Taxation (No. 4) Act 1696

XXXII. The said Lottery to be drawn on the 10th Aug. 1697.

Manner of drawing the same; to continue until the whole Number of Tickets shall be drawn; If Proceedings of Drawing cannot be performed in One Day, the same to be adjourned from Day to Day. By what Means the Holders of fortunate Tickets may be made acquainted therewith.; Forging Tickets, or knowingly bring the same to the Managers; Felony; Managers may cause the Bringers of such Tickets to be apprehended, and may commit.

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid That on the Tenth Day of August One thousand six hundred ninety seaven the said Managers and Directors shall cause the said several Boxes with all the Ticketts therein to be brought into the Guild-Hall in the Citty of London by Eight of the Clock in the Forenoon of the same Day and placed on a Table there for this purpose and shall then and there severally attend this Service and cause the Two Boxes containing the said Ticketts to be opened and the Ticketts to be well shaken and mixed in each Box distinctly And some one indifferent and fitt Person to be appointed and directed by the Managers aforesaid or the major part of them or of such of them as shall be then p[re]sent shall take out or draw One Tickett from that Box where the said numbered Ticketts shall be as aforesaid putt and one other indifferent and fitt Person to be appointed and directed in like manner shall presently take out a Tickett or Lott from the Box where the said Three thousand five hundred fortunate and fifteen hundred Blank Ticketts shall be p[ro]miscuously putt as aforesaid and im[m]ediately both the Ticketts so drawne shall be opened and the numbred Tickett as well as the Fortunate or Blank Tickett shall be named aloud And if the Tickett taken or drawne from the Box containing the Fortmate and Blank Lotts shall appeare to be a Blank then the numbred Tickett so drawne with the said Blank att the same time drawne shall both be putt on one File And if the Tickett so taken or drawne from the Box containing the Fortunate and Blank Lotts shall appeare to be one of the Fortunate Ticketts then the Su[m]m written upon such Fortunate Tickett (whatsoever it be) shall be entred by a Clerk which the said Managers or the major part of them as aforesaid shall employ and oversee for this purpose into a Book to be kept for entring the Numbers coming upp with the said Fortunate Ticketts and the Su[m]ms [X1 whereby] they shall be intituled respectively And one or more of the said Managers shall sett their Names as Witnesses to every such Entry And the said Fortunate and Numbred Tickett so drawne together shall be putt upon another File And so the said drawing of the Ticketts shall continue by taking one Tickett att a time out of each Box and with opening naming aloud filing the same and by entring the fortunate Lotts in such Method as is before mentioned until the whole Number of Three thousand five hundred Fortunate Ticketts and one more for the last as aforesaid shall be compleatly drawn and no longer And if the same cannot be performed in one Days time the said Managers or Directors shall cause the Boxes to be locked upp & sealed in manner as aforesaid and adjourne till the next Day and so from Day to Day and then open the same and proceed as above till the said whole Number of Fortunate Ticketts and one Number more shall be compleatly drawne as aforesaid and no longer And afterwards the said numbred Ticketts so drawne with the Fortunate Ticketts drawne against the same shall be and remaine in a strong Box lockt upp as aforesaid & under the Custody of the said Managers until they shall take them out to examine adjust and settle the p[ro]perty thereof if occasion requires And to the end the Fortunate may know (whether absent or present) to what degree they have been so as soon as the drawing is over the said Managers are hereby required forthwith to cause to be printed and published the Number of the Tickett drawne against each Fortunate Tickett and the Su[m]m written in the same And if any Contention or Dispute shall arise in adjusting the Property of the said Fortunate Ticketts the major part of the Managers aforesaid agreeing therein shall determine to whom it does and ought to belong And if any Person or Persons shall forge or counterfeit any such Tickett or Ticketts as aforesaid or bring any forged or counterfeit Tickett (knowing the same to be so) to the said Managers or any of them to the Intent to defraud His Majesty or any other upon this Act that then every such Person or Persons (being thereof convicted in due Forme of Law) shall be adjudged a Felon and shall suffer as in cases of Felony And the said Managers and Directors or any Two or more of them are hereby authorized and impowered to cause any such Person or Persons bringing such forged or counterfeit Tickett or Ticketts as aforesaid to be apprehended and to co[m]mitt him her or them to His Majesties Gaol of Newgate to be proceeded against for the said Felony according to Law.

Editorial Information

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