Buttons Act 1698
1698 CHAPTER 2 10 Will 3
An Act to prevent the makeing or selling Buttons made of Cloth Serge Drugget or other Stuffs.


Reasons for passing this Act; Making, selling, or putting on Clothes, Buttons made of Cloth, &c; Penalty.Whereas the Maintenance and Subsistance of many Thousands of Men Women and Children within this
Kingdom depends upon the makeing of Silk Mohair Gimp and Thread Buttons with the Needle and great
Numbers of Throwsters Twisters Spinners Winders Dyers and others are employed in preparing the Materialls of
which such Buttons are made And whereas the Silk and Mohair wherewith the said Buttons are made is purchased in
Turky and other Forreigne Parts in exchange for our Woollen Manufacture to the great Consumption and Encouragement
thereof And whereas the making of such Needle-Wrought Buttons hath of late been much lessenned and discouraged
by the making and wearing of Buttons made of the
 Shredds of Cloth Serge Drugget Frize Camlett and other
Stuffs and Materialls of which Clothes are usually made and alsoe by Buttons made of Wood only and turned
in Imitation of other Buttons to the great Impoverishment of all those whose Livelyhood depended upon the making
the said Needle-Wrought Buttons and preparing the Materialls thereof And to the great Prejudice of the Woollen
Manufacture wherewith such Materials are purchased as aforesaid by which meanes great Numbers of the said
poor People are become Burthensome to their respective Parishes For Remedy whereof Be it enacted by the Kings
most Excellent Majesty by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spirituall and Temporall and Commons
in this present Parliament assembled and by Authority of the same That from and after the Tenth Day of February
One thousand six hundred ninety and eight no Person or Persons whatsoever within the Kingdom of England
Dominion of Wales and Towne of Berwick upon Tweed shall make sell or sett on or cause to be made sold
or sett on any Clothes or wearing Garments whatsoever any Buttons made of Cloth Serge Drugget Frize Camlett
or any other Stuffs of which Clothes and Wearing Garments are usually made or any Buttons made of Wood only
and turned in Imitation of other Buttons upon Forfeiture of the Summ of Fourty Shillings for every Dozen of such
Buttons soe made sold or sett on or caused to be made sold or sett on as aforesaid and in like Proportion for
any lesser Quantity one Moyety thereof to be to the Use of His Majesty His Heires and Successors and the other
Moyety thereof to him her or them that shall sue for the same by Action of Debt Bill Plaint or Information in
any of His Majesties Courts of Record wherein no Essoigne Protection or Wager of Law or more than one
Imparlance shall be allowed.