Poor Prisoners Act 1666

IV. Rules and Orders for Exeter Work house.

Overseer thereof; his Salary.; Preacher; his Duty; and Salary.; In what case Offenders may be sent thither; and thence conveyed to Assizes and Sessions

Provided alsoe and bee it further enacted by the Authoritie aforesaid as followeth (viz) That whereas there is already provided a strong and sufficient Messuage in the Parish of Saint Thomas the Apostle neer the Citty of Exon for the purpose aforesaid and One thousand pounds more by certaine Trustees upon Proposalls and Agreements made by them with certaine Gentlemen Justices of the Peace for the County of Devon who have alsoe provided One thousand pounds more in order to purchase Lands of Inheritance for the good purposes hereafter mentioned Be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid That the said two thousand pounds be laid out in purchase of Lands of Inheritance by Order of the Generall Sessions of the Peace hereafter at any time to be held in the name of such persons as by such Order shall be appointed Item That the said House with the Grounds therewith enclosed be had and used as a Common Goale and Workehouse for the said County in manner as is after expressed Item That an Overseer be therein placed by like Order, and by like Order be removeable from time to time which Overseer shall have the charge custodie and government of the Prisoners to him committed according to this Act, and shall have Fifty pounds per annum dureing the execution of his Office and ten pounds per annum for his Deputie but shall therefore take noe Fees for receiving delivering or doeing any other service relateing to the Prisoners from or of any the said Prisoners Item That the said Justices by like Order from time to time shall and may by approbation of the Ordinary provide and appoint some meete and discreete Minister to reade Divine Service according to the Orders of the Church of England unto the Prisoners at least Fower dayes in the weeke that is to say on the Lords day, each Wednesday and each Friday and Saturday and oftner if the said Justices shall appoint and to take paines in instructing them each Lords day at the least for which they may allow him thirty pounds per annum or after that rate, the rest of the Proffitts to be for repairing the House and towards finding a Stocke for to sett the Prisoners on worke, Item That any person charged with such offence onely for which Clergy is allowable if soe be he be needy and indigent and not [X1 like] to maintaine himselfe in Goale may by Warrant of the Justice or Justices of the Peace to whom Jurisdiction in that behalfe appertained be committed to the said Worke house in order to his Tryall and if any person shall be coo[m]mitted to the ordinary Goale who shall be or become soe indigent he may by Warrant of three Justices of [X2 the] Peace whereof one to be of the Quorum be removed from the ordinary, common Goale to the said House, All which Prisoners soe coo[m]mitted or removed shall be in the custodie of the Overseer and be ordered and demeaned in the said House and conveyed to the Sessions or to the Goale delivery by like Warrant way and meanes as the Prisoners in other Goales by the Lawes and Statutes of this Realme are to be ordered and demeaned,

Editorial Information

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

X2 O. omits.