WHereas diuers good lawes and statutes haue beene heretofore made touching the well ordering of the common Market of Blackwell-hall and Leaden hall, and also diuers Acts of Common Councell haue beene heretofore made within this City, for the better execu­tion of the said statutes, aswell for viewing, and searching, and sealing of cloth, draperies, and other commodities, as for the bring­ing of the same to the Markets within this City: By which Acts it was ordained, enacted, and established, That all manner of commodities made of wooll or flaxe, towe or hempe, or mixt with any of them, which should be brought to the said City of London, or the Liberties thereof, should be brought to the common Market place or places thereunto appointed, in or neere Blackwell-hall and Leaden-hall, within the said City of London, where the same may be openly viewed and searched; and thereby deceits and fal­shoods vsed in the making of the said clothes and commodities bee discouered and auoyded: and that in the same Market place or places they should be put to sale, and not elsewhere within the said City and Liberties thereof. And that the reuenues, issues, and profits whatsoeuer comming, growing or arising, of or by reason of the same com­mon Market place, called Blackwell-hall and Leaden-hall, should be wholly bestowed, conuerted and imployed, for and towards the comfort, sustentation and maintenance of the poore within the seuerall Hos­pitals of this City.

And yet by reason that of late time, woollen Clothes, Fustians, Sayes, Perpetuanoes, linnen Cloth and other Merchandizes and commodities made of wooll or linnen, or both, being made within this King­dome and brought to London, haue not beene brought to the open Market place or places appointed for that purpose, but haue beene brought into, and sold in Innes, Clothworkers houses, and other se­cret places, whereby the sayd clothes neither haue, nor could bee conueniently viewed and searched, according to the true meaning of the sayd lawes and statutes of this Realme; but also haue beene sold in Innes, Clothworkers houses, and other secret places, both by retaile, and in grosse, to forreiners and stran­gers to the preiudice and deceit of his Maiesties louing subiects, and to the preiudice of the freedome and Li­berties of this City, and the defrauding of the reliefe appointed for the poore of the said Hospitals.

For remedy of the abuses aforesaid, Bee it therefore enacted by the authority of this Common Coun­cell, That all manner of cloth or clothes whatsoeuer made of wooll, called by the name of Broad Clothes, Halfe Cloathes, Long Clothes, or cloth called or knowne by the name of Spaynish Cloth or Northerne Cloth, Dozens, Pennystens, or of what nature, name or kind whatsoeuer, as Kersies, halfe Thickes, Motlyes, Frizes, Plaines, Rugges, Bayes, Sayes, Cottens, Perpetuanoes, and also Fustians, linnen Cloth and Linsey woolsey made or wrought within this Realme, which shalbe hereafter brought either by land or water to this City and Liberties thereof to be sold, that the same shalbe brought to the publique and knowne Market places of Blackwell-hall and Leaden-hall, and the roomes there or neere thereunto adioyning & appointed, or to be appointed for that purpose, viz. All the said seuerall Cloth, Cloths and com­modities (ercept all strained Cloth made in either the Counties of Esser and Suffolk and the Clothes cal­led Couentry Clothes, and all Esser and Suffolke Bayes) to be brought to the said Market place of Blackwel-hall, and onely the sayd strained Cloth made in either the sayd Counties of Essex and Suffolke, and the Clothes called Couentry Clothes, and all Essex and Suffolke Bayes to be brought to the said Market place of Leaden hall, to the end, that all Merchants and others may know where to furnish them­selues with the seuerall commodities aforesaid: And also that the same may be there viewed and searched, whether the same be well and truely made, sealed and vsed as by the lawes and statutes of this Kingdome is limitted and appointed, and there to be entred in the Clerkes booke of Accompts, which are or shall be ap­pointed for the registring of the said goods, wares and commodities, and there to bee sold in open Market [Page] [Page] and not elsewhere, within this City or Liberties thereof, vpon paine, that as well the buyer as seller there­of, which shall buy or sell any of the same commodities in any other place within the City of London, or the Liberties thereof, other than in one of the said Markets of Blackwel-hall or Leaden-hall, appointed as a­foresaid, shall forfeit for euery broad cloth or Spaynish cloth the summe of xx. s. For euery halfe cloth x. s. and for euery peece of bayes, sayes, perpetuanoes, kersies, halfe thickes, plaines, rowles, fryze, Welch cot­ten, or Manchester cotten, v.s. and for euery peece of fustian, linnen cloth, linsey woolsey or Northerne cot­tens, ii. s. vi. d. and for euery Northerne cloth, dozen or penniston v.s. which shall be sold or put to sale else­where within the liberties of the said City, by any owner, factor, or seller of such goods. And that neither the Hall-keeper, nor any other clerke of Blackwell-hall or Leaden-hall, shall permit or suffer any of the said clothes or other commodities to be brought to either of the said Halls or places respectiuely as aforesaid, to be either viewed, bought or sold within any the seuerall roomes of Blackwell-hall or Leaden-hall, at a­ny other time or times than on euery Thurseday, from eight of the clocke in the morning vntill eleuen; and from one of the clocke in the afternoone of that day vntill foure of the clocke in that afternoone: and likewise vpon euery Friday from eight of the clock in the morning vntill eleuen, and from one of the clocke in the af­ternoone of that day vntill foure of the clocke in that afternoone: and also vpon euery Saturday from eight of the clocke in the morning vntill eleuen of the cloke, that morning being the ending of the said Market, vp­on paine to forfeit and pay, for euery time he shall offend therein, as followeth, viz. For the first offence xl. s. For the second offence v.l. and for the third offence to lose his office which hee shall haue within either of the said Halls of Blackwel-hall or Leaden-hall at the time of such offence committed. And be it further enacted, that the Hall-keeper in each of the said Halls of Blackwel-hall or Leaden hall (for the better notice to bee taken of the beginning and ending of the markets in either of the said Halls respectiuely) shall cause the bell hanged vp in that market to be rung out by the space of one quarter of an houre both before the beginning and at the end of the market, vpon euery of the said market dayes and times appointed as aforesaid, vpon paine that the said Hall-keeper, for euery time that he shall make default in ringing out of the said bell, shall forfeit and pay the summe of iii. s. iiii. d. for and towards the reliefe of the poore Children harboured and kept in Christs Hospitall, London.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That no Inholder nor any other person whatsoe­uer, free or not free of this City, and inhabiting and dwelling within the same or the liberties thereof, shall permit or suffer any the foresaid clothes, or halfe clothes, or Spaynish clothes, or any other the commodities aforesaid, at any time or times hereafter, to be harboured, bought, sold or put to sale within any part of his or their house or houses, yards, stables, chambers, shops, ware house, or worke house within this City or liberties thereof, before the same be brought, pitched, & harboured within either of the said Halls of Blackwell-hall or Leaden hall, appointed as aforesaid, and therein either sold or suffered to continue by the space of ten dayes next after the bringing in of the same; or shall suffer any of the said commodities which shalbe at any time hereafter taken out of either of the said markets of Blackwel hall or Leaden-hall (before the same shallbe there bought & sold as aforesaid) to be bought or sold in any of his or their Inne, house, or other place whatsoeuer, within the said City of London or liberties there [...] other than in either of the sayd markets of Blackwel-hall or Leaden-hall, appointed as aforesaid: vpon paine that euery such person, being a Free­man, which shall offend in any of the premisses, shall forfeit for his first offence the summe of fiue pounds, For his second offence tenne pounds, For his third offence to be disfranchised, and not to be readmitted but by the Lord Maior, Aldermen, and Common Councell of this City, and that vpon security that hee shall not offend againe in the like kinde: And not being a freeman, for his first offence fiue pounds for his secon [...] offence tenne pounds, and for euery other offence the like summe and penalty of tenne pounds a time. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That for the better obseruation of this Act and all parts there­of, there be euery yeare, yearely, sixe Surueyors chosen by the Court of Lord Maior and Aldermen, at the Court to be next holden after the feast of S. Michael the Archangell, whereof, three to be Merchants, and three to be Drapers, whose office shalbe to enquire of all abuses and offences against this Act, and any two of them to present the same to the Court of Lord Maior and Aldermen, or cause a due and legall course to be [Page] [Page] [...]aken for the punishment of offenders, as often as they shall finde cause.

