17. Order of Somersetshire Justices Granting a Settlement to a Labourer [Somerset Quarter Sessions Records, Vol. 24, p. 139, No. 4], 1630-1.
General Sessions of the Peace held at Wells the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th days of January, 6 Charles.
Lyonell Wills having petitioned this Court, showing that whereas he hath remained in the parish of Tintenhull for the space of five years now last past, three years whereof he served as a labouring servant, and the two last years as a married man, although not with the consent of some of the parish, and during the said two latter years after he became a married man he endeavoured to take a house within the said parish for his money without any charge to the said parish; and some of the said parish hath forbidden him to remain there any longer and threateneth him, and those that would set or let him any house, to impose great pains on them that shall receive him or let him any house, whereby he is inforced to travel from place to place with his wife and children, and thereby doubteth that he shall in the end be taken as a vagrant; which, the Court taking into consideration, have thought fit to order that the said Lionell Wills be settled at Tintenhull, as they conceiveth by law he ought to be, if his petition be true. And that the said parishioners upon sight of this order do there receive him, and suffer him to be and abide, until they shall show good cause to the contrary to this Court. And that they do suffer him to take a house for his money within the said parish, which if they shall refuse to do, or impose any fines or pains upon those that shall set or let any house unto him or shall be willing thereunto, that then upon complaint thereof made unto Sir Robte Phelipps, Knight, or Thomas Lyte, Esqr., or either of them, they finding his petition to be true will be pleased to bind all such parties to the next Sessions as shall refuse thus to receive him or to trouble any that shall let set them a house to dwell in.
18. Report of Derbyshire Justices on their Proceedings [S.P.D., Charles I, Vol. 202, No. 54], 1631.
Wirksworth Wapentake.
To Francis Bradshawe, Esq., High Sheriff of the County of
Derby.
Sir,
In pursuit of the orders and directions given us in command as well by the printed book as also by several letters sent unto us from the right honourable the lords of her Majesty's most honourable Privy Council, we, whose names are hereunder written, having within our allotment the wapentake or hundred of Wirksworth, have had monthly meetings within the said hundred and have summoned both the high constable, petty constables, churchwardens, and overseers of the poor within that division and hundred to appear before us.
1. And first we have made diligent inquiry how all the said officers and others have done their duties in execution of the laws mentioned in the Commission, and what persons have offended against any of them, and punished such as we have found faulty.
2. We have taken care that the lords and parishioners of every town relieve the poor thereof, and they are not suffered to straggle or beg up and down either in their parishes or elsewhere. But such poor as have transgressed have been punished according to law, and the impotent poor there are carefully relieved. We have also taken especial care that both the stewards of leets and ourselves in particular have taken care for the reformation of abuses in bakers, alehousekeepers, breaking of assize, forestallers and regrators, against tradesmen of all sorts for selling with underweight, and have made search in market towns and other places and taken away and burned very many false weights and measures, and taken order for the punishing of the said offenders.
3. We have made special inquiry of such poor children as are fit to be bound apprentices to husbandry and otherwise, and of such as are fit to take apprentices, and therein we have taken such course as by law is required. And we find none refuse to take apprentices, being thereunto required.
4. We do not find upon our inquiry that the statute for labourers and ordering of wages is deluded, and the common fashion of none essoyning of course is restrained.