ed, any boots, shoes, flippers, cut leather, lace, filk, lasts or On due proof other materials for making boots, shoes, flippers or other wares, of journeynot being the proper goods of the person so accused, it shall man's purloining boots, and may be lawful to and for any one or more of his Majesty's a justice may justices of the peace for the county, city, town or place where convict him, fuch offence shall be committed, or where the party so accused shall reside or inhabit, and such justice or justices is and are hereby respectively authorized and required, upon complaint or information upon oath of fuch offence (which oath or oaths fuch justice or justices is and are hereby impowered to administer) to fummon the party or parties complained of, or to issue his or their warrant or warrants, to apprehend and bring before him or them the person or persons so accused, complained of or suspected, and upon his or their appearance, or default to appear, to proceed to examine the matter of fact with which they are charged, and upon due proof thereof made, either by confeffion of the party or parties so accused, or upon the oath or oaths of one or more credible person or persons, to determine the same, and to convict the offender or offenders, and upon such conviction immediately to award to the party or and may aparties injured, reasonable recompence and fatisfaction for the ward fatisfacdamage, loss and charges by them sustained, and upon the tion for daneglecting or refusing immediately to pay the fame, to levy the mage sustained, same by warrant or warrants, under the hand and feal, or hands and feals of such justice or justices, upon the goods and chattels of the offender or offenders, rendring the overplus to the owner or owners thereof, and for want of fufficient distress, which may be to cause the offender or offenders to be whipt in the parish or trefs. levied by difplace where the offence shall be committed; and in case of conviction for any fecond or other fuch offence, to commit the offender or offenders to the house of correction, there to remain and to be kept to hard labour, for any time not exceeding one month, nor less than fourteen days, as to such justice or juftices shall feem meet and reafonable. II. And for the more effectual deterring and punishing accomplices and confederates in the faid frauds and abuses, be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, That all and every perfon and persons who shall, from and after the said twenty fourth day of June one thousand seven hundred and twenty three, buy or receive, or take in pawn, of or from any journeyman shoemaker, or other perfon hired or employed as fuch, in manner as aforesaid, or from any other person whatsoever, any boots, shoes, flippers, cut leather, lace, filk, lasts or other materials for makings boots, shoes, flippers or other wares, not being the proper goods of the perfon or persons selling or pawning, or offering to fell or pawn the same, shall for every fuch offence (being lawfully convicted thereof, in manner as aforesaid) make such reasonable recompence within two days after the matter of Confederates fact shall be determined, as upon hearing of the same shall be liable to the awarded, in manner as aforesaid, or else be subject to such di- fame punishstress, and for want of fufficient distress, to be liable to the like ment. punith 108 Anno nono GEORGII I. C.27. punishment as is hereby inflicted, or intended to be inflicted [1722, on fuch journeyman, journeymen or other person so purloining, imbezilling, selling, pawning or exchanging such goods or materials as aforesaid. or perfons, III. And for the more effectual discovering where any such leather or other materials as aforesaid, which from and after the faid twenty fourth day of June one thousand seven hundred and twenty three, shall be fraudulently fold, exchanged Justices may or pawned; be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, That it iflue warrants, shall and may be lawful for any two or more of his Majesty's &c. to search juftices of the peace, dwelling within the limits aforesaid, upon for leather, &c. purloined, any complaint or information upon oath, to issue their warrant or warrants for searching in the day-time, the house, warehouse or other place of such person or persons, as fuch justices shall have just cause to suspect to have received, bought or taken to pawn, any fuch goods so fraudulently embezilled or purloined as aforesaid, and for that purpose, upon refusal, to break open any fuch house, warehouse or other place, if there shall be occafion; and that every person who shall oppose and hinder fuch search, shall, for every such offence, forfeit the fum of ten pounds to any perfon or persons who shall inform and sue for the fame, within two kalendar months after the offence committed, in any of his Majesty's courts of record at Westminster, by action of debt, bill, plaint lege, protection, order of restraint, wager of law, or more than or information, wherein no essoin, privione imparlance