Packing of Butter Act 1662

Recital that great Quantities of Butter are exported; and what by Custom every Kilderkin, Firkin and Pot ought to weigh;

and that Complaints had been made of fraudulent Packing; and that bad Butter is mixed and packed; with good Butter and immoderate Quantities of Salt. What the Kilderkin is to contain, The Firkin, The Pot. Corrupt Butter not to be mixed or packed with sound Butter. Casks, &c. of Butter to be of one sort and goodness, great Salt. not to be used; Penalty.

FORASMUCH as Butter is one of the principal Comodities of the product of this Kingdome and is not only of an universal use and expence at home but very great quantities thereof are transported beyond the Seas And whereas by Custome time out of mind used every Kinderkin of Butter ought to [X1 weight] One hundred thirty and two pounds gross at the least that is to say One hundred and twelve pounds of Neat Butter and the Cask Twenty pounds The Firkin of Butter ought to weigh Sixty and four pounds viz Fifty and six pounds of good and Merchantable Butter Neat and the Cask Eight pounds And the Pott of Butter ought to weigh Twenty pounds viz. Fourteen pounds of good and Merchantable Butter Neat and the Pott Six pounds And whereas great Complaint hath beene made by the Traders in Butter and Cheese That by the fraudulent dealing and practice of several Farmers Owners and Packers of Butter and by theire irregular manner of weighing with Stones Iron Wedges Bricks and other unwarrantable Weights the same quantities of Butter are not put up into the respective Cask and Pots aforesaid and the Kinderkin is co[m]monly made to weigh Six and Twenty pounds and sometimes Eight and twenty pounds and the Firkin to weigh Ten pounds or Twelve pounds and sometimes Thirteen or Fourteen pounds weight and the Pots.[X2 are] made generally to weigh Seven pounds and some of them Eight pounds or Nine pounds weight and much bad and decayed Butter is mixed and packed up into Kinderkins Firkins and other Caske and Pots with sound and good Butter and immoderate quantities of Salt intermixed to the spoil of the same and to the great wrong and abuse of his Majesty in the Victualing of His Navy of Merchants in the Victualling of their Ships and of all Traders in the said Comodity and of all Householders who buy the same for theire expence and to the great dishonour of the English Nation in the parts beyond the Seas and to the bringing [X2 of] the said Comodity into great disrepute abroad whereby it yeilds not that price nor is vented there in such quantities as otherwise it would For remedy whereof Be it enacted by the Kings most Excellent Majesty by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and Commons in this present Parliament assembled That from and after the First day of June which shall be in the Yeare of our Lord One thousand six hundred sixty and two every Kinderkin of Butter do and shall containe One hundred and twelve pounds Neat or above every pound containing sixteen Ounces beside the Tare of the Caske and not lesse of good and merchantable Butter every Firkin of Butter do and shall containe Fifty six pounds Neat or above besides the weight of the Caske of good and merchantable Butter and every Pot of Butter do and shall contain fourteen pounds Neat or above besides the weight of the Pott of good and merchantable Butter And that no Butter which is old or corrupt shall be mixed or packed up into any Kinderkin Firkin or other Cask Vessel or Pot whatsoever with any Butter which is New and Sound nor any Whay Butter shall be packed or mixed with any Butter that is made of Cream but that the said respective sorts of Butter shall be packed up severally and a part by themselves and shall not be mixed one with another and that every Cask or Pott of Butter shall be of one sort and goodnes throughout such Caske and Pot and that no Butter shall be salted with any great Salt but that all Butter shall be salted and saved with small Salt nor more Salt shall be intermixed with it then shall bee needfull for its preservation upon pain and penalty that every Owner Farmer or Packer of Butter not putting up in each Kinderkin Firkin and Pot of Butter to be sold or to be exposed to sale respectively such quantities as aforesaid or offending in false packing as aforesaid for every such offence shall forfeit the value of all the Butter so false packed and for every offence where any Kinderkin Firkin or Pott shall be found to contain a lesser quantity of Butter then by this Act is appointed six times the value of every pound of Butter that shall be wanting in any such Cask or Pott.

Editorial Information

X1 weigh O

X2 interlined on the Roll.