❧ The several Rates and taxations for gospel-privileges, made and set forth by the Iustices of Peace, for the county of devon.  

HONI · SOIT · QVI · MAL · Y · PENSE   royal blazon or coat of arms  
WHere in the Parliament holden at Westminster the xii. day of january, in the fift year of the reign of our sovereign Lady the queens majesty, it was enacted by the queen our sovereign Lady, the Lords spiritual and temporal, and the commons in that Parliament assembled, that the Justices of the Peace of every Shire, Riding, & liberty, within the limits of their several commissions, or the more part of them, being resiant within the same, and the sheriff of the county, if he conveniently might, and every Maior, bailiff, or other head officer within any city or town corporate, wherein is any Justices of the Peace within the limits of the said city or town, should by force of the said Act, yearly after Easter at times convenient, appointed by the same, assemble themselves together, and calling before them such discreet and grave persons of the said County, city and town, as they should think meet, and conferring together, respecting the plenty or scarcity of the time and other circumstances necessary to be considered, should by virtue of the said Act, within the limits and precincts of their several commissions, limit, rate, and appoint the wages, as well of such and so many of the said Artificers, handicrafts men, husbandmen, or any other labourer, seruant, or workman, whose wages in times past hath been by any law of Statute ranted & appointed, as also the wages of all other labourers, artificers, workmen, or apprentices of husbandry, which haue not been ranted, as the same Justices, Maiors, or head officers within their several commissions or liberties, should think meet by their discretions to be ranted, limited, or appointed, and the same rates & taxations should certify unto the queens highnes Court of Chancery before a certain day limited in the said Act. whereupon it should be lawful for the Lord Chancellor, or Lord keeper of the great seal of England, for the time being, vpon declaration thereof to her Highnesse, her heires or successors, or to the Lords & others of her majesties privy Counsel, to cause Proclamations to be printed & sent down into every of the said shires and places, containing the several rates appointed by the said Justices & other head officers, commanding thereby in her Highnes name, all persons straitly to observe & keep the same, vpon the danger of the punishment and forfeitures limited & appoynted by the said Act and Statute.  
And where also it is further enacted by the authority aforesaid, that all maner of person and persons, after such Proclamation made, should observe and keep the said rates for wages, vpon pain of the forfeitures & penalties contained in the said statute, until by further order by Proclamation, according to the purport of the same statute, it should be otherwise ordered and proclaimed: Wherefore the queens majesty, having received into her said Court of Chancery, amongst diuers other Certificates, from sundry her Highnesse Shires, Cities and towns, one Certificate from the county of devon, containing the Rates for wages hereafter following, made and appointed by the Justices of the county of devon, according to the tenor of the same act: And minding to haue the same rates put in execution in all points, as by the process of the same Act is prescribed, like as her majesty hath and intendeth to do in all other her Highnesse Counties and Shires, and other places of liberty within this her realm: Therefore her Highnesse straightly chargeth and commandeth all maner person and persons within the county of devon, to keep and observe in all poyntes the said rates, taxations, orders and appointments for wages hereafter following and set forth vpon the pains and forfeitures appointed by the said statute, and vpon pain of her Highnesse displeasure.  
And further her Highnesse pleasure & express commaudement is, that all Justices of Peace, sheriffs, & other Officers of the said county of 〈◇〉 〈◇ ●●●… e the same rates duly and severely to bee observed and kept in all points: And this Proclamation to bee used in every behalf, according to the tenor and effect of the same Act. And her majesties further pleasure and commandement is, that if any question, scruple 〈◇〉 doubt, shall arise vpon any of the taxations or rates for the said county of devon, hereunder mentioned: That then the same shalbe resolved and determined by her Highnesse Justices of Peace, that did make and ordain the same taxations and rates: And that all persons shall perform and keep the same resolutions, orders, and determinations, so by them to be made and determined touching the same.  

The county of devon.  
¶ The Rates of wages of Artificers, Seruants, and Labourers, ranted by the Justices of Peace in the county of devon at the Castle of Exon, the xxix. day of April, in the xxxvii. year of the reign of our sovereign Lady queen Elizabeth, by force of a statute made for orders to be taken for Seruants, Artificers, Apprentices and Labourers in the fifth year of the reign of our said sovereign Lady queen Elizabeth, what wages Artificers and Labourers should take.  
INprimis no bailiff of Husbandry, chief hind, or Milner, shall take above liii. s. iiii. d. by year and his livery, or viii. s. iiii. d. for the same.  
Item, no common men seruants of husbandry above the age of xvi. or under twenty, shall take for his wages above xxx. s. by the year, and being above the age of twenty, shall take for his wages by the year above xl. s.  
Item, no women seruants under the age of fourteen, shall take any wages but meate drink and cloth, and above xiiii. until xviii. above xii. s. and her livery, or vi. s. for the same, and from xviii. not above xvi. s. viii. d. and her livery, or vi. s. viii. d. for the same.  
Item, no women labouring at Hay, shall take by the day above ii. d. and meat and drink, and without meate and drink vi. d. labouring in corn harvest, not above iii. d. by the day with meat and drink, or vii. d. without meat and drink, and at all other work, i. d. by the day and meate and drink, or v. d. without.  
Item, all Labourers in Husbandry at task work, as they can agree.  
Item, that all maner of Husbandry labourers, shall take from Alhollontide until Candlemas for their wages, but iii. d. a day with meate and drink, and vii. d. without meate and drink, and from Candlemas to Alhollontide being the residue of the year, not above iiii. d. a day without meate and drink, or viii. d. a day without meate and drink,( except mowing of corn and grass) for which they shall take by the day vi. d. and meate and drink, or xii. d. without meate and drink: and all labourers working by week or month, after the same rate.  
Item, a master Mason, a master Carpenter, a master joiner, a master Plumber, a master Hellier, a master plasterer, a master Thatcher, and every of them having seruants or apprentices according to the statute, and able to take charge of the work, shall take by the day with meat and drink not above vi. d. and without meate and drink not above xii. d.  
Item, that every other Mason, Carpenter, Plumber, Hellier, plasterer, tiler, Shingler, joiner, Cowper, and other labourers, being no masters, shall take by the day not above v. d. with meate and drink, and xi. d. without meate and drink, and every apprentice of the said artes, and boyes not above ii. d. by the day with meate and drink, and without meate and drink not above vi. d.  
Item, a pair of Sawyers to take by the day with meate and drink not above xii. d. and without meate and drink ii. s. for every hundreth foot of such as saw by task, as they can agree.   
God save the queen. August. 30. 1595.   

Imprinted at London by the Deputies of Christopher Barker, Printer to the queens most excellent majesty.