Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, The United Parishes of St. Margaret and St. John, Westminster]
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& due reformacon of the pmysses, yet that notwythstondyng the
sayde nombers of vacabundes & beggers be not sene in any
ptie to be mynysshed, but rather dayly augmentyd & increased
into greate routes & companyes as evydently & manyfestly
yt dothe & maye appere; Be it therefore enacted That
the Justices of the Peace of all & synguler the Shires of England
shall make dylgent serche & inquyre of all aged poore &
impotent psones which lyve or of necessyte be compelled to lyve
by Almes of the charyte of the people that be or shalbe herafter
abydyng wythyn evy Hundrede Rape Wapentake Citie Boroughe
Parysshe Libtie or Fraunches shall have power &
aucthoryte by theyre dyscrecions to enable to begge within suche
Hundrede &c. or other limytte as they shall apoynte &
to give in comaundement to evy such aged & ympotent begger
that none of them shall begge without the lymytte
And yf suche impotent p'son so authorysed to begge do begge
in any other place that then the Justice of Peace
Mayres Constables &c. shall by theyre dyscrescions punysshe all
suche p'sons by imprysonament in the Stockes by the space of ij
dayes & ij nyghtes, gyvyng them but onely breade & water.
And be yt farther enacted that yf any pson or psones byng
hole & myghtie in body & able to laboure be taken in
beggyng that than yt shalbe lefull to the Constables
to arest & them bryng to any of the Justice of Peace
[who] shall cause evy suche ydell pson so to hym
brought to be had to the next market Towne or other place
& there to be tyed to the end of a Carte naked and be beten wyth
Whyppes throughe oute the same Market Towne orther place
tyll his Body be blody by reason of suche whyppyng; and after
suche punysshement & whyppyng shalbe enjoyned upon
his otte to retourne forthwyth wythout delaye in the nexte &
streyght waye to the place where he was borne & there
put hym selfe to laboure lyke as a trewe man oweth to doo;
And be yt enacted that all other ydell psonnes goyng
aboute in any contreys or abydyng in any Cytie Boroughe or
Towne, some of them usyng dyvers and subtyle crafyte & unlawfull
games and playes & some of them feynyng themselves to
have knowledge in Physyke, Physnamye, Palmestrye or other
craftye scyence whereby they beare the people in hande, that they
can telle theire destenyes deceases & fortunes & suche other lyke
fantasticall ymagenacions to the great deceypte of the Kynge
Subjects, shall upon examyacion had before two Justices of Peace
yf he by provable Wytnes be founde giltie of any suche
deceytes be punysshed by whyppyng at two dayes together after
the maner before rehersed: And yf he eftsones offend in the
sayde Offence, or any lyke Offence then he to be scourged two
dayes and the thirde daye to be put upon the pyllory from ix of
the Clock tyll a xj before noon of the same daye, & to have one of