any vellum, &c. therewith;

any vellum, &c.

or secretly using any stamp, &c;

feited, or resembled, the Impression, or any part of the Impres sion of any such Stamp or Die as aforesaid, upon any Vellum, or stamping, &c. Parchment, or Paper; or shall stamp or mark, or cause or procure to be stamped or marked, any Vellum, Parchment, or Paper, with any such forged or counterfeited Stamp or Die, or part of any Stamp or Die as aforesaid, with intent to defraud his Majesty, his Heirs or Successors, of any of the Duties hereby or uttering, &c. granted, or any part thereof; or if any person shall utter, or with such forged sell, or expose to sale, any Vellum, Parchment, or Paper, stamps thereon; having thereupon the Impression of any such forged or counterfeited Stamp or Die, or part of any Stamp or Die, or any such forged, counterfeited, or resembled Impression, or part of Impression as aforesaid, knowing the same respectively to be forged, counterfeited, or resembled; or if any person shall privately and secretly use any Stamp or Die which shall have been so provided, made, or used as aforesaid, with intent to defraud his Majesty, his Heirs or Successors, of any of the said Duties, or any part thereof; or if any person shall fraudulently cut, tear, or get off, or cause or procure to be cut, torn, or got off, the Impression of any Stamp or Die which shall have been provided, made, or used in pursuance of this or any former Act, for expressing or denoting any Duty or Duties under the care and management of the Commissioners of Stamps, or any part of such Duty or Duties, from any Vellum, Parchment, or Paper whatsoever, with intent to use the same for or upon any other Vellum, Parchment, or Paper, or any Instrument or Writing charged or chargeable with any of the Duties hereby granted; then and in every such case, every person so offending, and every person knowingly and wilfully aiding, abetting, or assisting any person or persons so committing any such Offence as aforesaid, and being thereof lawfully convicted, shall be adjudged guilty of Felony, and shall suffer Death as a Felon, without Benefit of Clergy.

or cutting off, &c. any stamp

from any vellum, &c. with intent

to use the same

on other vellum,

&c.;

declared guilty of felony, without clergy.

Other Statutes making it a Capital Offence to forge, &c. Stamps, &c. used for denoting Stamp Duties, are 30 G. 2. c. 19. s. 27. 26 G. 3. c. 49. s. 24. 35 G. 3. c. 30. s. 4. 35 G. 3. c. 49. s. 31. 35 G. 3. c. 63. s. 23. 36 G. 3. c. 52. s. 40. 37 G. 3. c. 90. s. 5. 39 G. 3. c. 107. s. 25. 42 G. 3. c. 56. s. 20. 43 G. 3. c. 126. s. 11. c. 127. s. 8. 44 G. 3. c. 98. s. 9. 45 G. 3. c. 28. s. 8. and 48 G. 3. c. 149. s. 7.; but as the last enactment in the above Statute of 55 G. 3. c. 184. seems tó supersede (for it does not in words repeal) them, it has not been deemed necessary to insert them at length in this Collection.

$2.

&c. stamps, &c.

the duties on

without clergy.

The Statute 55 G. 3. c. 185. "for repealing the Stamp Office Duties on Advertisements, Almanacks, Newspapers, and Licences Persons forging, for keeping Stage Coaches, now payable in Great Britain, and used for denoting for granting new Duties in lieu thereof;" enacts (s. 6.), that if advertisements, any person shall forge or counterfeit, or cause or procure to be &c. declared guilty of felony, forged or counterfeited, any Plate, Stamp, or Die, or any part of any Plate, Stamp, or Die, which shall have been provided, made, or used, in pursuance of this or any former Act, for expressing and denoting any of the Duties granted by this or any former Act on Almanacks, Newspapers, and Licences to keep Stage Coaches; or shall forge, counterfeit, or resemble, or cause or procure to be forged, counterfeited, or resembled, the Impression or any part of the Impression of any such Plate, Stamp, or Die, upon any Paper whatsoever; or shall stamp or mark, or cause or procure to be stamped or marked, any Paper whatsoever with any such forged or counterfeited Plate, Stamp, or Die as aforesaid, with intent to defraud his Majesty, his Heirs or Successors, of any of the Duties hereby granted on Almanacks, Newspapers, and Licences to keep Stage Coaches, or any part thereof; or if any person shall utter, or sell, or expose to sale, any Paper having thereupon the Impression of any such forged or counterfeited Plate, Stamp, or Die, or part of any Plate, Stamp, or Die, or any such forged, counterfeited, or resembled Impression, or part of Impression as aforesaid, knowing the same respectively to be forged, counterfeited, or resembled; or if any person shall privately and secretly use any Plate, Stamp, or Die which shall have been so provided, made, or used as aforesaid, with intent to defraud his Majesty, his Heirs or Successors; then every person so offending, and every person knowingly and wilfully aiding, abetting, or assisting any person or persons in committing any such offence as aforesaid, and being thereof lawfully convicted, shall be adjudged guilty of Felony, and shall suffer Death as a Felon, without benefit of Clergy.

