at St. Mary's Hall, on the first and last Tuesday in every month.

21Geo.S.c.54. that, from and after the passing of this act, an Coventry. open council shall be held at St. Mary's Hall, An open coun- in the said city, on the first and last Tuesday eil to be held in every calendar month, for the purpose, on the first Tuesday in each month, of receiving and proclaiming aloud the names of every person or persons who shall then present, or cause to be presented, an account, in writing, of the particulars of his or their claim to the freedom of the said city, and for the purpose, on the last Tuesday in each month, of admitting to the freedom of the said city, such person or persons as shall then appear and claim to be so admitted, he or they first verifying, upon oath the particulars of his or their claim, delivered in at the preceding council; and that the council which shall be holden on the first Tuesday in each month, shall assemble at ten in the morning, and continue open a convenient time, for receiving such claims as shall then be preferred; and the council which shall be holden on the last Tuesday in each month shall continue open from the hour of ten in the morning till three o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, or for such shorter time as shall be found sufficient for hearing and determining any claims which shall then have been preferred; and if any such claims shall then remain unheard or undetermined, the said council shall be adjourned from day to day, and continue open on each day in manner aforesaid, for hearing and determining such claims.

taking up a

Limitation of §2. And be it further enacted, by the authe expence of thority aforesaid, that, from and after the passing of this act, no greater fee than three shillings, over and above the expence of the necessary stamps, shall be demanded or taken

freedom.

Coventry,

of any person or persons who shall be so ad- 21Geo. 3.c. 54. mitted to his or their freedom at any such council.

those who take

S 3. And be it further enacted, by the au- Particulars to thority aforesaid, that no person shall be ad- be observed by mitted to the freedom of the said city, at any it up. council to be held for that purpose, who shall not produce evidence of regular indentures or deeds of apprenticeship for seven years, as required by the resolution aforesaid, and who shall not also declare upon oath the name or names of his master or masters, the trade to which he served under him or them, the place of his or their residence during the time he served, and of his own residence at the time of his claiming to be admitted to the freedom of the said city; and that it shall be lawful for such persons so claiming their freedom as aforesaid, to come to such council attended with their agents, who shall be present at their admission, if they so required it; and such council are hereby authorized and required to administer such oath as aforesaid.

enter the above

§ 4. And be it further enacted, by the autho- Town-clerk to rity aforesaid, that the town clerk shall enter particulars in all the above particulars in the admission-book a book. under the name of each person who is admitted to the freedom of the said city; and that the said town-clerk, and the mayor and each of the members composing the council at which such freemen shall be admitted, shall openly subscribe their names to the said entries.

5. And be it further enacted, by the au- Lists of the thority aforesaid, that lists of the names of all names of all the persons claiming to be admitted freemen, and admitted to be

freemen, &c.

Coventry.

21Geo.3.c.54. of all the freemen admitted at any council, to be held in the manner aforesaid, shall be made out in writing, and signed by the town-clerk, and be pasted or fixed upon the doors of all the churches in Coventry, within twenty-four hours after the holding of such council.

pasted on the church doors.

Councils not to

specified.

6. And be it further enacted, by the aube held during thority aforesaid, that no council shall be held for receiving claims of persons claiming to be admitted to the freedom of the said city after the day on which notice shall be given by the sheriff or sheriffs, according to the statute, of any election for a member or members to serve in parliament for the said city, till after the final close of every such election.

Electors to be sworn, if required.

The oath.

7. And be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid, that, at every election of members to serve in parliament for the said city, every person who shall come to poll at such election, shall, if required by any candidate at such election, or by any two or more persons having a right to vote at such elections, previous to his being permitted to poll, take the following oath, or, being one of the persons called Quakers shall solemnly affirm the effect thereof, (that is to say)

"You do swear, that your name is A. B. and "that you have been admitted to the freedom of "the city of Coventry, under indentures, or "deeds of apprenticeship, and that you have "served seven years apprenticeship to one and "the same trade in the said city, or the suburbs thereof; and that you are of the age of twenty"one years, or upwards; and have not been polled before at this election.

"So help you God."

Coventry.

Which oath, the returning officer or officers, 21Geo. 3. c. 5. or his deputy, is hereby impowered to admimister.

8. And be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid, that all persons who shall be guilty of wilful and corrupt perjury, in consequence of any oath which they shall have taken by the direction of this act, shall, on conviction thereof, incur and suffer the like pains and penalties to which any other person, convicted of wilful and corrupt perjury, is liable, by the laws and statutes of this realm.

Penalty on persons guilty

of perjury.

for admitting

sworn.

§ 9. And be it further enacted, by the autho- Penalty on rerity aforesaid, that if the returning officer or turning officer officers, at any election of a member or mem- persons to poll bers to serve in parliament for the said city, without being shall wilfully admit any person to poll at such election without his having first taken the above-mentioned oath, if required so to do, in manner aforesaid, the said returning officer or officers shall, for every such offence, forfeit and pay the sum of one hundred pounds to him, her, or them, who shall sue for the same.

council for

&c.

10. And be it further enacted, by the au- And on memthority aforesaid, that if the mayor, and the bers of the other members, composing any council to be refusing to adheld for the purpose of proclaiming the persons' mit electors, presenting accounts of their claim to the freedom of the said city, or for the purpose of admitting such persons to the freedom of the said city, shall refuse to proclaim, or to admit such person or persons as shall come and prove their titles according to the provisions of this act, they shall, for every such offence, forfeit and pay the sum of one hundred pounds.

21 Geo. 3.c. 54. Coventry.

Proviso.

Penalty on

town clerk for

making frau

&c.

§ 11. Provided always, thatif any doubts shall arise as to the legality of the titles so sworn to, it shall and may be lawful for the said council to hear witnesses, and admit evidence to disprove the same.

§ 12. And be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid, that if the town clerk shall dulent entries, neglect to make the proper entries, or shall make any false and fraudulent entries in the admission book, or if he shall neglect to make out and sign the lists of the freemen admitted, and cause them to be pasted or fixed on the doors of the churches in manner herein before directed, or if he shall make out, sign, or cause to be pasted or fixed on the doors of the churches as aforesaid, any false and fraudulent list, he shall, for every such offence, forfeit the sun of ten pounds.

To what free

men this act shall extend.

Electionbooth, where to be erected.

Penalties how

§ 13. Provided also, and it is hereby enacted and declared, that this act shall not extend, nor be construed to extend, to any freemen of the said city, but such as have a right to vote in the election of members to serve in parliament for the said city.

§14. And be it further enacted, that the returning officer or officers shall, at all future elections of citizens to serve in parliament for the said city, cause the booth for holding such election to be erected in the widest and the most convenient part of the open market-place called Cross-cheaping, not contiguous to any other building.

§ 15. And be it further enacted, by the auto be recover thority aforesaid, that all penalties laid or im

ed.