shall be granted or allowed; and if it shall appear by the oath of one or more credible witness or witnesses, or upon search of such house, warehouse or other place it shall be found such person or persons hath or have in his, her or their custody or poffeffion any fuch goods so fraudulently fold, And may ers. and damage in detaining fuch goods, and charges in getting the Perfons re- be sent to the every such cafe, every person so offending, being thereof law fully fully convicted by the oath or oaths of one or more credible witness or witnesses, before one or more justice or justices of the peace where the offences shall be committed, the perfon or persons so convicted shall be sent to the house of correction, there to be kept to hard labour for any time not exceeding one month. to the V. Provided always, That it shall and may be lawful for any Persons agperson aggrieved by any order or orders to be made by any grieved may such justice or justices, to appeal to the next quarter-feffions appeal of the peace, to be holden for the county, city, town or place where such order shall be made, giving eight days notice of fuch appeal, and such justices at their quarter-sessions shall hear the * master, and shall have power to make fatisfaction to either. So in the reparty, as to them shall seem just, whose determination therein cord. shall be final. CA P. XXVIII. An act for more effectual execution of justice in a pretended privileged place in the parish of Saint George in the county of Surrey, commonly called the Mint; and for bringing to speedy and exemplary justice such offenders as are therein mentioned, and for giving relief to fuck persons as are proper objects of charity and compassion there. W HEREAS it is notorious, that many evil-disposed and wicked persons have, in defiance of the known laws of this realm, and to the great dishonour thereof, unlawfully affembled and afssociated themselves in and about a certain place in the parish of Saint George in the county of Surrey, commonly called or known by the name of Suffolk-place, or the Mint, and have afsfumed to themselves (by unlawful combinations and confederacies) pretended privileges, altogether Scandaleus and unwarrantable, and have committed great frauds and abuses upon many of his Majesty's good fubjects, and by force and violence protected themselves, and their wicked accomplices, against law and justice: and whereas it is evident, that an art made in the eighth and ninth years of the reign of his late majesty King William the Third, intituled, An act for the more effectual re- 8 &9 W. 3. lief of creditors in cases of escapes, and for preventing abuses c. 27. in prisons and pretended privileged places, hath not proved effectual within the said place, commonly called Suffolk-place, or the Mint; and it is absolutely necessary, that further provision should be made for more effectually abolishing the pretended privileges aforesaid, and for bringing all offenders in the premisses to more speedy and exemplary justice: may it therefore please your most excellent Majesty, that it may be enacted; and be it enacted by the King's most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual and temporal and commons, in this present parliament assembled, and by the authority of the fame, That if any person or persons shall, after the tenth day of October one thousand seven hundred and twenty three, within the said place, : 2 com commonly called Suffolk-place, or the Mint, in the parish of Saint George in the county of Surrey, or within any the Persons op- limits, or pretended limits thereof, knowingly and wilfully obpofing the ex-ftruct or oppose any perfon or perfons serving, or endeavourwrits, how to ing or attempting to serve or execute any writ, or any rule or be punished. order of any court of law or equity, or other legal process what ecution of foever, or any escape-warrant or any warrant or warrants of any justice or justices of the peace, or shall affault or abuse any perfon or persons serving or executing any such writ, rule, order, process or warrant, or for having so done, whereby any such perfon or persons shall receive any damage or bodily hurt, every person so knowingly and willingly offending in the premiffes, being thereof lawfully convicted, shall be adjudged guilty of felony, and shall be transported to some or one of his Majesty's colonies or plantations in America, by such ways, means and methods, and in such manner, and for fuch time, and under such pains and penalties, as felons in other cases are by law to be transported. II. And be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, That after the tenth day of October one thousand seven hundred and twenty three, upon any complaint or complaints at any time or times to be made to any three or more justices of the peace of the county of Surrey, by any person or persons, who have or hath, or shall have any debt or debts, fum or fums of money, due or owing to him, her or them, from any person or persons now being, or which hereafter shall be or reside