PROPOSALS For Making PROVISIONS for Setting the Poor on Work.  
SINCE it is manifest, That the Increase of the Poor is become a Burden to this Kingdom, and their lose and idle Lives do contribute to the Depravation of Manners, the principal Ground whereof proceeds from the Default of the Execution of the Laws: And that it is an indispensable Duty, That the Poor who are not able to help themselves, should be maintained; and such as are able and willing, be employed; and those that are obstinate and unwilling, be compelled to labour:  
For that end, It is Proposed,  
That after the 25th. day of March, 1701, there may be a Corporation, to continue for ever, in all Cities, Boroughs, Towns Corporate, and Market-Towns, (except London, and such other Cities and Towns whose Poor are already provided for by particular Acts of Parliament) consisting of the several Persons herein after mentioned, viz. in Cities and Towns Corporate, of the Mayor, aldermans, Bailiff, or other Chief Magistrate and Minister of each Parish, with such a particular Number of Guardians of the Poor as may be Elected out of such Inhabitants as contribute towards the Relief of the Poor. And in Boroughs and Market-Towns not Incorporated, of the Minister of each Parish, with a particular Number of Guardians to be ascertained by the said Inhabitants, at a General Meeting for that purpose, which may be called a General Court, and be Summoned by the Mayor, aldermans, Bailiff, or Chief Magistrate in Cities and Towns Corporate, and by the Minister, Churchwardens or Overseers of the Poor in Towns not Incorporated. And such Guardians may continue till others are Elected in their rooms, in such manner as is herein after mentioned. And in case of the Death of any such Guardian, the Mayor and Aldermen in Cities and Towns Corporate, and the Ministers, Churchwardens, or Overseers of the Poor, in Boroughs and Market-Towns not Incorporated, may call a Court, and choose another in the place of such Persons so dying; which several Persons before mentioned, together with such Charitable Persons as may be elected, may be Guardians of the Poor for such Places.  
And to the intent that the said Guardians may have perpetual Succession, It is further Proposed,  
That the Mayor, aldermans, Bailiff or Chief Magistrate in Cities and Towns Corporate, and the Minister, Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor in Towns not Incorporated, may at a certain Time, in the second Year, and so in every succeeding Year meet, and by the Votes of the Inhabitants so qualified as aforesaid, choose one third part of the number as they did at the first Election of the Inhabitants, to be Guardians of the Poor, the Vacancy to fall on a third part of the number of those that were first elected in the second and third Year, by Lot, to be cast amongst the said Guardians first elected; and for every Year after, a third part of the said number of Guardians to go out, and their Places to become vacant by Seniority and Priority of Election; none being intended to continue longer than three Years, unless again chosen by their own consents, except such other charitable Persons as may be constituted as herein after is appointed.  
That the said several Persons before mentioned, and those that hereafter may be chosen, may be one Body Politic and Corporate in Law, and be called by the Name of the Governor, Deputy-Governour, Assistants and Guardians of the Poor, and may Sue and be Sued by that Name; and without Licence in Mortmain, purchase or take any Lands of the Gift or Alienation of any Person whatsoever.  
And for the better Governing the said Corporations,  
That the Persons before mentioned may within fourteen Days after their Incorporation meet and choose a Governor, Deputy-Governour, and Treasurer, and as many Assistants as may be convenient, to continue for one Year, and no longer.  
That the said Governor, and in his default the Deputy-Governour, and in his default one third of the Assistants, may hold a Court of the said Corporations Monthly: And upon any Emergency signified to the said Governor by one third of the said Guardians, that an Extraordinary Court ought to be held, the said Governor, or in his default the Deputy, and in his default one third of the Assistants may call the same, and all Members to be obliged to attend, or a Fine be laid on them by the said Court (without some lawful Excuse for the same) who may have Power to summon any the Inhabitants before them in Matters relating to the said Corporation.  
That the said Corporation may have a common Seal, and make Bye-Laws for the better Governing and Employing their Poor, to continue for six Months only, unless confirmed by the Justices of Assize, or by the Justices of the Peace in their General Quarter Sessions, and may have Power to buy or erect Hospitals, Work-Houses, or Houses of Correction, and to provide Necessaries for setting the Poor to Work, and to compel all poor People seeking Relief, to inhabit in such Work-Houses, and take in Children of any Persons willing to put them in such Hospitals until their Age of Eighteen Years, and then to put them out Apprentices; and during their stay in the said Hospitals may cause them to be taught to Read, and be instructed in the Common Fundamental Principles of the Protestant Religion, by Law Established in this Kingdom.  
