[1641/8/167]¹

Act against going of salt-pans and mills on the Lord's day and other profanation of that day

Our sovereign lord and estates of parliament, considering notwithstanding the acts of the general assembly ratified in this present parliament, June 1640, against the profaning of the Lord's day by going of salt-pans, salmon fishing, kilns, mills and hiring of servants on the said day, yet the said abuses are not less often but rather increased, therefore our sovereign lord and estates foresaid, for the better restraint of the said abuses and profanations, do again inhibit and discharge all going of salt-pans or mills and all working of works therein upon the Lord's day, and all hiring and conditioning of shearers on the said day, and that under the pains and penalties following to be paid to the particular sessions of every parish wherein the abuses before specified are committed, to be employed to pious uses, namely: the sum of £20 for each day foresaid working in manner foresaid of each salt-pan, of each day fishing of salmon and of each mill, to be paid by the heritors and possessors thereof for the time and the masters to be answerable for their servants, and the sum of £10 for each shearer and fisher of salmon on the Lord's day, the one half to be paid by the hirers and conducers, the other half by the persons hired on every occasion; and ordain the magistrates of the town to keep the transgressors in ward until they pay the said penalties for the which the magistrates shall be answerable to their sessions. And further, our said sovereign lord and estates do hereby inhibit and discharge all markets, using of merchandise, carrying of loads upon the Lord's day, and all other profanations or abuses thereof whatsoever, and that under the same pain of £10 to be paid by every transgressor to their sessions respectively for the uses foresaid on every occasion. And ordain the said penalties respectively above-specified to be exacted in addition to the confiscation of the salt, corn, merchandise, loads and other goods whatsoever employed, used, gained or made and wrought in the profaning and abusing of the said Lord's day, which pain is also hereby ordained. If the transgressors be not able to pay the penalties foresaid, ordain them to be punished exemplary in their bodies according to the merit of their fault on every occasion.