For Henrico county For Charles Citty county For James Citty county ty { Capt. Mathew Gough, Mr. Arthur Bayly, Mr. Walter Aston, For Warwick River coun- Capt. Tho. Flint, ty Mr. John Hoddin: Anth. Jones, For the Isle of Wight {Mr. Rich. Death. county (Mr. John Carter, For Vpper Norff. county Mr. Randall Crew. For Lower Norff. county For York county Mr. Cornelius Loyd, Mr. John Chew, S Mr. Phillip Tayler, For Northampton county Preamble assigning rearevisal. sons for this Oath of church war dens. to present. order, And for preventing all mistakes & pretenses, which may arise from misinterpretation or ignorance of the law's in force. It is therefore thought fitt, and accordingly enacted by the Governour, Council & Burgesses of this Grand Assembly and the authority acts and lawes of all former Assemblies be from repealed & made void. Such onely excepted, which are hereafter mentioned as followeth (vizi.) ACT. I. IN the first place Be it enacted for the advancement of God's glorie and the weale publique, that these orders & constitutions hereafter following concerninge the Church government be and remaine in full power, force & vertue. That there be a vestrie held in each parish, for the makeing of the leavies and assessments for such vses as are requisite & necessary for the repairing of the churches, &c. and that there be yearly chosen two or more churchwardens in every parish. Itt: That the most sufficient and selected men be chosen and joyned to the minister and churchwardens to be of that Vestrie. Itt: That there be a yearly meeting of the ministers & churchwardens before the comander & com'rs. of every county court in nature of a visitation according to the orders & constitutions of the church of England, which is there usually held every yeare after Christ ma's. Itt: That there be an oath administered to the churchwardens that they deliver in a true presentment What offences in writing of such misdemeanors as to their knowledge have been comitted the year before, whilst they have been churchwardens, namely, swearing, prophaning God's name, and his holy Sabboths, abuseing his holy word and commandments, contemning his holy, sacraments or any thing belonging to his service or worship. Adultery, fornication, drunkenness. Itt: If any person or persons of what degree or condition soever shall abuse themselves with the high & foule offences of adultery, whoredome or fornication or with the loathsome sinne of drunkennes in the abuse of God's creatures, of those and every those to make a true presentment. Itt: That the littargie of the church of England for Sacrament. the administration of the word & sacrament, be duely performed according to the booke of common prayer, allowed by his Ma'tie & confirined by consent of parliament. to be return ed by church wardens on Itt: That the churchwardens shall likewise at that Levies, &c. time deliver upon their oaths a true account of all leavies, collections & disbursments as have been in their time concerning church affairs whereby all things con- oath. cerning the same may be fairely carryed, And all collections so made to be paid by the churchwardens, according to the order for the ministers duties, & brought to the place appointed by the churchwardens for the time being. births and Itt: That there be a true & perfect register kept in Register of a booke & yearly presented at the said visitation of all marriages, weddings, christenings & burialls and that the clerke of deaths. every parish shall present to the commander of every monethly court a list of all weddings, christenings & burialls within their parish the present moneth. That there be no marriage solemnized vnless by a license vnder the signett from the Governour, or the banes lawfully published in the parish or parishes where both parties do inhabite. Itt: That the said meeting or visitation be after the coming in of the new churchwardens & going out of the old, And that the old churchwardens be not discharged until they have given vpp their presentment as aforesaid. Marriages not to be without li cence or banns. Visitation, when to be. Itt. That there be a place sett out and allotted for the Burying buriall of the dead in evrie plantation according to the grounds, appointment of the commander & minister of the place. Itt. That every minister have his clark and also sexton, for the keeping cleane of the churches, & other services in the absence of the ministers according to the cannons of the church of England, & his or their meanes to be allowed by the parishoners. Clerks and sextons to be appointed. That all freemen that are hired servants shall pay Who to pay their own tithes and duties are to be collected per pol tithes. for the country service. It is also enacted & confirmed, by the authority a- Ministers, foresaid that the vestrie of evrie parish with the allow- how appoint ed; and punished for neglect, &c. May be suspended by the governor and council, but removed only by the general assembly. Poor to be exempted from public charges Ministers' allowance. How collect ed. ance of the commander & com'rs. of the county living & resideing within the said parish, or the vestrie alone in case of their non residence shall from henceforward have power, to elect and make choyce of their ministers, And he or they so elected by the commander and comr's. or by the vestrie in case of non residence as aforesaid to be recommended and presented to the said comauder and com'rs. or vestrie alone, to the Governour & so by him admitted, Provided that it shall be lawfull for the Gov'r. for the time being to elect and admit such a minister as he shall allow of in James-Citty parish, And in any parish where the Governour & his successors shall have a plantation provided he or they enjoy not that priviledge but in one parish where he or they have such a plantation, And vpon the neglect or misbecomeing behaviour of the ministers or any of them, compl't. thereof being made by the vestrie, The Governour & Council are requested so to proceed against such minister or ministers by suspension or other punishment as they shall think fitt & the offence require. Removeall of such ministers to be left to the Grand Assembly. Be it further enacted and confirmed for the releife of diverse poore people that have been of very long continuance in the country, and are disabled to labor by reason of sicknes, lameues or age, The vestrie of everie parish are hereby enjoyned vpon the complaint of such poore & vnable persons to give them a certificate to the com'rs. of the county where such poore shall reside to testifie their poverty which shall free them from all publique charges except the ministers' & parish duties. Be it also enacted and confirmed That there be tenn pounds of tob'o. per poll & a bushell of corne per poll paid to the ministers within the severall parishes of the collony for all tithable persons, that is to say, as well for all youths of sixteen years of age as vpwards, as also for all negro women at the age of sixteen years, And it is also further ordered for the better conveniencie & ease of the ministers that vpon the twentieth of November if it be not Sunday, & then vpon the day fol lowing (notice being first given by the churchwardens a week before,) That the parishoners shall bring in the duties of tenu pounds of tob'o. for the ministers vn Penalty for to a place appointed by the churchwardens in that plan- lb. tob. For solemnization of matrimony without a lycense 40 Fees to mi If with a license For burialls For churching 100 nisters. 10 10 ffor breaking ground in the church the pay is left to the churchwardens & vestrie ffor breaking ground in the chancell att the discretion of the ministers. ACT II. BE it also enacted & confirmed, that noe master or commander of any vessel, boat, barke, or shipp, shall transport any person or persons out of the collony except the said person or persons do produce a pass vnder the hand of the governour & attested by the secretary, vpon the penalty to pay all such debts as any such person shall stand indebted to any person within the collony, at his or their departure, And it is further ordered that before any passe shall be signed to any person, he or they shall bring certificate to the secretaries office from the commander or monethly court where he or they reside that he hath sett vp his name tenn daies at the place of meeting of the county court or otherwise shall putt in sufficient security for the payment of all debts that are due or oweing from them to any person within the collony,. |