And further, That the said Courts may have Power to inflict reasonable Correction on such Persons as shall not conform to their Rules, or misbehave themselves in the said Hospitals or Work-houses.  
And for the carrying on so pious a Work, It is Proposed,  
That each Corporation shall ascertain what Sums of Money may be needful for the buying or building Hospitals, Work-houses, and Houses of Correction, and for a Stock for Employing the Poor, and to ascertain what Weekly, Monthly, or other Sums will be needful for maintaining and setting them to Work, the same to be raised in a proper and lawful manner, and by proper and lawful methods.  
That the said Corporation may have care of all the Poor within their respective Jurisdictions, (except such as are in Almshouses, and otherwise provided for) and maintain their Impotent Poor, and provide Work for those whose Charge of Children is too great to be maintained by their own and children's Labour, and to apprehend all Rogues and Vagrants, and cause them to be kept and set to Work, and examine and search what poor Persons are come into or residing within their respective Jurisdictions, and remove them to the place of their last legal settlement, if they think fit, and may put in execution all the Laws that relate to such Rogues and Vagabonds.  
That the said Governor, Deputy, and Treasurer of the said Corporations, may be Justices of the Peace as to the putting such Laws in execution, and be invested with such Powers as Justices of the Quorum have, by the said Statutes, within their respective Jurisdictions.  
That in all the said Cities and Towns, the Authorities of the Justices of the Peace for the Counties at large, as to the putting the said Laws in execution, be taken away, unless for Confirmation of their Bye-Laws, or upon application by way of Appeal (as before,) so as not to deprive the Mayor, and Chief Officer, in Cities or Towns Corporate, of any Jurisdiction which they before lawfully had within their Cities and Towns Corporate.  
That the said Corporations may not have any Power over Almshouses and Hospitals already erected, or other Charitable Gift already given, except for so much Charitable Gift as is appointed for the Use of the Poor; and that all such Gifts which have already and may be given after the erecting of these Corporations, for the Use of the Poor of any Parish or Precinct within the said Corporation, (except Almshouses or Hospitals already erected) may be received by that Corporation, to be erected, to which the said Parish or Precinct belongs, unless such Gift be limited to any other particular Use; and the said Guardians to have like Power of Letting and putting out any Money or Lands already given, after the Leases now in being expired, as they may have of any Lands or Moneys given for the Use of the Poor.  
And that for the Encouragement of such as may be Benefactors to so good a Design, It is Proposed,  
That if any Charitably disposed Person shall give the Sum of Fifty Pounds or more to any Corporation towards carrying on the said Work, the said Corporation may constitute such Persons to be Guardians of the Poor of the said Corporations, for Life, unless for just cause he shall be removed by any succeeding Court; which said Persons so chosen, to be called an Honorary Guardian, and not be obliged to attend the Business of the said Corporation, or its Courts, unless of his own free Will.  
And that the said Corporations, in their Courts, may have Power to choose and entertain all such Officers as may be needful to be employed in the Premises, and remove them as they see cause; and upon the death or remove of any of them, to choose others in their rooms, and to give such reasonable Allowances to them as they shall think fit to be paid out of the Poors Stock.  
That no Officer so chosen or employed, as aforesaid, be liable, by reason of his Office or Execution, to the Penalties mentioned in an Act of 25 Car. II. for preventing the Danger which may happen from Popish Recusants; and that every Guardian of the Poor, elected and constituted as aforesaid, may, in respect of his trouble, be excused from serving any Parish Office during such his Guardianship.  
That the Treasurer, and all other Officers for the time being, may from time to time, before such Persons as the said Corporation shall appoint, account for such Money, Stock, and other things belonging to the said Corporation, as shall come to their hands, or be under their care, upon reasonable Warning given; and on neglect, shall by the said Corporations be committed to Prison, without Bail, until they shall Account; and if upon Account there appear any thing to be in their hands belonging to the said Corporation, they pay and deliver, or give Security for the same, as the said Corporations shall direct and approve of, upon pain of forfeiting Double what is due from him.  
That all Pains and Penalties may be recovered in a lawful manner, for the Benefit of the Corporation.  