wrappers, &c. of

The Statute 41 G. 3. U. K. c. 86. (1), for granting addi- $ 3. tional Stamp Duties on Cards and Dice, on Probates of Wills, Persons forging, on certain Indentures, Leases, Bonds, or other Deeds, and on cards or dice, or Ale Licences; enacts (s. 16.), that if any person shall counterfeit dice, ousted of er forge, or cause or procure to be counterfeited or forged, any clergy. Stamp directed or allowed to be used by this Act, or provided, made, or used for the purpose of denoting the Duties by this

(1) The words of the Statute 55 G. 3. c. 184. (see § 1. of this Division) do not appear to extend to the instruments mentioned in this Act.

$ 4.

Persons committing enumerated frauds on vellum, parchment, paper,

liable to stamp duties, shall be guilty of felony.

Act granted as aforesaid, or any of them, or shall counterfeit or resemble the Impression of the same, with an intent to defraud his Majesty, his Heirs or Successors, of any of the said Duties; or shall utter, vend, or sell any Vellum, Parchment, or Paper liable to any Stamp Duty by this Act imposed, with such counterfeit Mark or Stamp thereupon, knowing the same to be counterfeit, or shall privately use any Stamp directed or allowed to be used by this Act, with intent to defraud his Majesty of the said Duties, or shall counterfeit or forge, or cause to be counterfeited or forged, any Mark or Name provided by the said Commissioners under this Act, for the wrapping or inclosing any Dice, or making any part of, or being affixed to any such Wrapper; then every person so offending and being thereof lawfully convicted, shall be adjudged a Felon, and shall suffer Death as in cases of Felony, without benefit of Clergy.

The Statute 12 G. 3. c. 48. reciting, that "for the more effectual prevention of several frauds whereby his Majesty's Duties granted by several Acts of Parliament in that behalf, on Stamped Vellum, Parchment, and Paper, have been very much diminished, the penalties thereon prescribed being found insufficient to deter Offenders;" enacts, that if any person or persons, at any time after 1st August 1772, shall write or engross, or cause to be written or engrossed, either the whole or any part playing cards, &c. of any Writ, Mandate, Bond, Affidavit, or other Writing, matter or thing whatsoever, in respect whereof any Duty is or shall be payable by any Act or Acts made or to be made in that behalf, on the whole or any part of any piece of Vellum, Parchment, or Paper, whereon there shall have been before written any other Writ, Bond, Mandate, Affidavit, or other matter or thing in respect whereof any Duty was or shall be payable as aforesaid, before such Vellum, Parchment, or Paper shall have been again marked or stamped according to the said Acts; or shall fraudulently erase or scrape out, or cause to be erased or scraped out, the name or names of any person or persons, or any sum, date, or other thing written in such Writ, Mandate, Affidavit, Bond, or other Writing, matter or thing as aforesaid; or fraudulently cut, tear, or get off any mark or stamp in respect whereof or whereby any Duties are or shall be payable, or denoted to be paid or payable as aforesaid, from any piece of Vellum, Parchment, Paper, Playing Cards, outside paper of any parcel or pack of Playing Cards, or any part thereof, with intent to use such stamp or mark for any other writing, matter or thing, in respect whereof any such Duty is or shall be payable,

er denoted to be paid or payable as aforesaid; then, so often, and in every such case, every person so offending in any of the particulars before mentioned, and every person knowingly and wilfully aiding, abetting, or assisting any person or persons to commit any such offence or offences as aforesaid, shall be deemed and construed to be guilty of Felony, and being thereof convicted by due course of law, shall be transported to some of his Majesty's plantations beyond the Seas, for a term not exceeding Seven Years, according to the laws in force for the transportation of felons. And if any such person or persons, so convicted or transported, shall voluntarily escape or break prison, or return from transportation before the expiration of the time for which he, she, or they shall be so transported as aforesaid, such person or persons, being thereof lawfully convicted, shall suffer Death as a Felon, without benefit of Clergy, and shall be tried for such Felony in the County where he, she, or they shall be apprehended.

