Merchant Ships Act 1664

IX. Mariners wounded in saving a Ship by Fight;

Court of Admiralty may levy Reward on Owners,; not exceeding Two per Cent. on Value of Ship and Goods on Oath; paid to Register. Fee,; to be distributed.

And for the better encouragement to Captaines Masters Officers and Seamen to defend their Shipps Be it enacted by the Authoritie aforesaid That when any English Shipp shall have beene defended by fight, and brought to her designed Port in which fight any of the Officers or Seamen shall have beene wounded it shall and may be lawful to and for the Judge of His Majestyes High Court of Admiralty or his Surrogate or the Judge of the ViceAdmiraltie within which the Shipp shall arrive at her returne upon Petition of the Master or Seamen of such Shipp soe defended as aforesaid to call unto him such and soe many as he shall be informed to be Adventurers or Owners of the Shipp and Goods soe defended and by advice with them to raise and levy upon the respective Owners and Adventurers by Processe out of the said Court such Summe [X1 and] Summes of Money as himselfe with the major part of the Adventurers or Owners then present shall judge reasonable not exceeding the value of Two per Cen? of the Shipp and Goods soe defended according to the first cost of the Goods to be made appeare by the Envoice (which the Owner or his Factor or Correspondent is hereby required to produce) or by the Oath of the said Owner Factor or Correspondent if thereunto required, which Money soe raised shall be paid unto the Register of the said Court who shall receive for the same Three pence in each pound and noe more thence to be distributed amongst the Captaine Master Officers and Seamen of the said Shipp or Widdowes and Children of the slaine according to the direction of the Judge of the said Court with the Approbation of Three or more of the Owners or Adventurers aforesaid who shall proportion the same according to their best Judgements unto the Shipps Company as aforesaid haveing a speciall regard unto the Widdowes and Children of such as shall have beene slaine in that Service, and to such as shall have beene wounded or mamed.

Editorial Information

X1 Variant reading of the text noted in The Statutes of the Realm as follows: or O. [O. refers to a collection in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge]