Clergy Act 1529
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | 1529 c. 13 |
| Year | 1529 |
(21 Hen. 8) C A P. XIII.
'FOR the more quiet and virtuous Increase and Maintenance of divine Service, the preaching and teaching the Word of God, with godly and good Example giving, the better Discharge of Curates the Maintenance of Hospitality, the Relief of poor People, the Increase of Devotion, and good Opinion of the Lay-fee toward the spiritual Persons:' (2) Be it enacted, ordained, and established by the King our Sovereign Lord, with the Assent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and the Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by Authority of the same, That no spiritual Persons, secular or regular, of what Degree soever he or they be, shall from henceforth take to ferm to himself, or to any Person or Personsto his Use, of the Lease or Grant of the King our Sovereign Lord, nor of any other Person or Persons, by Letters Patents, Indentures, Writings, by Words or otherwise, by any Manner of Means, any Manors, Lands, Tenements, or other Hereditaments for Term of Life, for Term of Years, or at Will, (3)upon Pain to forfeit Ten Pounds for every Month that he, or any other to his Use, shall occupy any such Ferm, by reason of any such Lease or Grant hereafter to be made; the One Half of which Forfeiture to be to the King our Sovereign Lord, and the other Half thereof to every such Person that will sue for the same by original Writ, Bill, or Plaint of Debt, or by any Information in any of the King's Courts; (4) in which Action and Suit no Wager of Law shall be admitted for the Defendant, nor any Essoin or Protection allowed.
II The spiritual Person which hath any Ferm or Profit out of Ferm, shall alien it forthwith.
II. And be it also enacted by the Authority aforesaid, that all and every such spiritual Person or Persons which now have, or occupy in Ferm, by themselves, or by any other to their Use, any Manors, Lands, Tenements, or Hereditaments, of the Lease or Grant of the King our Sovereign Lord, or any other Person or Persons, for Term of Life, or for Years, or at Will, by any Writing or otherwise, or that now have any annual Rents, or other annual Advantage, or Profit, by Occasion or Colour of any such Lease or Ferm, shall clearly bargain, sell, give, or grant away on this Side the Feast of St.Michael the Archangel next coming, to any such lay Person or Persons, as they will at their own Nominations and Appointment, all such Lease, Term, Interest, and Profit, as any such spiritual Person, or any other to his Use, now hath or have, in or by reason of any such Ferm; (2)so that in no wise any such spiritual Person or Persons at any Time after the same Feast, by themselves, or any other to their Use, by any Manner of Means, Fraud, or Male Engine, shall have, use, or occupy in Ferm, any Manors, Lands, Tenements, or Hereditaments, of the Demise, Lease, or Grant of any Person or Persons heretofore made, or hereafter to be made, to themselves, or to any other to their Uses; (3) nor from the said Feast shall take any annual Rent, or other annual Advantage or Profit, by Occasion or Colour of any such Lease or Ferm by any Manner of Means, (4)upon Pain to forfeit for every Month so occupying any such Ferm, at any Time after the said Feast, contrary to this present Act, Ten Pounds, and upon Pain to forfeit Ten Times as much as any such spiritual Person, or any to his Use, shall take in any annual Rent, Advantage, or Profit, by Occasion or Colour of any such Lease, at any Time after the said Feast; the One Half of which Forfeitures to be to the King our Sovereign Lord, and the other Half to him that will sue for the same by original Writ, Bill, or Plaint of Debt, or by Information in any of the King's Courts; (5) in which Action and Suit no Wager of Law shall be admitted for the Defendant, nor any Essoin or Protection allowed.
III Leases made to spiritual Persons, or to others to their Use, shall be void.
III. And be it also enacted, That all such Leases made, or hereafter to be made, unto any such spiritual Person or Persons, or to any other to their Use, for Term of Life, Term of Years, or at Will, of any Manors, Lands, Tenements, or Hereditaments, whereof they, or any of them, shall take any Profit or medling by themselves, or by any to their Use, after the said Feast of SaintMichael , by Colour of any such Lease or Grant, and not by them bargained, granted, and sold away before the said Feast, as is before limited, shall from henceforth be utterly void, and of none Effect, as well against the Leasor or Leasors, Grantor and Grantors, their Heirs and Assigns, and against every of them, as against the Leassee or Leasees, and their Executors and Assigns, and every of them.
