Part 11

And for the Encouragement of such as shall be Benefactors to so good a Design, Be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That if any Man charitably disposed, shall give one hundred Pounds, or more, towards carrying on the said Work, It shall and may be Lawful for the said Corporation, at a Court where there shall be present three and thirty of the said Guardians at the least, to elect and constitute such charitable Person to be Guardian of the Poor of the said City, and to continue in the said Office, as long as to the said Corporation shall seem meet.

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the said Corporation shall have the Care of, and provide for the Maintenance of all the Poor of the said City, of what Age soever they be, except such as shall be otherwise Efficiently Provided for by the charitable Gifts of other Persons, or in Hospitals or Alms-houses within the said City already erected: And in order thereunto shall have full Power to examine, search and see what poor Persons there are come into, Inhabiting and Residing within the said City or any Part thereof; and shall have Power to apprehend or cause to be apprehended any Rogues, Vagrants, or Sturdy-Beggars, or idle or disorderly Persons within the said City and the County thereof, and to cause them to be kept and set to Work in the said Work-houses, Hospitals or Houses of Correction, for the Space of three Years.

Provided always, and be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That this Act, or any thing herein contained, shall not any ways extend to give the said Corporation any Power or Authority over any Alms-house or Hospital, or any other charitable Gift or Use, within the said City, already Given, Settled or Erected, but that the same shall be wholly exempted therefrom; any thing herein to the Contrary notwithstanding.

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the said Corporation in their said Court or Assembly, shall have hereby Power to choose and entertain all such other Officers as shall be needful to be employed in and about the Premisses, and them or any of them, from time to time to remove as they shall see Cause; and upon the Death or removal of them, or any of them, to choose others in their Place, and to make and give such reasonable Allowances to them, or any of them, out of the Stock or Revenue belonging to the said Corporation or Hospitals, as they shall think fit.

Provided always, and be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That no Officer or Officers, who shall be elected, chosen, appointed or employed, in the Execution of, or by Virtue of this Act, or any of the Powers or Authorities thereby given, shall be liable for or by reason of such Office or Execution, to any of the Penalties mentioned in an Act made the Five and Twentieth Year of the Reign of King Charles the Second, for the Preventing the Dangers which may hapen from Popish Recusants.

And it is further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the said Treasurer for the Time being, and all other Officers belonging to the said Corporation, Hospitals, Work-houses, or Houses of Correction, shall, from time to time, before such Person or Persons as the said Corporation shall thereto appoint, account for such Moneys, Stock, and other Things belonging to the said Corporation, Hospitals, Work-houses, or Houses of Correction, as shall come to their respective Hands, or be under their respective Care, upon every reasonable Warning and Notice thereof, by the said Corporation to them respectively given; and on their Neglect or Refusal to Account, as aforesaid, shall or may be, by the said Mayor, or any two of the said Aldermen, committed to the County Goal for the said City and County of Bristol, there to remain without Bail or Mainprize, untill they shall become conformable, and Account, as aforesaid; and if upon such Account there shall appear any Thing to be in their Hands belonging to the said Corporation, Hospitals, Work-houses, or Houses of Correction, they shall pay and deliver the same, as the said Corporation shall direct, or give such Security for the same, as the said Corporation shall approve of, on pain to forfeit double the Value thereof, to be recovered by the said Corporation, by Action of Debt, Bill, Plaint or Information in which no Protection, Essoign, or Wager in Law, or any more than one Imparlance, shall be admitted or allowed.

And it is further enacted, That all other Pains, Penalties and Forfeitures by this Act appointed, shall be Levied by Distress and Sale of the Offenders Goods, by Warrant under the Hand and Seal of the said Treasurer for the time being, restoring to the Offender the Overplus.

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That if any Person or Persons shall be sued for any Matter or Thing which he shall do in Execution of this Act, he may plead the General Issue, and give the special Matter in Evidence: And if the Verdict shall pass for the Defendant, or the Plaintiff shall be nonsuited, or discontinue his Suit, the Defendant shall recover his Treble Costs. And this Act shall be taken and be allowed in all Courts within this Kingdom as a Public Act; and all Judges and Justices are hereby required, as such, to take Notice thereof, without specially Pleading the same; and all Mayors, Justices, Sheriffs, Bayliffs, Constables, and all other Officers and Ministers of Justice, are hereby required to be aiding and assisting to the said Corporation, and to such Officers as shall be employed by them, or any of them, in Execution of this Act, or any of the Powers or Authorities hereby given.

ACCOUNT

OF THE

PROCEEDINGS

OF THE

Corporation of Bristol,

In Execution of the

Act of Parliament

For the Better

Employing and Maintaining

the

POOR

Of That CITY.

TO THE

Right Honourable

AND

HONOURABLE,

THE

Lords Spiritual and Temporal,

AND

Commons in Parliament