La Narrativa de Henry Fielding y la Sociedad Inglesa del Siglo XVIII

Hundred
chargeable for
damage sustained
in maiming cattle,
&c
27 Eliz. c.13
Persons injured to
give notice within
two days after the
offence committed,
and to be examined
within four days
after notice,
touching –their
knowledge of the
offenders.
La Narrativa de Henry Fielding y la Sociedad Inglesa del Siglo XVIII
VII. And be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, That from and
after the first day of June one thousand seven hundred and twentythree,
the inhabitants of every hundred, within that part of the
kingdom of Great Britain called England, shall make full satisfactions
and amends to all and every the person and persons, their executors
and administrators, for the damages the shall have sustained or suffer
by the killing or maiming of any cattle, cutting down or destroying
any trees, or setting fire to any house, barn or
out-house, hovel, cock, mow or stack of corn, straw, hay or wood,
which shall be committed or done by any offender o offenders
against this act; and that every person and persons, who shall sustain
damages by any of the offences last mentioned, shall be and are
hereby enabled to sue for and recover such his or their damages, the
sum to be recovered not exceeding the sum of two hundred pounds,
against the inhabitants of the said hundred, who by this act shall be
made liable to answer all or any part thereof; and that if such person
or persons shall recover in such an action, and sue execution against
any of such inhabitants, all other inhabitants of the hundred, who by
this act shall be made liable to all or any part of the said damage, shall
be rateably and proportionally taxed, for and towards an equal
contribution for the relief of such inhabitant, against whom such
executions shall be had and levied; which tax shall b made , levied and
raised, by such ways and means that , and in such manner and form,
as is prescribed and mentioned for the levying and raising damages
recovered against inhabitants of hundreds in cases of robberies, in
and by act, intituled, .An Act for the following hue and cry, made in the
twenty-seventh year of the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
VIII. Provided nevertheless, That no person or persons shall be
enabled to recover any damages by virtue of this act, unless he or they
by themselves, or by their servants, within two days after such
damage or injury done him or them by any such offender or
offenders as aforesaid, shall give notice of such offence done and
committed unto some of the inhabitants of some town, village or
hamlet, near unto the place where any such fact shall be committed,
and shall within four days after such notice, give in his, her or their
examination upon oath, or the examination upon oath of his, her or
their servant or servants, that had the care of his or their houses, outhouses,
corn , hay, straw, or wood, before any justice of the peace of
the county, liberty or division, where such fact shall be committed,
inhabiting within the said hundred where the said fact shall happen to
be committed, or near unto the same, whether he or they do know
the person or persons that committed such fact, or any of them; and
if upon such examination it be confessed, that he or they do know the
person or persons that committed the said fact, or any of them, that
then he or they so confessing, shall be bound such offender or
offenders by indictment, or otherwise, according to the laws of this
realm. by recognizance to prosecute such offender or offenders by
indictment, or otherwise, according to the laws of this realm.
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