Knackers Act 1786
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | 1786 c. 71 |
| Year | 1786 |
(26 Geo. 3) C A P. LXXI.
'W H E R E A S the Practiceof stealing Horses, Cows, and other Cattle, hath of late Years increased to an alarming Degree; and hath been greatly facilitated by certain Persons of low Condition, who keep Houses or Places for the Purpose of slaughtering Horses and other Cattle:' For Remedy whereof, be it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, 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, from and after the twentieth Day ofJuly in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-six, no Person or Persons shall keep or use any House or Place, for the Purpose of slaughtering or killing any Horse, Mare, Gelding, Colt, Filly, Ass Mule, Bull, Ox, Cow, Heifer, Calf, Sheep, Hog, Goat, or other Cattle, which shall not be killed for Butchers Meat, without first taking out a Licence for that Purpose, at the General Quarter Sessions held for the County, Riding, City, Town, District, Division, or Liberty, wherein such Slaughtering House or Place shall be situate; and the Justices of the Peace, at their General Quarter Sessions assembled, are hereby authorised and impowered to grant such Licences as aforesaid, upon a Certificate, under the Hands and Seals of the Minister and Churchwardens, or Overseers, or of the Minister and two or more substantial Householders of the Parish wherein the Person or Persons applying for such Licence shall dwell, that such Person or Persons is or are fit and proper to be trusted with the Management and carrying on such Business as aforesaid: Provided always, That, in case of the Death of any Person to whom such Licence as aforesaid shall be granted, it shall and may be lawful for the Widow, or personal Representative of such Person so dying, to carry on the said Business until the then next ensuing General Quarter Sessions of the Peace.
II Justices to grant Licences, which are to be entered, &c.
II. And be it further enacted, That every such Licence shall be signed by the Justices of the Peace assembled at such General Quarter Sessions, or by the major Part of them; and a Copy of every such Licence shall be entered in a Book to be kept for that Purpose by the Clerk of the Peace of the County wherein the same shall be so granted as aforesaid; and that all and every Person and Persons shall have Liberty, at all Times (Sundays excepted), between the Hours of Ten and Twelve of the Clock in the Forenoon, to search the Office of such Clerk of the Peace wherein any such Copy shall be entered or kept, and to make an Extract or Extracts from the same, paying for every such Search the Sum of six Pence; and all and every Personand Persons so licensed as aforesaid shall cause to be painted or affixed, over the Door or Gate of the House or Place where he, she, or they shall carry on the said Business, in large legible Characters, his, her, and their Name and Names, with the WordsLicensed for slaughtering Horses, pursuant to an Act passed in the twenty-sixth Year of his Majesty KingGeorgethe Third .
III Previous Notice to be sent, when Horses, &c. are intended to be slaughtered, to the Inspector, who is to take an Account of the Beasts.
III. And be it further enacted, That every Occupier and Occupiers of every such licensed Slaughtering House or Place shall, six Hours previous to the slaughtering or killing of any Horse, Mare, Gelding, Colt, Filly, Ass, Mule, Bull, Ox, Cow, Heifer, Calf, Sheep, Hog, Goat, or other Cattle, which shall not be killed for the Purpose of Butchers Meat, and previous to the flaying any such Horse, Mare, Gelding, Colt, Filly, Ass, Mule, Bull, Ox, Cow, Heifer, Calf, Sheep, Hog, Goat, or other Cattle, brought dead to such Slaughtering House or other Place, give Notice in Writing to a Person to be appointed in Manner herein after mentioned, as Inspector, to the Intent that such Inspector may, upon such Notice as aforesaid, and before any such Horse, Mare, Gelding, Colt, Filly, Ass, Mule, Bull, Ox, Cow, Heifer, Calf, Sheep, Hog, Goat, or other Cattle, shall be slaughtered, killed, or flayed, take an exact Account and Description of the Heighth, Age (as near as may be), Colour, and particular Marks of every Horse, Mare, Gelding, Foal or Filly, Ass or Mule, brought alive for the Purpose of being slaughtered or killed, or brought dead as aforesaid, and of the Colour and particular Marks of every Cow, Bull, Heifer, Ox, Calf, Sheep, Hog, Goat, or other Cattle, brought alive or dead for either of the Purposes aforesaid; and no such Horse, Mare, Gelding, Foal, or Filly, Ass, Mule, Ox, Bull, Cow, or Heifer, Calf, Sheep, Hog, Goat, or other Cattle, shall be slaughtered, killed, or flayed, but between the Hours of Eight of the Clock in the Morning, and Four of the Clock in the Evening, during the Months ofOctober, November, December, January, February , and March ; and between the Hours of Six of the Clock in the Morning, and Eight of the Clock in the Evening, during the Months of April, May, June, July, August , and September , in every Year.
IV Account to be kept, by the Owners of Slaughtering Houses, of the Owners of the Cattle brought, &c.
IV. And be it further enacted, That every Person so licensed as aforesaid shall, at the Time any Horse, Mare, or Gelding, Colt, Filly, Ass, or Mule, or any Ox, Bull, Cow, Heifer, Calf, Sheep, Hog, Goat, or any other Cattle, shall be brought for the Purpose of slaughtering, killing, or flaying, make, or cause to be made, an Entry in a Book, to be kept for that Purpose, in a fair legible Hand, of the Name and Names, Place and Places of Abode, Profession and Professions of the Owner or Owners thereof, and also of the Person and Persons who shall bring the same to be slaughtered, killed, or flayed, and the Reason or Reasons why the same is brought to be slaughtered, killed, or flayed, which Reason and Reasons the Person or Persons bringing the same is and are hereby required to declare to such Person or Persons so licensed as aforesaid; which Book shall at all Times be open for the Perusal and Examination of the Inspector and Inspectors to be appointed under this Act; and all and every such licensed Person and Persons shall at all Times attend with, and produce such Book before any one Justice of the Peace for the County, City, Liberty, or Place where such licensed Slaughtering House or Place shall be situate, when required by Warrant or Order under the Hand and Seal of such Justice of the Peace so to do, and shall likewise produce the same at every General Quarter Sessions of the Peace which shall be held in and for the said County.
V Vestry to appoint Inspectors.
V. And be it further enacted, That such of the Parishioners, as by Law are intitled to meet in Vestry for the Purpose of choosing Parish Officers, shall, in every Parish wherein any such Slaughtering House or Place shall be situated, annually, or oftener, as Occasion may require, appoint one or more proper Person or Persons to be an Inspector or Inspectors to inspect every such Slaughtering House and Place as aforesaid, to whom all and every Occupier and Occupiers, Person and Persons, carrying on such Business as aforesaid, shall, six Hours...
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