[1585/12/13]¹

An act concerning the alteration of the times of sitting of the college of justice

²Our sovereign lord, considering that for the better winnowing of the corns in the harvest season there is a great vacation of the sitting of the session and college of justice from 31 July to 12 November, and sundry other particular vacations appointed in the time of superstition for feasting, and now, considering that the intermission of the sitting of the session at such times is in many ways unprofitable and needless, and that it is no less convenient to have some time of vacation at the times of the sowing as of the shearing, therefore our sovereign lord, with advice of the three estates convened in this present parliament, statutes and ordains that the session and college of justice in time coming shall begin their sitting, calling and administration of justice after the great vacation of harvest on 1 November yearly, and shall sit thereafter every day (the Sundays excepted) until 1 March, and that the whole month of March shall be vacation for the oat seed; thereafter the session to convene and sit during the whole month of April, the Sundays excepted, and at the end thereof, to rise and vacation to be for the barley seed during the month of May; and thereafter, to convene and sit again continuously, the Sundays excepted, from 31 May until 15 August, dispensing with all other times and diets appointed in time bygone by the institution of the college of justice or whatsoever other acts heretofore made.