within the faid place or places, commonly called Suffolk-place, or the Mint, or within any the limits, or pretended limits thereof (such creditor having any legal writ or process taken out for profecuting recovery, or levying any fuch debt or debts, sum or fums of money, and making oath before such justices of the peace, or any of them, that a debt or debts, exceeding fifty pounds at the least, is justly due to him, her or them, from the perfon or perfons against whom such complaint shall be made, and that fuch creditor verily believes, that such person or persons doth then refide or remain within such place or places as aforefaid) it shall and may be lawful to and for the said justices of the peace, or any three or more of them, and they are hereby authorized and impowered, in all and every fuch cafe and cafes Justices may (if they in their difcretions shall find it to be requifite) to iflue iffue warrants their warrant or order, from time to time, to the sheriff of the to the sheriff, county of Surrey, or to the bailiff of the liberty of the borough &c. for raiting of Southwark, for the time being, thereby strictly enjoining the poffe, &c. to arrest, &c. and requiring him or them, his or their respective deputy or Persons owing deputies, officer or officers (under such penalty, as by this act above sol. is prescribed for non-performance of his or their duty therein) to raise and take the poffe comitatus, or fuch other power or force, as to the said justices, or any three or more of them, shall feem requifite, and enter the faid pretended privileged place, called Suffolk-place, or the Mint, and the limits, or pretended limits thereof, and every or any part thereof, and to ar reft, &c. thall be rest, and in case of resistance or refusal, to open or break open any door or doors to arrest such person or persons, upon any mesne process, or other process, extent or execution, and to feize the goods of any fuch perfon or persons, upon any execution or extent; and if any such sheriff or chief bailiff, or Sheriff, &c. reany his or their deputy or deputies, officer or officers, or any fusing to exeof them, shall neglect or refuse, upon any such warrant or or- cute process, der, with fuch force, to use his or their best endeavours for the forfeits 2001. to the plaintiff. executing of fuch process, execution or extent, he or they fo neglecting or refufing to execute such process, execution or extent, shall forfeit to the plaintiff or plaintiffs the sum of two hundred pounds, to be recovered by action of debt, or of the cafe, bill, plaint or information, in which no essoin, protection, wager of law, or more than one imparlance shall be allowed; Persons opand if any person or persons shall refift or oppose any officer or pofing officers, officers of justice, or any person or persons, who shall be aiding transported. or afsisting to such officer or officers in the execution of any writ, or any escape warrant, or any warrant or warrants of any justice or justices of the peace, or of any legal process, execution or extent, within the said place called Suffolk-place, or the Mint, or within any the limits, or pretended limits thereof, or shall make refcous of any prifoner taken upon any fuch writ, process, execution or extent, within the place or limits aforesaid, or shall there knowingly harbour or conceal any prifoner so taken, or any person or perfons, who rescued any fuch prifoner, or shall be any ways contriving, or knowingly and willingly abetting, aiding or affisting, in refifting any fuch officer or officers, or in refcuing any fuch prisoner or prifoners taken as aforesaid, or shall prefume to exercise any unlawful jurifdiction, or make or execute, or join in the making or executing any pretended rule, order or ordinance, for fupporting any pretended privilege within the said place called Suffolk place, or the Mint, or any the limits, or pretended limits thereof, contrary to law, or for oppofing or hindering the due execution of any legal process, or any lawful warrant, or any rule, order or decree of any court of law or equity, all and every person and perfons so offending, being thereof lawfully convicted upon any indictment or information to be brought or filed within fix months after the offence committed, shall be adjudged guilty of felony, and shall be transported to fome or one of his Majesty's colonies or plantations in America, by such ways, means and methods, and in such manner, and for fuch time, and under such pains and penalties, as felons in other cases are by law to be transported. III. And for more effectually preventing for the future the great and enormous mischiefs and abuses, which have been riotously committed and done within the faid place called Suffolk-place or the Mint, or within any the limits, or pretended limits thereof, by wicked perfons in vizards, masks, or disguised babits, or having their faces or bodies disguised; be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, That if after the tenth day of October one thousand seven hundred and |