And further to preuent the shifts which are practised to auoyd the ancient priuiledges of this City by [...]orters and others, which be imployed in carrying cloth out of or from Blackwelhall & Leaden-hall afore­ [...]aid: Be it therfore enacted by the authority aforesaid, that no Porter or other person whatsoeuer, shal be ad­mitted to carry any the commodities aforesaid, out of, or from Blackwel hall or Leaden-hall, or any the roomes adioyning, but the chiefe Porters of Blackwel-hall or Leaden hall for the time being, or such as shalbe appointed by the chiefe Porters of Blackwel-hall and Leaden-hall for that purpose: And to the in­tent that there shall be no exaction of rates or prices for the carriage of any the aforesaid commodities out of Blackwel-hall or Leaden-hall, other than the rates hereafter mentioned, as are appointed for their seue­rall carriages, Be it enacted and ordained by the authority aforesaid, that the seuerall rates hereafter men­tioned shalbe fairely written in a table, and hung vp in euery of the said Halls: and those rates so written and no greater shall or may be taken by the said chiefe Porters; and if any chiefe Porter shall exact and re­ceiue more than shall be expressed in such tables, he or they for euery time so offending shall forfeit tenne times asmuch as shall be so receiued: And be it further enacted, that the said chiefe porters shall allow vnto their labouring Porters, for euery of their halfe dayes work eight pence, and for euery of their whole dayes work sixteene pence, the same to be taken for or about the carriage of the said commodities as aforesaid: All which paines, penalties, forfeitures, and summes of money, to be forfeited as aforesaid, shalbe recouered by action of debt, bill or plaint, to be commenced and prosecuted in the name of the Chamberlaine of this City of Lon­don for the time being, in the Kings Maiesties Court, to be holden in the Chamber of the Guildhall of the City of London, before the Maior and Aldermen of the same City, wherein no essoine, or wager of Law shall be admitted or allowed for the defendant. And that the Chamberlaine of the same citie for the time be­ing, shall in all suits, to be prosecuted by vertue of this Act, against the offender, recouer the ordinary costs of suit to be expended in and about the prosecution thereof. And further, that the moity of all such forfeitures to be recouered by vertue hereof (the costs of suit for the recouery of the same being deducted and allowed) shalbe after recouery and receit thereof, paid and deliuered to the Treasurer of Christs hospitall, to bee imployed towards the reliefe of the poore children to be brought vp and maintained in the said hospitall; and the other moity thereof, to him or them that shall first giue information of the offence for which such forfei­tures shall grow, and shall prosecute the suit in the name of the Chamberlaine of the said City, for recoue­ry of the same: Any thing in this Act to the contrary notwithstanding.