The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-04-14 00:00:00

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771F371"

WOOLLEN MANUFACTURE.

• A 1311.1.
To repeal the Provisions, Regulations, and Ilistfic-
tions, contained in certain Aiks, so far as the same
relate to the Length, Breadth, and Weight of
Woollen Cloths, the tentering, stretching and
straining, and the viewing, searching and sealing
of them by Offi;:ers appointed for that purpose,
the Boiling of tVool with certain Ingredients, the
Prohibition of the Use of Lamb's Wool, the Sale
of Woollen Cloths tacked and folded, the pressing
of Woollen Cloth, and the Use of Gig Mills, a-id
the Number of Looms ; and also, to repeal an
AO, passed in the sth Year of th. Reign of Queen
Elizabeth, intituled, An Al containing divers
Orders for Artificers, Labourers, Servants of HuS-
bandry, and Apprentices," so far as the same re-
lates to Apprenticeships in the Trade or Business
of a Clothier and in the several Branches of the
IVoollen Manufaaure, of Weaving, Dying, and
Cloth-dressing, in the several Counties of-Glou-
cester, Wilts, and Somerset; and likewise for per-
mitting the Exportation of certain ;:loths unshorn.

%ViiEREAS the provisions, regulations, and restrictions,
relating to the mixing, dying, warping, weaving, purdhing,
but ug, working, fulling, rowing, shearing, terit.lii.g, press-
ing, or otherwise manuftworing ar making of woollen cloth.,
or the sale of such cloths, or the length, breadth, weight, mea-
suring, stumping, or sealing thereof, or the appointment of
se relies, sealers, or overseer: to superintend the sealing there-
of; comarned in several acts of pa-lianieat, statutes, and ordi-
nances, passed and muds respectively in the fifth and sixth
years of the reign of Ina Majesty King Edward the Sixth, and
in the second and third years of the reign of their Majesties
King Philip and Queen Mary, and in the (Mirth and fifth veers
of their said Maje:iti •5' reign, in the forty-third year of the
reign of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, and in the fourth ytur of
the reign of K:ng James the First, and in the twenty-first year of
his sad Majesty's reign, in the tenth rear of the reign of her Ma •
jesty Queen Anne, in tate first year of the reign of his Majesty
King George the First, and in the thirteenth year of the reign
of his said Majesty, and also of an act t'asieci in the thirteenth
year of the reign of his Majesty King Richard the Second, pro-
hibiting the sale of plait) cloths in certain comities tuck al and
folded, are, from the present improved and extended state of
the woollen manuiacture, rendered impracticable and useless,
and others of them wonid, if enforced, create delay and ineon-
y-nience in the carrying oa the said n,anufacture, to the great
detriment thereof:
And whereas the restrictions and prohibitions contained in
an act, passed in the fifth and sixth year of his Maje.;ty King
Edward the Sixth, as to the use of certain mills, called gig
mulls; and in an act passed in the second arid third year of the
reign of their said Majesdes King Philip and Queen 4arv, as
to the number of lo:nns to be kept, let, or set up tog ether, b 7
any manufacturer or weaver of woollen cloth, would, if en-
forced, be very prejudicial to the woollen manufacture:
And whereas many of the said hereinbefuns inewinned acts
have to many years past been considered to obsc,!ete, and
the manufacturers and others engaged in the woollen manufac-
ture arid trade, have, in consequence thereof, incurred various
penalties under the said acts, or some of them, in the carrying
on eleir respective manufactures and trades:

