Marriage Duty Act 1694

XI. Commissioners under c. 3. ante, to be Commissioners for executing this Act.

Commissioners to meet upon 30th April; and may divide themselves; and to direct Precepts to Inhabitants, &c. requiring them to appear; then to read the Rates, and charge them; and to prefix a Day and Place to bring in Certificate of Names of Persons chargeable,; and the Sums they ought respectively to pay upon Burials, &c; Penalty; and to return Collectors for the First Year; Parish to be answerable for their Payments; Assessor, before he acts, to take the Oaths of 1 W. & M. Sess. 1. c. 8. and also the following Oath.

And bee it further enacted by the authority aforesaid That for the better execution of this Act and for the ordering and levying of the several su[m]ms of money soe as aforesaid limitted and appointed to bee paid the persons nominated and appointed to bee Commissioners for putting in execution an Act, of this present Session of Parliament intituled An Act for granting to his Majestie an aid of Foure shillings in the pound for One yeare and for applying the yearely su[m]m of Three hundred thousand pounds for Five yeares out of the Duties of Tonnage and Poundage and other su[m]ms of money payable upon merchandizes exported and imported for carrying on the warr against France with vigour shall bee Commissioners for putting in execution this present Act and the powers therein contained within all and every the severall and respective Counties Ridings Cities Boroughs Cinque-Ports Townes and places for the First yeare of the said terme of Five yeares for which the duties hereby imposed are granted Which said Commissioners in order to the speedy execution of this Act shall (in their respective Counties Cities Boroughs Townes and places for which they are appointed Commissioners) respectively meet together att the most usuall or common place of meeting within such of the said Counties Cities Boroughs Townes and places respectively att or before the Thirtieth day of April One thousand six hundred ninety five and the said Commissioners or soe many of them as shall bee present at the First general meeting or the major part of them may by their consents and agreements divide as well themselves as other the Commissioners not then present for the execution of this Act in Hundreds Lathes Wapentakes Rapes Wards Townes and other places within their limitts priveledged or not priveledged in such manner as to them X1 seem meet And shall direct their several or joint precept or precepts to such inhabitants and such number of them as they in their discretions shall think most convenient to bee Presenters and Assessors requiring them to appeare before the said Commissioners att such time and place as they shall appoint not exceeding. Ten days And att such their appearances the said Commissioners or soe many of them as shall meet shall openly read or cause to bee read unto them the several Rates and Duties in this Act mentioned and openly declare the effect of their charge unto them and how and in what manner they ought and should make their certificates and assessments according to the several Rates aforesaid And shall then and there prefix another day to the said persons to appeare before the said Commissioners and bring in their certificates in writeing of the names sirnames estates degrees titles and qualifications of all and every the persons dwelling or residing within the limits of those places with which they shall bee charged dividing them into several columns as they are in quality estate and qualification and the names of all other persons chargeable by this Act and the su[m]ms they are or ought [X2 to pay respectively] upon burials births or marriages and for their being unmarried according to the rules and directions of this Act without concealment love favour dread or malice upon pain of forfeiture of any su[m]m not exceeding Five pounds to bee levied as by this Act is appointed And shall alsoe then returne the names of Two or more able and sufficient persons within the bounds or limits of those parishes or places where they shall bee Assessors respectively to be Collectors of the several Rates and Duties granted to His Majestie by this Act which shall grow due and payable within the First yeare of the said terme of Five yeares For whose paying unto the Receiver General to bee appointed by his Majestie his Deputy or Deputies in manner following such moneys as they shall bee charged withall the parish or place by whom they are soe imployed shall bee answerable And every Assessor soe as aforesaid appointed or to bee appointed shall before hee take upon him the execution of the said imployment take the oaths mentioned and required to bee taken by an Act made in the Parliament held [X3 in] the First yeare of the reigne of King William and Queen Mary intituled An Act for the abrogating the oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy and appointing other oaths and alsoe take an oath to bee administred in these words following.

You shall swear well and truely to execute the duty of an Assessor and to cause the Rates and Duties imposed by an Act intituled An Act for granting to his Majestie certaine Rates and Duties upon marriages births and burials and upon Batchelors and Widowers for the terme of Five yeares for carrying on the warr against France with vigor to bee duely and impartially assessed according to the best of your skill, and knowledge and therein you shall spare noe person for favour or affection nor any person grieve for hatred or ill-will.

Which Oaths Two Commissioners may administer.

Which oaths any Two or more of the Commissioners in the County City or Place where the said assessment is to bee made have hereby power and are hereby required to administer.

Editorial Information

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

X2 Variant reading of the text noted in The Statutes of the Realm as follows: respectively to pay O. [O. refers to a collection in the library of Trinity College, Cambridge]

X3 O. omits.