Taxation (No. 5) Act 1694

XV. Allowance of Seamen to Coal Ships;

Officer impressing them; Penalty £10; and Incapacity.

And for the encouragement of all such Shipps or Vessells as shall bee imployed in bringing Coals for supplying the City of London and other Ports of this Kingdome att more reasonable rates then dureing this Warr they have hitherto been Bee it enacted by the authority aforesaid That from and after the said Nine and twentieth day of September there shall bee allowed yearely from the Fifteenth day of April until the First day of January free from impressing to every Master of any Shipp or Vessel imployed in the Coal Trade two able Seamen (such as the Master shall nominate) for every Shipp or Vessell under One hundred Tun and one for every Fifty Tun. for every Shipp or Vessel of One hundred Tun and upwards burthen according to the measurement [X1 with] such Shipp or Vessell shall appeare to bee of by a Certificate which shall bee produced from the Custome House of what number of Tuns such a Shipp or Vessell hath paid for by an Act for laying a Duty on Tunnage of shipping And if any Captaine Lieutenant or other Officer shall by any Authority whatsoever presume to impresse or take any of the men allowed by this Act such Captaine Lieutenant or other Officer shall forfeit to the Master or Owner of such Shipp or Vessell Ten pounds for every man hee shall soe impresse or take to bee recovered with Costs of Suit by Action of Debt Bill Plaint or Information in any of his Majesties Courts of Record wherein noe Essoigne Protection Privedge Wager of Law Injunction or Order of restraint shall bee in any wise granted or allowed and shall alsoe bee made incapable of holding any Place Office or Imployment in any of his Majesties Ships of Warr.

Editorial Information

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