That after the said 25th. Day of March, 1701, it may be lawful for any County, Hundred, Town, Parish or Place (not being a Borough, Town Corporate, or Market-Town or Place united together with some Borough or Market-Town) to associate themselves to erect Hospitals, Houses of Correction, and Work-houses, for maintaining and employing the Poor belonging to such respective places; which being confirmed and recorded in their General Quarter-Sessions, may be a Corporation for such particular place, and consist of all the Justices of the Peace for the time being, within the County, Hundred, Town, Parishes or Places so United and Incorporated, together with the Ministers of each Parish, and such number of the Guardians of the Poor as may be elected out of the most substantial Inhabitants of every such place, by the Votes of such respective Inhabitants as contribute towards the Relief of the Poor, or the major part of them then present, such number of Guardians for each Parish to be settled in proportion to the Money it pays towards the Relief of the Poor, by the said Justices, in their said General Quarter-Sessions, and may be elected at a Meeting of the Inhabitants for that purpose in each Parish, such Meeting to be summoned by the Minister, Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor of each Parish, after Notice given from the General Quarter-Sessions: Which Guardians so chosen may continue in their Offices till others be elected by the Inhabitants of each Parish or Place respectively, in their rooms, according to the method before Proposed in Boroughs and Market-Towns not Incorporated: Which said Justices, Ministers, and other Charitable Persons may be Guardians of the Poor.  
And to the Intent the said Guardians may have perpetual Succession,  
That the Ministers, Churchwardens or Overseers of the Poor in each Parish or Place, in the second Year from the first Election, and so in every Year succeeding, may Meet, and by the Votes of the Inhabitants qualified as aforesaid, choose one third part of the Number they did choose at their first Election to be Guardians, who shall succeed the same Number first elected, the Vacancy to fall by Lot in all respects, and in the same manner as is before Proposed in the case of Cities and Market-Towns not Incorporated.  
That the said several Persons may be one Body Politic, and have a perpetual Succession, and be called by the Name of the Governor, Deputy-Governour, Assistants and Guardians of the Poor, and may Sue and be Sued in all Places of Judicature, and, without Licence, Purchase in Mortmain, and Grant and Demise, or do all such other things as in the Case of Cities, Towns Corporate, Boroughs and Market-Towns is limited and proposed to be done, and may have Power to appoint a Common Seal, and make and ordain By-Laws, erect Hospitals, Work-houses, and Houses of Correction, and provide Necessaries for setting the Poor to Work, and inflict reasonable Punishment for neglect of their Duty; to put forth Children Apprentices: And that the said Governor, Deputy-Governour and Treasurer may be Justices of the Peace, and of the Quorum, as to the Execution of their Laws and Statutes within their Limits, so as not to exclude the Authority of Justices of the Peace in the County at large: And all Charitable Persons that shall give Fifty Pounds towards the carrying on the said Work, to be elected an Honorary Guardian, as aforesaid.  
And that the said Corporation may choose all such other Officers, and make reasonable Allowances for them, to be paid in manner as aforesaid, who shall not be liable to the Penalties in the said Act of 25 Car. II. and the said Guardians to be exempted from all Parish Offices during such his Guardianship; and the Treasurer and all other Officers to Account before such Person, and in such manner as in the Case of Boroughs and Market-Towns not Incorporated.  
That any Borough or Market-Town not Incorporated, may associate together with one or more Boroughs, Market-Towns, Parishes or Places adjacent in the same County, by their mutual Consent; which being recorded by the Justices in their General Quarter-Sessions, to be declared Corporations for ever, and to be invested with all the Powers herein before mentioned in Case of Cities, Towns Corporate, Boroughs and Market-Towns not Incorporated.  
That these PROPOSALS are not intended to be Compulsory to any small Borough, Town Corporate, or Market-Town, the Poors Rates whereof have not in one of the three Years passed exceeded 150 l. a certain Summ. Which (notwithstanding) may be at liberty to Incorporate themselves as any other Town, Parish or Place in the County at large, not being a City, Town Corporate, or Market-Town, according to the several Appointments, Directions and Limitations before expressed.  
That all Mayors, Justices, Sheriffs, Bailiffs, Constables and other Officers of Justice be Aiding and Assisting to the said Corporations and to all Officers by them to be employed therein.  
In case any Persons can propose any better Expedient, or make any reasonable Additions, to, or Alterations of the said PROPOSALS, they are desired to impart the same to Mr. Jodrell, at his House in Chancery-lane, so that the same may be considered by such Persons as intent to put their Hands to this great Work, for the bringing the same to effect, if it may be; something of this nature in the City of Bristol, and other Places, having met with good Success.   

LONDON, Printed by J. LEAKE, in Jewin-Street, 1700.