Coventry. posed by this act shall be recovered, with full 21Geo. 3.c.54. costs of suit, by action of debt, bill, plaint, or information, in any of his majesty's courts of record at Westminster, wherein no essoin, protection, wager of law, or more than one imparlance, shall be allowed. § 16. Provided always, and it is hereby fur- Limitation of ther enacted and declared by the authority actions. aforesaid, that no person shall be liable to any penalty by this act laid or imposed, unless prosecution be commenced within one year after such penalty shall be incurred. 17. And it is further enacted, by the autho- Public act. rity aforesaid, that this act shall be deemed, adjudged, and taken to be a public act, and be judicially taken notice of as such, by all judges, justices, and other persons whomsoever, without specially pleading the same. registered by clerk. § 18. And be it further enacted, by the au- Deeds or inthority aforesaid, that the dates of all deeds or dentures of ap prenticeship, indentures of apprenticeship, together with the &c. shall be names of the parties, and their places of abode, the town which, from and after the passing of this act, shall be made and executed between any person or persons residing in the said city of Coventry, or the suburbs thereof, and his, her, or their apprentice or apprentices, under which such apprentice or apprentices may hereafter have a right to be admitted to the freedom of the said city, shall be registered in a book to be kept for that purpose by the town clerk of the same city for the time being, within the space of six calendar months next after the execution thereof; which the said town clerk is hereby required to register, and on such deeds or indentures to Coventry. 21Geo. 3 c.54. indorse a certificate of such register; and in default thereof, such deeds or indentures shall, to all intents and purposes, be null and void. Preamble. Certain free holders intitled to vote for the borough of Cricklade. The Stat. 22 Geo. 3. c. 31. (To be read at Elections for Cricklade). An Act for the preventing of Bribery and "WHEREAS there was the most notorious bribery and corruption at the last election of burgesses to serve in parliament for the borough "of Cricklade, in the county of Wilts; and "whereas such bribery and corruption is likely "to continue, and be practised in the said borough in future, unless some means are taken "to prevent the same; in order, therefore, to prevent such unlawful practices for the future, "and that the said borough may from henceforth "be duly represented in parliament," Be it enacted, by the king's most excellent majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual and temporal, and commons, in this present parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that from henceforth it shall and may be lawful to and for every freeholder, being above the age of twenty-one years, who shall have, within the hundreds or divisions of Highworth, Cricklade, Staple, Kingsbridge, and Malmsbury, or one or more of them, in 22 Geo.3.c.31. tion to be in customary voters. § 2. And be it further enacted, by the autho- Right of elecrity aforesaid, that the right of election of a such freemember or members to serve in parliament for holders, and in the said borough of Cricklade, shall be, and is hereby declared to be, in such freeholders as aforesaid, and in the persons who, by the custom and usage of the said borough, have, or shall hereafter have, a right to vote at such election; and the proper officer for the time being, to whom the return of every writ or process does belong, is hereby required to return the person or persons to serve in parliament for the said borough who shall have the major number of votes of such freeholders, and other persons having a right to vote at such elections, any law or usage to the contrary notwithstanding. such as are § 3. Provided always, that such freeholders No freeholders only shall be entitled to vote as shall be duly to vote but qualified to vote at elections for knights of the qualified to be shire for the said county of Wilts, according to county voters. the laws now in being for regulating county elections. § 4. And be it further enacted, by the autho- Freeholders to rity aforesaid, that every such freeholder, be- be sworn. fore he is admitted to poll at any election for the said borough, shall, if required by the candidates, or any of them, or any other person having a right to vote at the said election, first take the oath, or, being one of the people f 32 Geo. 3.c.31. called Quakers, the solemn affirmation follow Cricklade. ing, viz. "I do swear, (or, being a Quaker, solemnly "affirm) that I am a freeholder in the hun"dreds or divisions of Highworth, Cricklade, Staple, Malmsbury, and Kingsbridge, or "any one or more of them, in the county of "Wilts, and have a freehold estate, consisting "of (specifying the nature thereof; "and if it consists in messuages, lands, tenements, or tithes, in whose occupation the same are; and, if in rent, the names of the owners or possessors of the tenements out of which such rent is issuing, or some of "them), situate, lying, or being at "in the aforesaid hundreds or divisions, or in "one or more of them, of the clear yearly "value of forty shillings, over and above all rents and charges payable out of or in respect "of the same; and that I have been in the ac"tual possession or receipt of the rents and profits thereof, for my own use, above twelve "calendar months, (or, that the same came to "me within the time aforesaid, by descent, marriage, marriage-settlement, devise, or promotion to a benefice in a church, or by "promotion to an office); and that such free"hold estate has not been granted or made to me fraudulently, on purpose to qualify me to "give my vote; and that the place of my "abode is at - in -, and that I am twenty-one years of age, as I believe, and "that I have not been polled before at this "election." Which oath or solemn affirmation, the proper officer to whom the return of any writ or pre Cricklade. cept for such election shall belong, is hereby re- 22 Geo.s. c. 31. quired to administer; and in case any freeholder, or other person taking the said oath or affirma- subornation tion hereby appointed, shall thereby commit thereof. wilful perjury, and be thereof convicted; or if any person shall unlawfully and corruptly procure, or suborn any freeholder or other person to take the said oath or affirmation, in order to be polled, whereby he shall commit such wilful perjury, and shall be thereof convicted, he and they, for every such offence respectively, shall incur such penalties as are inflicted on persons, guilty of perjury, or subornation of perjury, in and by two acts of parliament, one made in the fifth year of the reign of queen Elizabeth, in tituled, An act for punishing such persons as shall procure or commit wilful perjury, or suborn, or procure any person to commit any wilful or corrupt perjury; and the other made in the second year of the reign of his late majesty king George the second, intituled, An act for the more effectual preventing, and further punishment of forgery, perjury, and subornation of perjury, and to make it felony to steal bonds, notes, or other securities for payment of money, contrary to the said acts. ceiving writ indorse the same, and give notice of $5. And be it further enacted, by the authority Officer on reaforesaid, that such proper officer, to whom any or precept to writ or precept shall be directed for making any election for the said borough, shall, upon the forthwith to receipt of such writ or precept, indorse upon election as the back thereof the day of his receipt thereof, herein. in the presence of the party from whom he received such precept, and shall forthwith cause public notice to be given within the said borough of Cricklade, and the several towns of Highworth, Malmsbury, Swindon, and Wotton |