436
.illCBIVEB OF
TOWN OF
GALWAY.
fol. (92b].
1'91. [\13].
HISTORICAL )IA;';USCnIPT5 C01UnSSION.
" Item: Whem' it was agreerl and ordayned tin the tyme of .Tames Oige
Linche his Meralti'e, iu the ycnre 1557, that whear di"et's of thinhabi.
tantes of this towne would detayne the costome or commOil rent for
such debtes so owin~e unto them upon the same town .. that no person
or persons should so doe bllt deliver the same to the magistrate yearIie
to the use of the common worekes: It is agreed, established and ordayned
by thauctllOritie aforesaid that no inhabitant henceforth shall detayne
or kepe in his handes or refuse to pay any rent that apertaynetli unto
this Corporacion but shall pay the same to thofficers apoynted within
:fiftine daies after Michailmas yearly upon payne to forfaitt xl.s.
•, This farr of confirmations and amplifications of ould statutes. . .
"Herafter followeth certaynC' newe ordinances agreed upon at the
!>aid Assemblie :
"In primis: Yt is established and ordayned by thaucthoritie of the
said Assembly that all Maiors from hencrorthe shitll observe allll kepe
these orders followinge, viz., when he taketh his othe on Mychailmas day
he shall geve and minister unto the common officers of this townean
othe for their more faithfull and dilligent service and attendance in their
offices and charge the yeare followinge ; and upon thadmision of any
freeman to the liberties and ffl'aunchises of this towne, he shall mynister
unto ~uche freeman the oth which shall apertayne to his charge; 'which
othes are as doth ensue:
" The othe of a Freeman to be taken when he is admytted :
" You shall sweare, by the Holy contents of tbi~ Booke, that you shalbe
faythfull and trew to God and our SO\-eraigne Lady, the Qeenes Majestie,
her heirs and successours, obaye the magistrates and officers of this towne,
maintaine and kepe the lawes and ('ustomes of the same, so farr forthe
as you shalbe liable. And wbatsoever you shall heare, see, perceave
or knowe, that may prejudice this Corpol'acion any way, you shall. not
conceale hut revayle yt as soone as you can to the chief magistrate of
the same: and all other thinges apertayneth to a freeman and good member of the common wealth of this towne you shall wdl and truly observe
and kepe. So God you helpe, and by the contentes of this Booke.
" The oth of the Sariantes:
" You and everie of you shall swere by the Holy contentes of this BQoke
that you shall well and trewlie serve the Maior, Baylives, Burgesses
and Commons of this towne of Galwey in the office of Hariantship: You
shall not conceale, ne suffer to be concealed, any right or profytte that
belongeth to the same towne, but shall lctt yt to your power or relate
the same to the Mayor of the sairl tow ne : Also you shall truly serve
the processe of this Conrte anel " tlle same: You shall sommon your
quarters to all mauner of (lssemblies: You shall not. .
. comytte
the partie 3rrestetl to warde excepte
"
[Bay] li\'l.!~ accordinge the
usadge of this towne .
Maior and Baylives and npon this Courte
. your office. Theis and all
. ~hall well and truly kepe.
" The oth of the Cunstables :
" You 8hall sweare, by that Booke, that you and evel'ie of JOU well
and trullie. . . cur So,"eraigne Lady the Qeenes Majestie in
thoffice of Cunstableship of your . . . wardes you shall well and·
truly governe the people therof in peace • . . preserve and foresee
that her Highnes peace be well and truly. . and kept. Night
walkers and diwrdred persons you shall correct and . . . suppresse,
and appease frayes, and shall arrest and comytt to prisoll [all] offenders
1
See p. 416.
HISTORICAL MANUSCRIPTS COMMISSION.
437
contempninge and breaking her Highnes peace by frayes, bloodshed,
or utherwyse. You shall not permytt ne suffer bodcly hurte to [be]
done to any of her Highnes subjectes to your power, ne suffer no Irish
re~t'll or enemy to abyde within your wardes without apprehendin~e
[hIm or] them, or signifyillge the same speedely to the Maior of this
toe wne. You] shall further see that every inhabytant of you :,everall
wardes have.
. biltes,l armour, and defencible armies, accordinge
the statutes in that [behalf] proyided. Theis and all other thinges
apertayninge to the office of Ounstableship you shall well and tl'Ulie
execute and do to your powers. So God [you] helpe, amI by the coutentes
of that Booke.
" The othe of the Porters:
" You shall sweare, by that Booke, that you and everie of you shalbe
faithfuIl and trew [to] our Hovernigne Lady the Queenes Majestie to
the May()r, Baylives, Burgesses, and ~ .. of this towne, and shall
observe and kepe all such charge as shalbe g[iven] unto you by the
magistrates of the same. You shall not conceale nor hide any arrestes
donp. within this towne, nor enlarge of your selves any that shalbe
arrested. You shall take 110 extortious fees of any person or persons,
nor any other duty or fee but such as hath bene accustomed and allowed
unto you. Thes and all other thinges apertayninge to the office and
charge of Porter you shall well and truly kepe and observe. So helpe
y[ ou] God and by the contentes of that Booke.
Al!CHIVEB 01,1
TOWN 01,1
GALWAY.
