Artificers, either by the Year or Day, or otherwise, should have and receive, That the Justices of Peace of every Shire, Riding or Liberty, within the Limits of their several Commissions, or the more Part of them, being then resident within the same, and the Sheriff of that County, if he conveniently may, and every Mayor, Bailff or other Head Officer, within any City or Town Corporate, wherein is any Justice of Peace within the Limits of the said City or Town Corporate and of the said Corporation, should before the tenth Day of June next coming, and afterwards should yearly at every General Sessions first to be holden and kept after Easter, or at some Time convenient within six Weeks next following every of the said Feast of Easter, assemble themselves together; (2) and they so assembled, calling unto them such discreet and grave Persons of the said County, or of the said City or Town Corporate, as they shall think meet, and conferring together, respecting the Plenty or Scarcity of the Time, and other Circumstances necessarily to be considered, should have Authority by Virtue thereof, within the Limits or Precincts of their several Commissions, to limit, rate and appoint the Wages, as well of such and so many of the said Artificers, Handicraftsmen, Husbandmen, or any other Labourer, Servant or Workman, whose Wages in Time past hath been by any Law or Statute rated and appointed; Rating of Wages by the Year, Day, Week or Month or by the Great (3) and also the Wages of all other Labourers, Artificers, Workmen or Apprentices of Husbandry which have not been rated, as they the same Justices, Mayors, or Head Officers within their several Commissions or Liberties should think meet by their Discretions to be rated, limited or appointed, by the Year or by the Day, Week, Month or otherwise, with Meat and Drink, or without Meat and Drink; (4) and what Wages every Workman should take by the Great for Mowing, Reaping or Thrashing of Corn and Grain, and for Mowing and Making of Hay, or for Ditching, Paling, Railing or Hedging by the Rod, Pearch, Lugge, Yard, Pole, Rope, or Foot, and for any other kind of resonable Labours or Service; (5) and should yearly before the twelfth Day of July next after the said Assessment and Rate so appointed and made, certify the same ingrossed in Parchment, with the Considerations and Causes thereof, under their Hands and Seals, into the said Queen's most honourable Court of Chancery, to the End that Proclamation should be made in the Name of the Queen's Majesty, her Heirs or Succssors, for observing of the same Rates, in such Sort, Manner and Form as in the said Act more at large is declared.
A Question moved upon the Statute of 5 Eliz. c. 4. whose Wages the Justices may rate.II. And whereas the said Act hath not according to the true Meaning thereof, been duly put in Execution, whereby the Rates of Wages for poor Artificers, Labourers and other Persons, whole Wages was meant to be rated by the said Act, have not been rated and proportioned according to the Plenty, Scarcity, Necessity, and Respect of the Time, which was politickly intended by the said Act; (2) by reason that Ambiguity and Question have risen and been made, whether the rating of all manner Artificers. Workmen and Work-women, his and their Wages, other than such as by some Statute and Law have been rated, or else such as did work about Husbandry, should or might be rated by the said Law: Forasmuch as the said Law hath been found beneficial for the Commonwealth;'
Labourers, Weavers, Spinners and Workmens Wages may be rated by the Justices.III. Be it enacted by Authority of this present Parliament, That the said Statute[1], and the Authority by the same Statute given to any Person or Persons for assessng and rating of Wages and the Authority to them in the said Act committed, shall be expounded and construed and shall by Force of this Act give Authority to all Persons having any such Authority, to rate Wages of any Labourers, Weavers, Spinsters, and Work-men or Work-Women whatsoever, either working by the Day, Week, Month, Year, or taking any Work at any Person or Persons Hand whatsoever, to be done in Great or otherwise.
'IV. And whereas in divers Shires within this Realm, the Justices of Peace have not usually kept their General Sessions in one Place of the Shire together, but the General Sessions have been kept in several Places ("or several Divisions, by reason whereof the most Part of the Justices of the Peace coming not together, no rating of Wages could be well made in the said Shire where such General Sessions have been used; and for other Respects,'
Rates of Wages where Sessions be kept in several Parts of the Shire V. Be it enacted by Authority of this present Parliament, That the Justices of Peace, or the more Part be of them, resiant in any Shire, or in any Riding, Liberty or Division, where such Sessions have been usually severally kept, shall at any General Sessions of the Peace to be holden for the same Shire, Division, Riding or Liberty, or at such Time of rating of Wages as is limited by the said Act made in the fifth Year of her Majesty's Reign, have as full Authority and Power to rate all manner of Wages to be rated within such Shire, and within the Limits of such Division, in any such Shire, Riding or Liberty, as if the same were done in the General Sessions for the said County, or by the most Part of the Justices meeting for the rating of Wages by the said Act[2] of the fifth Year of the late Queen, for the Wages mentioned in the same Act.
Proclamations shall be made by the Sheriff of the Rates of Wages VI. And be it further enacted, That after the Rates made for Wages, and engrossed in Parchment under the Hands and Seals of them having Authority to rate the same, it shall and may be lawful to the Sheriff of the said County, or to the Mayor or Chief Officer or Officers of any City or Town Corporate, to cause Proclamation to be made of the several Rates so rated, in so many Places within their Authorities as to them shall seem convenient, and as if the same had been set down printed by the Lord Chancellor or Keeper, after Declaration thereof to his Majesty, and Certificate of the same into the King's most Honourable Court of Chancery: (2) And that every Person and Persons shall be bound to observe the said Rates in giving and receiving Wages, upon the Pains and Punishments mentioned in the said Act to be recovered, or Punishment inflicted, as in the said Act is mentioned.
The Forfeiture of a Clothier not paying the Wages rated to his Workmen. VII. And furthermore, be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid. That if any Clothier or other shall refuse to Obey the said Order, Rate and Assessment of Wages as aforesaid, and shall not pay so much or so great Wages, to their Weavers, Spinsters, Workmen or Work-women, as shall be so set down, rated and appointed, according to the true Meaning of this Act; That then every Clothier and other Person and Persons so offending shall forfeit and loss for every such Offence to the Party grieved, ten Shillings: (2)And.