IV In some Cases a spiritual Person may take to ferm the Temporalties of a Bishop, &c.
IV. Provided alway, That this present Act shall not extend to any spiritual Person or Persons, in and for taking to ferm any Temporalities, during the Time of Vacations of any Archbishopricks, Bishopricks, Abbeys, Priories, or other Collegiate, Cathedral, or Coventual Churches, (2) nor to any spiritual Person or Persons that shall tender or make any Traverse upon any Offices or Office, concerning his or their Freehold.
V No spiritual Person shall buy to sell again any Merchandise, Corn, Cattle, &c.
V. And be it also enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That no spiritual Person or Persons, secular or regular, of what Estate or Degree soever they be, shall from henceforth by himself, nor by any other for him, nor to his Use, bargain and buy to sell again for any Lucre, Gain, or Profit, in any Markets, Fairs, or other Places, any Manner of Cattle, Corn, Lead, Tin, Hides, Leather, Tallow, Fish, Wooll, Wood, or any Manner of Victual or Merchandise, what Kind soever they be of, upon Pain to forfeit Treble the Value of every Thing, by them, or by any to their Use, bargained and bought to sell again, contrary to this present Act; (2) and that every such Bargain and Contract hereafter to be made by them, or by any to their Use, contrary to this Act, shall be utterly void, and of none Effect; (3) and the One Half of every such Forfeiture to be to the King our Sovereign Lord, and the other Half to him that will sue for the same by original Writ of Debt, Bill, Plaint, or Information in any of the King's Courts; in which Action or Suit no Wager of Law for the Defendant shall be admitted, nor any Essoin nor Protection allowed.
VI In what Case a spiritual Person may sell again the Things which he hath bought.
VI. Provided alway, That if any such spiritual Person or Persons shall happen hereafter without Fraud or Covin to buy any Horses, Mares, or Mules, to the only Intent to occupy for himself or his Servants, to ride to and fro upon his necessary Business, or any other Cattles or Goods, to the only Intent and Purpose at the buying thereof to be imployed and put in and about his necessary Apparel of his own House, or of his Person and Servants, or in, for, and about the only occupying, manuring, or Tillage of his own glebe or demean Lands annexed to his Church, or for the necessary Expences of his own Houshold-keeping, and after the buying of any such Horses, Cattles, or Goods, or Exercise of them, or any of them, happeneth to mislike any of them that they should not be good, profitable, nor convenient for any of the Purposes abovesaid, for the which they were bought; that then every such spiritual Person or Persons may lawfully bargain and put away such Things so by him bought, without Fraud or Covin, for any of the Purposes abovesaid at his Pleasure and Advantage; this Act or any Thing therein contained notwithstanding.
VII Certain Houses of Religion may keep demesne Lands in their Hands for the Maintenance of their Houses.
VII. Provided alway, That all Abbots, Priors, Abbesses, Prioresses, Provosts, Presidents, Masters of Colleges and Hospitals, and all other spiritual Governors and Governesses of any spiritual Monasteries, or Houses of Religion, by what Name or Names soever they be called, having Manors, Lands, Tenements, and Hereditaments, and other yearly Profits in the Right of their Monasteries or Houses, of the yearly Value ofviii. C. Marks, or under, and not above, may use and occupy as much and as many of their demean Lands, Fee-ferms, and Ferms, to their most Advantage, Commodity, and Profit, to and for the only Maintenance of their Housholds and Hospitalities, in as ample and large Manner as they or any of them, or their Predecessors, or the Predecessors of any of them, at any Time by the Space of One hundred Years last past before the making of this Act have done, used, and occupied; any Thing in this present Act to the contrary notwithstanding.
VIII Spiritual Persons may take in Ferm for the Maintenance of their Houses.
VIII. Provided also, That every other spiritual Person or Persons, not having sufficient glebe or demean Lands in their own Hands in the Right of their Churches, Monasteries, and Houses for Pasturage of Cattle, or for Increase of Corn, to and for the only Expences of their Housholders, and for their Carriages or Journies, may take in Ferm other Lands, and buy and sell Corn and...
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