That the Justices doe their best to have convenient stocke to be provided in eu(er)ye division or other place, accordinge to the statut for settinge the pore a worke, and the justices to vse all other good and politique meanes wthin their seu(er)all divisions to contynewe and maynteyne the pore people in worke wthin the parish or at the furthest wthin the hundred or division.
That the maymed or hurt soldiers and all other impotent persons be carefullye seene vnto to be releived wthin their seu(er)all parishes, hundreds or divisions, accordinge to the lawe therfor provyded, and that where the provisions form(er)lye made be not sufficient it may be now for this tyme of derth increased; and where one parishe is not able to geve sufficient releife to such their pore, that parrishe to haue the supplye of such parishes nere adioyninge as have fewer pore and are better able to geve releife, and that no vagabond or sturdy beggar or any yt may otherwise gett ther lyving by ther labors be not suffred to wander abrod under coller of beggy(n)g in any town or high waye, and yt the Justyces do presently gyve order that ther be p(er)so(n)s sufficiently weaponed to asist the constables of every town to attach such vagabo(n)ds both in ther towns side and high wayes and to com(m)itt them to prison whout bayle, but as twoe of ye justyces of ye peace nr yt divisio(n) shall order, and if the townshipp shall not obs(er)ve this order for ye attachy(n)g and punisy(n)g of ye sayd vagabo(n)ds then the justyces shall se due punishme(n)t by fyne uppo(n) the whole townshipp or uppo(n) such partyes in ye town as shall be found in fault.
That the Justices of the peace doe once eu(er)ye moneth c(er)tefie their doings and proceadings by force of these Instruccons vnto the Sheriffe of the said countie, in wch c(er)tificat they shall also make c(er)tificat of such Justices as shalbe absent from any these services and the trewe cause of their absence, and shall also c(er)tefie the vsuall prices of all kyndes of grayne in their marketts for that moneth past, of all wch the same Sheriffe to c(er)tefie the privie Counsell once in eu(er)ye fortie dayes at the farthest, so as yt defalt in any justyce yt shal be absent may be duly considered and corrected by authorety of hir Mat's counsell as reaso(n) shall req(u)ir and so as such perso(n)s as ar placed as Justyces for ther creditt may not contynew in those roomes, wherin they shall be found not disposed to attend such a necessary and Godly servyce as this is, but yt others of better dispositio(n) may supply those roomes, if ther shall be ned of any such no(m)ber, as in most places is thorght not very nedefull, the nornber being in co(mm)on opinio(n) more hurtful tha(n) proffitable to Justyce.
And, yf any shall offend against the trewe meaninge of these instruccons or of any parte thereof or shall vse any sinister means to the defraudinge thereof, that such be severely punished accordinge to the lawes, and for such obstinat persons as shall not conforme them selves the Justices shall at their pleasure bynd to appere before ye Q. Mat's privie Counsell by a daye certen there to be further dealt wth by sever punishment for the better ensample of all others[750]....
APPENDIX VI.
Accounts of the Churchwardens and Overseers of the parish of Staplegrove, Co. Somerset, for the year 1599 (Brit. Mus. Add. MSS. 30,278).
The accounts of the overseers of Staplegrove have been preserved for several years between 1599 and 1623 (1599, 1605, 1621, 1622, and 1623). The churchwardens' accounts also remain and begin as early as 1585 and in some of these also payments to the poor are noted[751].
This account is of course made under the provisions of the Act of 1597 (39 Eliz. c. 3)[752].