July 1650: An Act for Sheriffs to appoint Deputies, who are to remove and transmit the Acts, Orders, and Directions of the Parliament and Councel of State; and the respective Sheriffs to make return thereof, as they shall be enjoyned by the Parliament or Councel.

July 1650

[11 July, 1650.]

Sheriffs to appoint one deputy at least yearly; His duties.; Penalty for not making such deputies.; Act to continue one year only.

Whereas by the Laws and Statutes now in force, Sheriffs of each County within this Commonwealth, are each of them to make yearly a Deputy in the Chancery, the Upper Bench, Common Pleas, and Exchequer of Record, to receive all maner of Writs and Warrants to be delivered to them; viz: All such Writs and Warrants as shall be directed to the Sheriffs for whom such Deputy is appointed, and such Sheriffs as shall do to the contrary, to incur the penalties in these Statutes mentioned, as by those Acts (relation thereto being had) may appear. And whereas the Acts and Orders of Parliament which are of general concernment, ought upon the printing and publishing thereof to be taken notice of, observed and obeyed by all the Members of this Commonwealth therein interested, according to the several exigencies of the same Acts and Orders, which may with the more facility and certainty be transmitted to their knowledge, and put in execution, if like course be taken for communication thereof, as in the said other ordinary cases of Writs and Warrants is observed and used: The Parliament of England taking the same into consideration, think fit to Enact and Ordain, and be it by the Authority of the same Enacted and Ordained, That all the Sheriffs of Counties within this Commonwealth, shall each of them within one Moneth after their respective Elections to their several Offices, make yearly one sufficient Deputy at the least, whose name or names shall be Recorded in two several Registers to be kept for that purpose, one of them by the Clerk of the Parliament, and the other of them by the Secretary to the Councel of State for the time being, from time to time to receive and transmit to each respective Sheriff for whom he or they serve as Deputy, All Warrants, Orders, Acts and Proclamations directed to be sent from the Parliament, or from the Councel of State appointed by their Authority, to do therewith and thereupon, as they shall be Enjoyned and Ordered by the Authority which causeth the same to be transmitted unto them; And that each Sheriff respectively shall make due return of all such Commands, and how they have been executed, to the Clerk of the Parliament, or Secretary to the Councel of State, accordingly as he receives Orders from the Parliament or Councel of State, which the said Clerk and Secretary are to make entries of in their several Registers, as there shall be occasion; for want of making which Deputy or Deputies, or due returns as aforesaid, every such Sheriff shall forfeit to the Keepers of the Liberties of England, for the use of the Commonwealth, All such Sums and Penalties as by the said former Statutes are Ordained against Sheriffs, who neglect to make Deputies in the said Courts of Record at Westminster, to be prosecuted and Recovered by the Attorney General for the Commonwealth, in such way as other Penalties and Forfeitures are to be prosecuted on behalf of the Commonwealth. This Act to have continuance from henceforth for the space of one year and no longer.

Sheriff's charges

Provided always, That what Charges or Expence extraordinary, any High Sheriff shall be put unto by reason of this Act, the same shall be allowed unto him upon his Accompt in the Publique Exchequer.