Poor Prisoners Act 1666
1666 CHAPTER 9 18 and 19 Cha 2
An Act for reliefe of Poore Prisoners and setting of them on worke.

Recital that sufficient Provision has not been made for setting poor Prisoners to Work.
A public Stock to be provided by Sessions; and Overseers to be appointed.; No Parish to be rated above 6d. per Week.Whereas there is not yet any sufficient Provision made for the Releife and setting of worke of poore and
needy persons comitted to the Coo[m]mon Goale for Felony and other misdemeanors who many times perish
before their Tryall, and the Poore there liveing idlely and unimployed become debauched and come forth instructed
in the practice of Thievery and lewdnes For remedy whereof Bee it enacted by the Kings most Excellent Majestie
with  advice and consent of the Lords Spirituall and Temporall and Coo[m]mons in this present Parlyament assembled
and by Authoritie of the same That the Justices of the Peace of the respective Countyes at any their Generall
Sessions or the major part of them then there assembled if they shall finde it needfull soe to doe may provide
Stocke of such Materialls as they finde convenient for the setting poore Prisoners on worke in such manner and
by such wayes as other County charges by the Lawes and Statuts of the Realme are and may be leavyed and
raised; And to pay and provide fitt persons to oversee and to sett such Prisoners on worke, and make such
Orders for Accompts of and concerning the premisses as shall by them be thought needfull, and for punishment
of negclects and other abuses and for bestowing of the Proffitt ariseing by the labour of the Prisoners soe sett on
worke for their Releife which shall be duely observed and may alter revoke or amend such their Orders from
time to time Provided that noe Parish be rated above Six pence by the weeke towards the premisses haveing
respect to the respective values of the severall Parishes.
Recital that the Judges, &c. have caught infectious Diseases, and died thereof.
II. 
Sheriffs, &c. to provide safe Places for the Reception of Sick Prisoners.; No such Places to be taken without Consent of Owners.
And whereas sometimes by occasion of the Plague and otherwhiles by the great number of Prisoners great
and infectious Diseases have happened among the Prisoners whereby it hath come to passe sometimes that the
Judges Justices and Jurors have upon occasion of their Attendance at the Tryall of Prisoners beene infected and
many of them dyed thereof and sometime such Infection hath spread in the Country For some Remedy therein
Bee it by the same Authority enacted That any Sheriffe of the respective Countyes haveing the Custodie of the
Goale or such persons who have the Custodie of the Goale with the advice and consent of three or more
Justices of the Peace whereof one to be of the Quorum may if they shall on inquiry or information finde it
needfull upon emergent occasions in the respective Countyes provide other safe places for the removall of sicke
or other persons from and out of the ordinary and usuall Goales the same places to be used and imployed for
the reception and custodie of Prisoners to be by or according to their Order or Orders kepte ordered disposed
and conveyed to the places appointed for the Goale delivery in such and like manner as such Prisoners ought to
be kepte ordered disposed and conveyed in and from the Coo[m]mon Goales by the Lawes and Statutes of the Land,
Provided noe such place be made use of for the purposes aforesaid against the good and free will of the Owners
thereof,
Mayor. &c. may remove Prisoners in time of Contagion; and raise a Stock.
III. 
Provided alsoe and bee it enacted by the Authority aforesaid That the Maior Bayliffe and other Head Officer
or any other person and persons who have and hath the Custodie of the Coo[m]mon Goale within any Corporation
of this Kingdome and Dominion of Wales shall by and with the advice of three or more Justices of Peace within
the said Corporation whereof one of them be of the Quorum in time of Infection have the like power and
authoritie for removeing his and their Prisoners into some other convenient place within their Jurisdiction as to
them shall seeme fitt dureing the time of Infection, And alsoe to raise a Stocke after the same rates and proportions
as is herein before allowed to and for the severall Countyes of this Kingdome.
Rules and Orders for Exeter Work house.
IV. 
Overseer thereof; his Salary.; Preacher; his Duty; and Salary.; In what case Offenders may be sent thither; and thence conveyed to Assizes and Sessions
Provided alsoe and bee it further enacted by the Authoritie aforesaid as followeth (viz) That whereas there
is already provided a strong and sufficient Messuage in the Parish of Saint Thomas the Apostle neer the Citty
of Exon for the purpose aforesaid and One thousand pounds more by certaine Trustees upon Proposalls and
Agreements made by them with certaine Gentlemen Justices of the Peace for the County of Devon who have
alsoe provided One thousand pounds more in order to purchase Lands of Inheritance for the good purposes
hereafter mentioned Be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid That the said two thousand pounds be laid out in
purchase of Lands of Inheritance by Order of the Generall Sessions of the Peace hereafter at any time to be held
in the name of such persons as by such Order shall be appointed Item That the said House with the Grounds
therewith enclosed be had and used as a Common Goale and Workehouse for the said County in manner as is
after expressed Item That an Overseer be therein placed by like Order, and by like Order be removeable from
time to time which Overseer shall have the charge custodie and government of the Prisoners to him committed
according to this Act, and shall have Fifty pounds per annum dureing the execution of his Office and ten pounds
per annum for his Deputie but shall therefore take noe Fees for receiving delivering or doeing any other service
relateing to the Prisoners from or of any the said Prisoners Item That the said Justices by like Order from time
to time shall and may by approbation of the Ordinary provide and appoint some meete and discreete Minister to
reade Divine Service according to the Orders of the Church of England unto the Prisoners at least Fower dayes
in the weeke that is to say on the Lords day, each Wednesday and each Friday and Saturday and oftner if the
said Justices shall appoint and to take paines in instructing them each Lords day at the least for which they may
allow him thirty pounds per annum or after that rate, the rest of the Proffitts to be for repairing the House
and towards finding a Stocke for to sett the Prisoners on worke, Item That any person charged with such offence
onely for which Clergy is allowable if soe be he be needy and indigent and not like to maintaine himselfe in Goale 
may by Warrant of the Justice or Justices of the Peace to whom Jurisdiction in that behalfe appertained be committed
to the said Worke house in order to his Tryall and if any person shall be coo[m]mitted to the ordinary Goale who
shall be or become soe indigent he may by Warrant of three Justices of the Peace whereof one to be of the
Quorum be removed from the ordinary, common Goale to the said House, All which Prisoners soe coo[m]mitted or
removed shall be in the custodie of the Overseer and be ordered and demeaned in the said House and conveyed
to the Sessions or to the Goale delivery by like Warrant way and meanes as the Prisoners in other Goales by the
Lawes and Statutes of this Realme are to be ordered and demeaned,
Prisoners may be removed for Trial to the Common Gaol.
V. 
Regulations as to Security for Stock, &c. by Overseer of the said Workhouse. Justices of Devon may execute this Act.
And because the said Workehouse is distant from the ordinary Common Goale, the Prisoners by order from
the Sessions or Goale delivery may in order to their Tryalls be removed to the Common Goale to be the more
ready for their Tryalls. Item That the said Overseer shall give Security for the Stocke and be lyeable to such
Regulations and Orders for Accompts and otherwise as the Sessions shall from time to time make for setting the
poore Prisoners on worke there which shall be obeyed and observed that a convenient Stocke be from time to
time raised at the Charge of the County. Item That the said Justices in the County of Devon may putt in ure
all the powers in this Act as other Justices may in any other County by vertue thereof.
General Saving.
VI. 
Saveing to the Kings Majestie his Heires and Successors and to every other person and persons and their
Heires Successors Executors and Administrators all Rights Titles Claimes and Demands whatsoever into or out of
the said Messuages and Premisses as if this Act had never beene made.