And whereas prosecutions have lately bean threatened on
many of the said acts, and doubts are entertaine I whether
some of the acts are not repealed by subsequent acts, parsed fir
regulating the said manufacture and trade :
And whereas the permitting such prosecutions to be pro-
ceeded in, and the said provisions, regulations, restrictions,
and prohibitions, and le:nettle:, and forfeitures, to be enforced,
would be attended with very ruinous consequences ti the said
manufacture and trade, and to the persons engi.g ad therein :
And whereas, for remedy thereof, and for the removal of
such doubt: as aforesaid, it is expedient that certain parts of
the said several aets should be epealed:
May it therefore please Your Majesty,
That it may be enacted; and he it enacted by the King's Most
Excellent Wiens., by and with the advice and consent of the
Lords spiritual and temporal, and Commons, in this present
Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, That
all rules, ordinances, orders, directions, provisions, regulations,
rat ictinns, prohibitions, fines penalties, and forfeitures, con-
tained in any of the aidrecited statutes, laws, cedinancee, or
acts of Parliament, touching the mixing, dying, warping,
weaving, tentering, boiling, working, spilling, plowing, shear-
ing, peutring, dressing, pressing, or otherwise manufacturing
ur making f woollen cloths, or the sale of such cloths, or the
length, breadth, weight, measuring, stamping, or sealing
thereof, or the appointment of searchers, sesilers, or overseers
to supetintend Ale sealing, stamping, or measuring thereof,
and a! ;:l as to the use of certain mills called gig mills, and also
as to the number of looms to be kept, let, o! set up together,
by any manufacturer or weaver of woollen cloth, and every
clause, article, matter, and thing therein, or in any or either
of them contained, respecting the matters aforesaid, shall, and
the same are hereby repealed and made void; and every person
against whom any anion, bill, plaint, or information, bath
been or shall be brought, fur any Inc. penalty, ur forfeiture,
or against whom any prosecution shall have been or shall he
commenced by reason of ally breach or neglect of aity of the
orders, directions, provisions, regulations, restrictions, prolti-
bilious, fines, penalties, or forfeitures aforesaid, in the ;aid
acts, or any or either of them contained, shad aid is hereby
indemnifiesl, NM, and discharged from the same.
And where's the exportation of woollen clutlis unshorn is
prohibited by certain acts of parliament : And whereas beaver,,
coatings, cloekingsowandowns, And other descriptionsof
are now completely manufactured and finished without being
shorn, and it is therefore expedient that the exportation of such
cloth should be. allowed ; b it therefore further enacted, that
from and after the passing of this act, it shall be lawful for any
person or persons to ship or export any b: avers, coatings, cloak-
ings, swandowns' and other description of cloths completely mae-
nads:Awed and finished without being shorn, without being
subject to any penalty or forfeiture for so doing; any law, usage,
or statute to the contra.; notwithstanding.
And whereas by a certain act of parliament in the firth year
of her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth, intitillei, " An act con-
taining divers orders for artificers, labourers, *meant: of hus-
bandry, awl apprentices," it is enactetl,that it shall not be law-
ful to any perion, other than such as then did lawfully use or
exercise any art, mystery, or manual occupation, to set up,
occupy, use, or exercise any craft, mystery, or occupation, then
used or occupied, within the realm of England isr Wales, ex-
cept he should have been brought up therein seven years at
least as an apprentice, in manner and form in the said statute
mentioned nor to set any person on work in such mystery,
art, or occupation, being not a workman at the time, except he
shall have bean apprentice as is aforesaid, or else, hay iug served
as are apprentice, should or would become a journeyman, he
hired by the year; on pain that eery person willingly offend-
ing or doing the contrerv, should forfeit and 'se
month : And whereas there ye marry persons who
carry on the business of clothiers or woolleu manufacturers in
the counties of Gloucester, Wave and Somerset, to a large ex-
tent, several of whom dye their own wool a id cloth. and who
in tie' pruseentioe of such business have embarked considerable
capitals; and many persons are stow employed in the said coun-
ties in this woollen manufaseure, in weaving, dying, clot's-skeet-
int, an.l otherwise, who have not served a seg- darappreist iceship.
as required by the last recited act, whereby they are b •cutite I 'a-
ble to tile penalties inflicted by the said act, and divers vexatious
prosacutions have been commenced, or are threatened to be com-
inelleed on that eccuuist, which it is expedient toprevent ; Be it
therefore further enacted, that all clothiers or woollen manufac-
turers so carrying on bu amiss on his or their own account, in the
said counties or Glouceeer,Wilts, and Somerset, and all persons
by them employed as weavers, dyer% cloth Brewers, or in any
other branch of the wool ea manufacture, and against whom
any action, bill, plaint, or information lath been u. shall here-
after be brought to, any flue, penalty, or forfeiture heretofore
incurred or hereafter to be incurred by him, her. or them, for
or by reason of his, her, or their having se entered into and
carried on the trade or business of a clothier, weaver, dyer, or
of any other branch of the woollen manufacture, or havisig em-
ployed any person whatever therein, contrary to tile intellt and
meaning of the said last recites act, shall be and is and are here-
by indemnified, freed, and discharged fi oils the same ; any
thing in the said recited act to the contrary notwithstanding.
And, in order to induce persons an carrying on the business
of clothiers or woollen manufacturers, who may not have
served such apprenticeship, to continue in and carry on the
same, and also to induce other persons, also may not have
served such apprenticeship, us enter into and carry on such bu-
siness, sad to enable them to employ weavers, dyers, and other
persons, its such intatinfaressre, who hays not served such ap-
prenticeship ; be it furher enacted, that from and after the

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