Conventicles Act 1670

X. Constables, and other Officers, omitting their Duty;

Penalty £ 5; Justices of Peace, &c.; Penalty £ 100.

And bee it further enacted by the authoritie aforesaid That if any Constable Headborough Tythingman Church warden or Overseer of the Poore who shall know or be credibly informed of any such Meeteings or Conventicles held-within his Precincts Parish or Limitts and shall not give information thereof to some Justice of the Peace or the cheife Magistrate and endeavour the conviction of the partyes according to his duty, but such Constable, Headburrough, Tythingman, Churchwarden, Overseers of the Poore; or any person lawfully called in aide of the Constable, Headburrough or Tythingman shall wilfully and wittingly oramitt the performance of his duty in the execution of this Act and be thereof convicted in manner aforesaid he shall forfeite for every such offence the summe of Five pounds to be leavyed upon his Goods and Chattells and disposed in manner aforesaid. And that if any Justice of the Peace or cheife Magistrate shall wilfully and wittingly ommitt the performance of his duty in the execution of this Act he shall forfeite the summe of One hundred pounds the one moyety to the use of his Majestie, the other Moyetie to the use of the Informer to be recovered by Action, Suite, Bill or Plaint in any of his-Majesties Courts at [X1 Westwininster] wherein noe Essoyne, Protection or Wager of Law shall lye.

Editorial Information

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