",It is lykewysc established and onlnyned, by thauctol'ite aforesaid,
that when the newe Maior hath takell his oth, all the keyes of the
towne gattes shalbe delivered unto him by the kepers therof, that he
may restore them againe to the said kepers or to other newe kepers (if
any shalbe ehost-·n) gevinge them charge UPQn their othe to be trewe,
vigmant and dilligent, as by their othe before sett downe doth more at
large appeare: the k.eyes to remayne by night time thone moitie or halffendeale in the custody of the Maior for the tyme being, and the
resydue in the cl1stodie of the last l\Iaior whom in some places they call
Maior of the Staple"
"It is further ordayned and estahlished by the said aucthoritie that
the1' shalbe foure Gt'nerall Assemblies houlden by the yeare in the
Toll~ill or courthowse of this towne and they to be for the more parte
the fomth Fryday after M.ichailmas, Ohristenlrtas, Easter and Midsomer, wherin (and noe other tymes without great necessitie) lawes
and constytncions shalbe established and free men admytted.
" It is also ordayned that no lease or grante of landes, tenementes or
any other thinges apel·tayninge to this towne shalbe passed, geven or
.,.ranted but at one of the foure Assemblies, at which tyme the said lease
~r grant shalbe engrossed [by] the Towne Olarck but not ensealed untill
ther be . " . ten dayes after at which tyme the saill. lease . . . shalbc
openly read and . . . Oorporacion then . . . same shall ap[peare] •.. ,
"It is lykwyse established and agreed that none shalbe henceforth to!. [93b].
allowed to [bu]y or sell as a merchant within this towne excepte he be
admitted a fi"ee [m ]an of one of the foure Assemblies aforesaid (excepting
all thos nowe [abo ]ve thage of xxi. yeares and by thancient customs
allowed, reputpd and taken to be free), for which admittance e,:ery freemans issue lawfullye begotte shall paye v. 8., every other, not bcmge such
yssue, having served seven yeares as an IIpprentise with some freeman
within this towne, shall pay xx. 8., and any other that shalbe made free
1
Axes or hatchets.
438
ARCHIVES OF
TOWN OF
GALWAY.
HISTORICAL MANUSCRIPTS CO:\BIISSION.
to pay for his admittance so much as shalbe thought fltte by the greate"t
number of the A~sernbly.
" The order uf admittance to freedollis to be as followetll :
"A. B. arlmissus fuit ad franchesias et libert.ates hujus villI', quia filius
est C. D., liberi hominis, pro fine quinque soiidol'l1lll.
" A. B., mercator, admissus e~t ad fi·a nchc~in., et libel"tates huj us ville,
quia implevit terminum cum C. D., libero homille, pro fine xx. s.
" A. B. admissus est ad franchesias et libertates predictas, quia maritavit C. D., liberam mulierem, pro fine, etc., lefte to the discretion of
the most nomber of thAssemblie.
"A. B. admissu3 e,t ad franchesias et libcrta1 e.., pre lictn~, pro fine,
etc., lefte to the discretion, as afore.
101.
L9-!J.
" It is aho further agreed, by the auctoritie of the said Assell1hlie, that
none 8hl11be admytted or allowed to be Purter at any of the gates of this
towne E'xcept he be a freeman therof (if fLny such mall be found), and if
no freeman may bc had to take that charge upon him, then 'lily other
that shall supply the said office of Porter to fynd sufficient surties of
freemen within this said town to be bounde in fy\·e llOlJllreth poundes to
the Maior for the tyme beinge to the use of the Corporation that he
shalbe true unto the same and performe his oth before laide downe.
" It ys further ordaYlled by the said aucthoritie that no freeman within
this towne shall receive or take any apprentise for fE'wer or lesoe yeares
then seven; neither any apprcntise that 8haloe borne out of this town or
ffranchieses thereof, unlesse it be for that suche freE'm3n ~hall fynde none
within the same to serve him. Any freeman <loinge the contrary to forfait
xx. li. sterling.
"Itcm: That any and eVf'l"y freeman of thb Corporation that willinglie
absenteth him or them from the same duringe the space of one whole
yeare aUll. a daye, not paying or bearinge with the said Corporation scott
and lotte, taxe and tallage, then he or they so absentinge and not paying
or uearinge, to be disfranchised and loose his or their freedome for
eyer.
"[ It is] likewyse established that if any inhabitant of tbi!:l tow ne do at
any tyme [fore ] stall or regrate the market of the I'fillH', that he shall
(oblit.) :l.I1d the goodes so boughte
" It is lykewyse further established by aucthoritie aforesaid, that if any
dweller within this town do hereafter bringe or conveighe into the same
the go odes of any other inhabitant therof, amI ::;eeke to cover or conceale
the Eaid goodes, that he or she so doinge shun make restitution of the
goodes to the trewe owner and forfaitte x. !i., nomine pene.
" It is also established Ly aucthoritie of tlH' said Assembly that if any
person or persoll~ of this Corporacion do henceforth procure or per~wade
any infaunte of this towne under the adge of xxi. yeal'e~, be he or she
prE'ntise or otherwyse, to lllarrie without thadvyse and consent of the
parentes of such infante, or without the consent of his or her Iutour or
tutours, if the parentes be dead, that then the person or persons ['0 procminge or perswadinge, to forfaitt x. li. sterling.
" It is further <'E;tablished and ordayned by aucthoritie aforesaid, that if
any goodes whatsoever be pledged or put in pawne to any freeman or
other dweller within this towne and not redeemEd within one whole
year and a day, then the partie to whom suche goodes are pawned may
bringe the same before the Maior for the tyme beinge, io whom it shalb~
lawfull to make a warrant in wry tingE' signed with his hande unto two
honest and indifferent men of this towlJe, by which they shalbe auc-