Browns case 3. Ro :
abr 139. p to. 3.

Reds in a Roam for the reception of persons who are accomodated
£2: or 3d: a night and no enquiry made into their honesty or
Character which cannot But be productive of all sorts of
Inconveniences to the parishes places where such [..]
is, and is highly necessary to be prevented, as well in respect
to the health of the people as for the security of their persons
and property, But when your Committee applyed Themselves
to consider of a Legal method for that purpose It did not
appear to them that the laws as they now Stand do supply
a direct remedy adequate to the Mischeif. For that the
persons under their consideration do not seem to be
Inmates within the description or meaning of the Statute
of 31st. of Elizabeth Chapr . 7th. which only prohibits more
familys than one under the name of Inmates to be in one
Cottage (when the Cottage is allowed by that Statute)
upon the penalty of 10s: a month to be forfeited By the owner
of the Cottage to the Lord of the leet where such Cottage is
And tho' it be true that Justices of the peace in their
Sessions have power by that statute To enquire of all
Offences against the same, and to award Execution for
Levying the forfeitures By fieri facias Capias or
otherwise as the cause shall require, Yet the Offenders
not being properly Cottagers or keeping Cottages or such
like houses for habitation only Erected upon the Wasts
of mannors But mostly keepers of publick houses or
proprietors of other dwelling houses Harbouring
single persons under pretence of Letting Lodging for
hire and not different poor Familys in the manner
intended By the said act of parliament altho, rather
with greater inconvenience to the publick than the
persons there described, seem not to be punishable by
Statute no more than they seem to be within the Rule
or Reason of the precedents where persons have been
Indicted for dividing messuages in Downs for the
habitation of poor people or Familys; which might be
dangerous in the time of the plagued and the precedents
of the like kind said in Browns case mentioned in the
margent to be frequent in London There being not usually
in the Cases under your Committees consideration any
dividing of messuages for such purpose into district