fided with any prifoner or prifoners, within the faid prifon, or the rules thereof, as or in the capacity of a hired fervant; any law, ftatute, ufage, or cuítom, to the contrary notwithftanding.

thes;

II. And be it further enacted, That whenever any perfon or Relief given perfons, being a prifoner or prifoners in the faid prifon of the by the parish King's Bench, or the rules thereof, or in the prifon of the Mar- to families of haljea, or any perfon or perfons being a part of, or be- perions who longing to the family of any fuch prifoner, or being a fervant are in the King's Bench or fervants to any fuch prifoner, fhall be relieved or fupported, or Marthalien, or removed to their respective places of fettlement, by the faid to be repaid parish of Saint George the Martyr, or fhall become anyways by their reburthenfome to the faid parish, all fuch charges and expences fpective pa as fhall be actually incurred and paid by the overfeers of the poor, or veftry of the faid parish, on any of the above accounts, thall be borne and repaid to the faid overfeers by the respective parishes and places to which they fhall belong; and fhall and may to be recover be, by them or either of them, recovered of and from any over of debt, &c. ed by action feer of the poor of the respective parish or place, by action of debt, bill, plaint, or information, in any of his Majesty's courts of record at Westminster, or within the city of London, to be commenced and profecuted by the churchwardens and overfeers of the poor of the faid parish, or one of them; in which action or fuit no protection, effoin, or wager of law, or more than one imparlance, fhall be allowed; every account of fuch charges and expences being firft examined and figned by a justice of the peace, acting in and for the eastern half hundred of Brixton, and borough of Southwark, in the county of Surrey, not being an inhabitant of the faid parish.

of prifoners

furer of the

III. And be it further enacted, That if any perfon or per- Relief given fons, belonging to, or being part of the family of any prifoner by the part or prifoners in the faid county goal or houfe of correction, or to the familicá any child or children, born in either of the faid prifons, thall in the county become chargeable to the faid parith, either for relief or main- goal, or house tenance, or to be removed to their fettlement, all charges and of correction, expences incurred by the faid parifh fhall be repaid to the over- to be repaid feers of the poor of the faid parish, by the treasurer of the faid by the treacounty of Surrey, out of the money belonging to the faid county, out of county; and in order thereto, the overfeers of the poor of the the county faid parifh fhall, once in every year, or oftener if they fhall ftock. think fit, make out a clear and particular account, in writing, of fuch expences as thall, to the time of making out fuch account, have been incurred and paid, or provided for by the overfeers of the poor of the faid parish, on account of the re fpective perfons who fhall have been fo relieved or fupported by the faid parish, or removed from thence to their places of fettlement; which account the faid overfeers fhall, after figning the fame, lay before two of the juftices of the peace for the eastern half hundred of Brixton, and borough of Southwark, in the faid county of Surrey, not being inhabitants of the faid parith, who fhall, and are hereby required upon application being made to VOL. XXXIV. ន

them

The owners of

to be anfwer

able for the rates.

them for that purpose, inspect fuch account, and, if they think it neceffary, examine the faid overfeers, or any of them, or their books or accounts, touching any the charges in the account laid before them; and unless the faid account fhall appear to fuch juftices to be fraudulent or unreasonable, they fhall immediately fign and allow the fame; which account, being produced and delivered to the treafurer for the faid county for the time being, shall be a fufficient warrant and authority to him for paying the full fum therein contained, and which he is hereby required to pay on demand; all which fums of money, so to be from time to time paid, fhall be allowed in account to him, as treasurer for the faid county of Surrey.

IV. And be it further enacted, That all and every person and divided houfes perfons, whether owner, leffee, landlord, renter, or tenant, who fhall let his or her houfe, tenement, or other premises, within the faid parish, ready-furnished, or in parcels, or feparate apartments, or in lodgings furnished, or unfurnished, fhall be deemed the occupier thereof, and fhall be fubject to be rated to and pay the poor's rates, and all other parochial rates and taxes of the faid parish; which rate or rates, affeffment or alfeffments, shall be paid by the perfon or perfons renting or occupying any fuch ready-furnished houfe, or any fuch parcel or separate appartments, or ready-furnished lodgings; and the perfon or perfons, occupier or occupiers, of whom the fame fhall be demanded, is and are hereby authorized and required to pay fuch fum and fums of money as fhall be fo rated or affeffed upon the owner, leffee, landlord, renter, or tenant, and to deduct the fame out of his, her, or their refpective rent or rents; and fuch owner, leffee, landlord, renter or tenant, is and are hereby refpectively required to allow fuch payment upon the receipt of the refidue of his, her, or their respective rent or rents; and every fuch perfon or persons, occupier or occupiers, paying fuch rate or rates, affeffment or affeffments, fhall be acquited and difcharged of and for fo much of his, her, or their rent or rents as the faid rate or rates, affeffment or affeffments, fo paid by him, her, or them, shall amount unto, as if the fame had been actually paid to the perfon or perfons to whom his or her rent fhall be due and payable; and in default of payment of the faid rate or rates, affeffment or affeffinents, the fame fhall be and remain a charge upon the premises in refpect whereof the fame thall be fo rated or affefted, and fhall or may be recovered of and from fuch owner, Jeffee, landlord, renter, or tenant, refpectively, by action of debt, bill, plaint, or information, in any of his Majesty's courts of record at Westminster, or in the court of requets holden in the town and borough of Southwark, in the county of Surrey, to be commenced and profecuted by the churchwardens and overfeers of the poor of the faid parith, for the time being, or one of them; in which action or fuit no protection, effoin, or wager of law, or more than one imparlance, thall be allowed.

