[1607/3/17]¹

Act regarding woods, parks, planting, dovecots etc.

²6. Our sovereign lord and estates of this present parliament, considering how woods, parks and all sort of planting and fencing decay within this realm, and how dovecots are broken, bees stolen, men's proper lochs and ponds despoiled of fish, to the great hurt and prejudice of the country and decay of policy, therefore ratify and approve all acts of parliament made of before for conservation of planting and policy and against breakers of dovecots, stealing of bees and of fishes out of men's ponds and proper lochs in the whole points, articles and clauses thereof, and ordain the same to be put to execution against the contraveners thereof. And further, the said estates statute and ordain that whosoever shall be found hereafter to break down his neighbours' woods and park dykes, fences, ponds or enclosures to pasture within the said fences, cut trees, broom or shear grass within the same, or yet break dovecots, steal bees and fishes in proper ponds and lochs, shall be called and convened thereof as a breaker of the law either before the privy council or any other ordinary magistrate within this realm at the option of the party complainer; and the penalty to be imposed and taken off the contraveners before the said ordinary inferior judges ought not to exceed the sum of £40 of this realm, and the secret council to impose such penalties against the contraveners of this present act as after trial taken in the cause they shall find the offender to merit and deserve, without prejudice always of putting of all former acts made regarding the premises to execution after the form and tenor thereof.