Poor Prisoners Act 1666

II. Recital that the Judges, &c. have caught infectious Diseases, and died thereof.

Sheriffs, &c. to provide safe Places for the Reception of Sick Prisoners.; No such Places to be taken without Consent of Owners.

And whereas sometimes by occasion of the Plague and otherwhiles by the great number of Prisoners great and infectious Diseases have happened among the Prisoners whereby it hath come to passe sometimes that the Judges Justices and Jurors have upon occasion of their Attendance at the Tryall of Prisoners beene infected and many of them dyed thereof and sometime such Infection hath spread in the Country For some Remedy therein Bee it by the same Authority enacted That any Sheriffe of the respective Countyes haveing the Custodie of the Goale or such persons who have the Custodie of the Goale with the advice and consent of three or more Justices of the Peace whereof one to be of the Quorum may if they shall on inquiry or information finde it needfull upon emergent occasions in the respective Countyes provide other safe places for the removall of sicke or other persons from and out of the ordinary and usuall Goales the same places to be used and imployed for the reception and custodie of Prisoners to be by or according to their Order or Orders kepte ordered disposed and conveyed to the places appointed for the Goale delivery in such and like manner as such Prisoners ought to be kepte ordered disposed and conveyed in and from the Coo[m]mon Goales by the Lawes and Statutes of the Land, Provided noe such place be made use of for the purposes aforesaid against the good and free will of the Owners thereof,