required to enter into, then it shall not be necessary for, nor shall such Constable be required to enter into such Recognizance, but if such Overseers or Overseer of the Poor shall neglect to attend such Justice on having such Notice, or shall attend, and shall decline or refuse to enter into such Recognizance to prosecute, then such Constable shall enter into the same, and shall prosecute, and shall be entitled to his Expenses, to be allowed as in and by the said Act is directed.

who are to prosecute.

CLAUSE (B.) In Places which do not contribute to the County Rate, and

have no public Stock, a separate Rate to be levied

for the purposes of the Act.

CLAUSE (C.)

Where Sums are too small

a separate

Rate, to be

paid out of the Poors Rate.

And whereas there are several Cities, Towns Corporate, and Places, which do not contribute to the Payment of any County Rate, and have no Town Rate or Public Stock; and Doubts may arise whether such Cities, Towns Corporate and Places, can be legally rated and assessed towards the Payments by this Act directed to be made; BE it therefore Enacted, That in all such cases, the said Costs, Charges, Expenses, Sum and Sums of Money, and Compensations, shall be raised, levied, collected and paid, within such Cities, Towns Corporate and Places, by a separate Rate and Assessment, to be made by the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor of the several Parishes and Precincts within such Cities, Towns Corporate and Places, and by such and the like ways, methods and means as the Rates for the relief of the Poor are, can or may be raised, levied and collected, in such Cities, Towns Corporate and Places.

And whereas it may happen that the Sums of Money to be raised in the said Cities, Towns Corporate and Places, or some or one of to be raised by them, for the Payments by this Act directed to be made, may be so small that it may not be convenient to make an equal separate Rate and Assessment for the same, upon the said Parishes and Precincts, within such Cities, Towns Corporate and Places; BE it Enacted, That in such last mentioned case, and when and so often as the same shall happen, the said Costs, Charges, Expenses, Sum, and Sums of Money, and Compensations, shall and may, by order of the said Court before whom any such Person may be tried as aforesaid, be paid out of the Monies from time to time raised for the relief of the Poor, in the said

several