Middlesex

At the General Quarter Session of the Peace of our Lord the
King holden in and for the County of Middlesex at the Guildhall in King
Street Westminster by adjournment on Thursday the sixteenth Day of October
in the seventeenth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George the Third
King of Great Britain Etc Before Sir John Hawkins< no role > Knight the
Reverend Sir George Booth< no role > Baronet Sir John Fielding< no role > Knight Thomas
Parker< no role > Esquire and others their Fellow Justices of our said Lord the
King assigned to keep the peace in the County aforesaid and also to hear and
determine divers Felonies Trespasses and other Misdemeanours committed in
the said County.

Whereas by Virtue of a late Act of Parliament made in the fourth Year of the Reign
of King Henry the Eighth untitled an Act made for Pewterers and true Weight and Beams
Power is given to his Majestys Justices of the Peace within every Shire at the General
Quarter Sessions holden at Michaelmas to assign and appoint two certain Persons having
experience therein to make search after Base or unlawful Pewter or Brass deawable or
false Beams and Weights of the Wares in the said Act in that respect specified occupied
by the Persons in the aforesaid Act in that Behalf mentioned and other Offences against the
said Act of Parliament in every Part of the Shire as well within Franchise as without saving
in Cities or Boroughs where Searchers be appointed by the Heads and Governours of the
same And Whereas of all such unlawfull Parker or Brass as the said Searcher shall find
the one half is to be to the Use of our Sovereign Lord the King and the other half to the said
Searchers by Virtue of the said Statute and whereas in Default of the Masters and Wardens
in the said Occupations notsearching in form as is aforesaid and whereby that any [..]
unlawfull Metal is cast or made or unlawful Weights used It is by the said Act enacted
that it shall be lawful for any Person or Persons having sufficient cunning and knowledge
in the said Occupations by overeight of the Mayors Bailiffs and Head Officers of the said
Cities and Boroughs to search all the said Places and to put the said Authority and
Act in Execution in form aforesaid And Whereas it appeareth unto this Court that
no Persons or Persons is or are at present appointed for the ensuing A fear for the
Purposes aforesaid in the County aforesaid and that by reasons of the Defect thereof
several Offences against the above in part recited Act may be undiscovered and unpunished
It is therefore ordered by this Court here that John Jones< no role > of Saint Catherines
in the said County of Middlesex Pewterer and John Townsend< no role > of Goodmans Fields
in the same County Pewterer (they having good experience therein) be and they
are hereby nominated and appointed Searchers of Base or unlawful Pewter and Brass
and of deceivable or false Beams and Weights of the Wares in the said Act [..] that respect specified occupied by the [..] the aforesaid Act
in that behalf mentioned in that this County by virtue and in pursuance of the said Act
with full Power and Authority to Act and do all and every other Matters and
things as such Searchers as by the said Act is directed authorized or required to be done
according to the true Intent and Meaning thereof

By the Court
Selby