By s. 2. if any person or persons shall, after the said 1st August 1772, commit any of the offences aforesaid, and afterwards, being out of Prison, discover one or more persons who shall, since that time, have committed any of the Offences aforesaid, so as such person or persons discovered shall be convicted of such Offence or Offences, he, she, or they so discovering, shall have and be entitled to his Majesty's Pardon for all such Offences by him or her committed at any time or times before such discovery made.

By the Statute 54 G. 3. c. 133., "for making Allowances for spoiled Stamps on Policies on Insurance in Great Britain," it is enacted, that if any person shall forge or counterfeit, or cause or procure to be forged or counterfeited, or willingly aid or assist in the forging or counterfeiting of the Name or Handwriting of any Underwriter, on any Policy of Insurance, to any Declaration of any Return of the Premium on such Policy, or any part thereof, or shall fraudulently alter, or cause or procure to be altered, or aid or assist in altering any such Declaration, after the same shall have been signed by any Underwriter, or shall utter or make use of any such Declaration, knowing the same to have been fraudulently altered, or the Name or Handwriting of any Underwriter to have been forged or counterfeited thereon, for the purpose of obtaining any such Allowance as aforesaid, and with intent to defraud his Majesty, his Heirs or Successors; every person so offending shall, for the first Of

Offenders out of prison convicting

an accomplice shall be pardoned.

§ 5. Fersons forging,

&c. names of

underwriters to the declaration cies of Insurance,

on spoiled Poli

or uttering same, first offence

£500, second offence felony.

Penalty on per

any certificate or memorial of the registering of deeds, &c. in W. R. of York.

fence, forfeit the Sum of Five Hundred Pounds, to be paid to his Majesty, his Heirs or Successors, and to be recovered in the same manner as other Penalties imposed by any of the Laws now in force relating to Stamp Duties; and for the second and every other Offence, shall be adjudged guilty of Felony, and shall be transported for Seven Years to parts beyond the Seas.

VI. i. Forging, &c. Memorials (or Certificates thereof) of Deeds and Wills, and of Bargains and Sales, and of other Conveyances, &c. in Middlesex and Yorkshire.

By 2, 3 Ann. c. 4. entitled "An act for the publick registring sons forging, &c. of all Deeds, Conveyances, and Wills, of any Honors, Manors, Lands, Tenements or Hereditaments, within the West Riding of the County of York, after the 29th September 1704," it is directed that a Memorial of all such shall be registered in a certain manner at Wakefield, and that the Registrar shall indorse a Certificate of such registry on every such Deed, &c.; and by s. 19. it is enacted, that if any person or persons shall at any time forge or counterfeit any such Memorial or Certificate, and be thereof lawfully convicted, such person or persons shall incur and be liable to such pains and penalties as by 5 Eliz. c. 14. are imposed upon persons for forging or publishing of false Deeds, Charters, or Writings sealed, Court Rolls, or Wills, whereby the Freehold or Inheritance of any person or persons of, in, or to any Lands, Tenements or Hereditaments, shall or may be molested, troubled, or charged.

Penalty on persons forging, &c.

The Statute 5 Ann. c. 18. directs that all Bargains and Sales any entry of the of any Manors, Lands, Tenements, and Hereditaments, within acknowledgment the West Riding of the County of York, shall be registered at of any bargain and sale, or any Wakefield and indorsed by the Registrar; that the inrollment of memorial or cer- every such Deed shall be deemed a Memorial pursuant to tificate, &c. in W. R. of York; 2, 3 Ann. c. 4.; and by s. 4. no Judgment, Statute, or Recognizance shall bind any Manors, Lands, &c. but only from the time a Memorial thereof shall be registered in the office; then s. 8. subjects to the same punishment as the Statute 2, 3 Ann. c. 4. any person or persons who shall forge or counterfeit any Entry of the Acknowledgment of any Bargainer in any such Bargain and Sale as aforesaid, or any such Memorial, Certificate, or Indorsement, as are therein mentioned or directed, being thereof lawfully convicted.

extended to the North Riding,

The Statute 8 G. 2. c. 6. s. 31. extends the provisions of both Statutes to the North Riding of the same County.