future.

V. And be it further enacted, That on Eafler Tuesday, one Minner of thousand feven hundred and eighty-three, the inhabitants of appointing the faid parish of Saint George the Martyr, affembled in veftry, overfeers infhall nominate four fubftantial householders to lerve the office of overfeer of the poor of the faid parish, and fhall caufe a dift: of the names of the faid four perfons to be delivered to the juftices of the peace acting in and for the eastern half hundred of Brixton, and borough of Southwark, in the faid county of Surrey, at the next enfuing petty feffion, for their appointment of two of the faid four perfons to be overfeers of the poor of the faid parish; who, fhall continue in their faid office until Easier Tuesday, one thousand feven hundred and eighty-four, and until the petty feffion then next following, when two others fhall be appointed in manner aforefaid, to act in their fteads: provided nevertheless, that two of the prefent overfeers, videlicet, Fofbua Lee, and Alexander Charnley, fhall continue in their faid office of overfeer until two others are appointed at the time herein-after mentioned, and no longer; and that on the twentyninth day of September, one thoufand feven hundred and eightythree, the inhabitants of the faid parish in veftry affembled, fhall nominate four fubftantial householders of the faid parish to ferve the office of overfeer of the poor of the faid parith for the year ensuing, and fhall caufe a lift of fuch four perfons to be delivered to the faid juftices at their next petty feffion, who fhall appoint two of the four fo nominated, to be overfeers in the room of the faid Joshua Lee, and Alexander Charnley; provided that notice fhall be given in the faid parith church, on the Sunday next before Eafter Tuesday, and the twenty-ninth day of September, in every year, for the inhabitants to meet in veftry on Eafter Tuesday, and the twenty-ninth day of September, annually, for the purpose of chufing overfeers of the poor of the faid parif; and that for the future the overfeers of the poor of the faid parifh fhall continue to be nominated and appointed at the times, and in manner as is herein-before directed, and, not otherwife; provided always, That if the twenty-ninth day of September fhall happen to be on a Sunday, then the nomination to be on the next day; and that if no petty feffion shall be held within one month after Eafler Tuesday, or within one month after the twenty-ninth day of September refpectively, any two justices, dwelling within or near the faid parifh fhall, upon being applied to for that purpose, appoint two perfons out of each lift, as directed by this act to be made, to be overfeers of the poor of the faid parish for the year enfuing; and if any overfeer thatt die, or remove out of the faid parish, the faid juftices may, on application as aforefaid, appoint another in the room of him fo deceased or removed; and that ali overfeers of the poor of the faid parish so chofen, fhall be fubject to the several laws relating to the office of overseer.

VI. And be it further enacted, That it fhall be lawful for the The veftry. rector, churchwardens, overfeers of the poor, and veftrymen of may appoint the faid parish of Saint George the Martyr, or the major part of

S 2

them,

collectors of

the poor's

rates.

