William and Mary, 1692: An Act for prohibiting the importation of all Forreigne Haire Buttons [Chapter X Rot. Parl. pt. 3. nu. 5.]

13 & 14 (14) Car. II. c. 13. recited.

Reasons for passing this Act; Importing Foreign Hair Buttons; Penalty.

Whereas by an Act made in the Fourteenth yeare of the Reigne of His late Majesty King Charles the Second entituled An Act prohibiting the importation of Foreigne Bone Lace Cutwork Imbroidery Fringe Band strings Buttons and Needle Work amongst other things in the said Act mentioned all Foreigne Buttons made of Thread or Silk are prohibited to be imported or sold in the Kingdom of England or Dominion of Wales And whereas since the makeing of the said Act Hair Buttons are chiefly used and worn and the Button Makers of England do make better Haire Buttons then any are imported from Forreigne parts and are able to supply this Kingdom with greater Quantities of them [then (fn. 1) ] they can make use of yet because Buttons made of Haire are not expressly mentioned in the said Act (although they were thereby intended to be prohibited) many persons who are Enemies to the Manufactures of this Kingdom taking advantage of the said omission do daily import such great [Quantities (fn. 1) ] of Hair Buttons that the Button Trade of England is very much decayed and many thousands of poor people that were formerly kept att work in the said Trade are like to perish for want of imployment and all the other mischiefs mentioned in the said Act which relate to the Button Trade and were thereby intended to bee remedied are become as great as they were at the time of the makeing of the said Act For redress whereof and the more effectual prevention of the like mischiefs for the future Be it enacted by the King and Queens most excellent Majesties by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual or Temporal and Commons in this present Parliament assembled and by the authority of the same That from and after the Five and twentieth day of March in the yeare of our Lord One thousand six hundred ninety and three no Forreigne Buttons made or to be made of Hair, nor any other Forreigne Buttons whatsoever shall be imported brought in sent or conveyed into the Kingdom of England Dominion of Wales or Port or Towne of Berwick upon Tweed or bartered sold exchanged or offered to be bartered sold or exchanged upon pain of forfeiting all the said Buttons so imported brought in bartered sold or exchanged or offered to be bartered sold or exchanged and upon such further and other Pains Penalties and Forfeitures as are mentioned contained and expressed in the said recited Act one moiety of all which Forfeitures to be to the use of our Sovereigne Lord and Lady the King and Queen Their Heires and Successors and the other moiety thereof to the person or persons that shall sue for the same in any of Their Majesties Courts of Record by Bill Plaint Action of Debt Information or otherwise wherein no Essoign Protection or Wager of Law shall be allowed.

II. Power of Seizure to Justices of Peace.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid That for the preventing the importing bartering selling vending or exposing to sale any Forreign Buttons whatsoever the Justices of the Peace within the Kingdom of England Dominion of Wales or Port or Towne of Berwick upon Tweed within their several and respective Counties Cities and Towns Corporate have the same Authority and power and the same Authority and Power is hereby given unto the said Justices to issue forth their Warrants to seize or cause to be seized all Forreign Buttons whatsoever as by the said Act is given unto them for the seizing of Forreigne Buttons made of thread or silk and other the manufactures in the said Act mentioned