them, at a publick meeting to be held for that purpose, fuch major part not being less than nine, and they are hereby fully authorized and impowered, from time to time, as they thall think fit, to chufe and appoint one or more fit person or perfons to be collector or collectors of the poor's rates of the said parish, and fuch collector and collectors is and are hereby autho rized and impowered to collect and levy the fame accordingly; and for the better enabling him or them fo to do, it shall be lawful for fuch collector and collectors to execute all fuch warrants of distress as fhall be granted or iffued from time to time by the juftices of the peace, against the person or perfons neglecting or refufing to pay the faid rates, in the fame manner, and as fully and effectually, to all intents and purposes, as overfeers of the poor, by any law or laws, can or may execute like warrants for recovering the rates affeffed for the relief of the poor; and the faid veftry, or the major part of them as aforefaid, at any fuch meeting to be held as aforefaid, fhall and may, from time to time, as they think fit, remove any fuch perfon or perfons from being collector or collectors of the faid rates, and appoint another or other perfon or perfons in his or their room or ftead; and fhall and may, out of such rates, make fuch allow-ance to the collector and collectors, for his and their trouble in collecting the fame, either by way of falary or poundage, as the faid veftry, or the major part of them as aforefaid, fhall think fit, fo as fuch poundage do not exceed fixpence in the pound; and they are hereby required to take fufficient security of every fuch collector, for the faithful accounting for all fuch monies as he fhall receive by virtue of his faid office; and fuch collector and collectors fhall, and he and they is and are hereby impowered and required to collect the faid rates, when and as often as any rate or affeffment shall be made for that purpose, and from time to time to pay over fuch monies fo by them refpectively collected, into the hands of the overfeers of the poor of the faid parith, or any two of them, to be applied for the benefit and relief of the poor of the faid parish; and the faid collectors fhall refpectively make up and render to the said veftry, four times in every year, or oftener, if thereunto required, a full, true, and perfect account, upon oath (which oath the said veftry, or any five or more of them, are hereby impowered and required to adminifter) of all the monies fo collected and reIf they refufe ceived by them refpectively; and if fuch collector or collectors

Collectors to account.

to account,

&c. may be committed.

fhall refufe or neglect to give in a juft account as aforesaid, or to pay the monies remaining in his or their hands in the manner aforefaid, it fhall be lawful for any two juftices of the peace for the eaftern half hundred of Brixton, and borough of Southwark, in the faid county of Surrey, upon complaint made to them by any one of the churchwardens or overfeers of the poor of the faid parish, and proof thereof by any one or more of them, upon oath (which oath the faid juftices are hereby impowered and required to adminifter) by warrant under their hands and feals, to commit fuch collector or collectors to the common goal, there

there to remain, without bail or mainprize, until he or they shall have made a true account, and until fuch money, as upon the faid account fhall appear to be remaining in his or their hands, fhall be paid and fatisfied by fuch collector or collectors, or by his or their fecurity or fecurities, or fhall have compounded for the fame, and have paid fuch compofition money unto the overfeers of the poor of the faid parish appointed as aforefaid; and which compofition the faid veftry, or the major part of them as aforesaid, are hereby impowered to make.

VII. And be it further enacted, That the charges and ex- Expences of pences in and about procuring and paffing this act, thall be this act how forthwith paid by the overfeers of the poor of the faid parish to be paid. of Saint George the Martyr, out of any parifh money now in,

or hereafter to come into their hands, which shall be allowed in their account.

VIII. And be it further enacted, That no nomination, ap- Writings to pointment, order, judgement, conviction, warrant, or other be without writing, whatsoever, relating to the execution of or in pursu- ftamps. ance of this act, thall be chargeable with any ftamp-duty what

foever.

actions.

IX. And be it further enacted, That no action or fuit fhall Limitation of be commenced or brought against any perfon or perfons for any thing done in pursuance of this act, or of any of the powers hereby given, or anyways in relation to the premises, until twenty-one days notice fhall have been thereof given in writing to the veftry clerk of the said parish, nor after fatisfaction or tender of amends fhall have been made; and every fuch action or fuit fhall be commenced and brought within the space of fix calendar months next after the cause of complaint fhall arife, and not afterwards, and fhall be laid and brought in the county of Surrey, and not elsewhere; and the defendant or defendants, in fuch action or fuit, fhall and may plead the general iffue, and give General issue. this act, and the fpecial matter, in evidence on any trial to be had thereupon: and if it shall appear to be done in pursuance of this act, or that fuch action or fuit fhall be brought before twenty-one days notice being given as aforefaid, or after the time herein before limited in that behalf, or fhall be brought in any other county or place than as aforefaid, then the jury thall find for the defendant or defendants; and upon fuch verdict, or if the plaintiff or plaintiffs (hall be nonfuited, or fhall difcontinue his, her, or their action or fuit after the defendant or defendants hall have appeared, or if, upon demurrer, judgement fhall be given against the plaintiff or plaintiffs, the defendant or defendants fhall and may recover treble cofts, and have and be Treble costs. entitled to the like remedy for the fame, as any defendant or defendants hath or have in other cafes by law.

X. Provided always, That in all fuch actions or fuits any of Inhabitants the inhabitants of the faid parish, whofe evidence may be necef- deemed comfary, fhall be, and are hereby declared to be competent witnef- petent wit fes, notwithstanding they may be charged to and pay any of the nefies. rates or taxes within the faid parish.

S3

XI. And