That it shall and may be Lawful, to and for such Officer or Officers, his, or their Deputy or Deputies, Servant or Servants, to detain such Goods and Merchandizes, so to be weighed by them, or any of them, in his or their Hands or Custody, until the respective Duties for weighing thereof, of right due and accustomed, shall be paid or satisfied.

12. Provided, That nothing contained in this Act shall extend, to charge any Person or Persons whatsover, unless the Action thereupon to be brought, shall be commenced within the space of one Year next after the Offence abovesaid committed.
SADLER.

Note, These Laws have been allowed to be Good and Reasonable by the Court of King's Bench, in a Case there solemnly Argued between the Chamberlain of the City of London, and Barnadiston. See Sinderfield's and Keeble's Reports.

The Office and Duties of Tronage is one of the most ancient Franchise of the City of London. Henry III. grants to the said City, That no Merchant Stranger, or other, buy or sell any Wares which ought to be weighed or troned, but by our Beam, under Forfeiture of the said Wares; and it is accorded, the King shall have his Beam in one, two, three or four certain Places, if occasion be, within the said City; and that all Merchandizes which shall be sold by Weight, which are above 25lb. shall be weighed with the King's Weight, paying the Customs, &c. And if any be found to weigh Merchandizes of Weight beyond 25lb. otherwise than at the King's Beam, and shall be therefore attainted, his Merchandizes shall be forfeited to the King, in whosoever's Hands it shall be found, and the other Party shall be in grievous Mercy to the King; and that the Weigher shall be sworn to the King, lawfully to weigh between Buyer and Seller; and if the Weigher be attainted of Injustice, he shall be Imprisoned a Year and a Day, and lose his Office.

In the 22d Edward I. a Weigher of the King's Beam was admitted by the Court of Aldermen.

By an Act of Parliament in Richard the Second's Time, all these and many more Grants and Charters touching the Beam, were confirmed to the said City, as also by several subsequent Acts of Parliament: And in an Act made in the 22d Henry VIII. Cap. 8. it is Enacted and Ordained, That all Aliens made Denizens, shall pay to the said City all such Subsidies, Customs, Tolls, Duties and other Sums of Money, as they should or ought to have paid, before they were Denizens, any Grant or Grants to them made, or hereafter to be made, or any Act or Acts, Statute or Odinance to the contrary made or had notwithstanding. And the Officers or Ministers of the said City, are to set up in an open Place or Places, a Table or Tables of such Tolls and Duties as they claim.

Which Table of Rates for Tronage was then, and long before that time, as above.

And whereas Trade has been greatly increased since that time, the Government of the said City have thought it reasonable to reduce the ancient Rates for the accommodation and ease of Merchants, which is the only thing that is new in the Act of Common Council, lately made in the Mayoralty of Sir Francis Child.

This said Act of Common Council made in the Maioralty of Sir Francis Child, bore date November the 10th, in 10 W. III. Ann. 1698. Intituled, An Act for the better Regulation of the weighing of Goods and Merchandizes at the King's Beam. Which confirmed this Right of the City weighing Foreigners Goods to be sold, and the Penalties thereof in the Act aforesaid: And also appointed certain Rates and Duties to be paid to the Master-Weigher, or Supervisor of the said Common Beams, to the Use of the Maior, Commonalty and Citizens, or their Assigns; that is,

From all Goods and Merchandizes whatsoever, sold by Weight,

The Master-Weigher or Supervisor to be Authorized and Licensed by this Court, or a Committee thereof. Or that if any other keep or use any Beam or Beams for weighing of Goods, that Person for every such Offence to forfeit 4l. 19s. Yet this not to be construed or expounded to debar any Freeman from using his own Beam, in weighing of his own proper Goods, being not in Copartnership with a Foreigner.

That every Master-Weigher, or other Officer appointed by the Master-Weigher, shall once in three Months, carefully examine all Weights and Beams with the Standard kept for that Purpose; and shall constantly keep them true and agreeing with the same.

No Weigher or Supervisor, or other Officer hereafter to be appointed to attend the said Beam, to use the Art and Mystery of a Factor or Agent, for Buying or Selling any Goods, or employ himself as a Broker, to make any Bargain, Contract or Agreement between Merchant and Merchant, or Buyer and Seller.

One or more exact Registers to be kept by the Master-Weigher of all Goods and Merchandizes weighed, and of the true Weight thereof.

That every Master-Weigher shall set on Work and employ such Porters as are of the Fellowship of Ticket Porters. And they to submit to such Rates as this Court shall think fit and reasonable.

That they who have the Government of these Porters, provide competent Numbers of them, as may by turns attend at the Weigh-house every Morning upon the said Master-Weigher.

The Master-Weigher upon Request, for weighing any Draught of Goods (the Persons so requiring, undertaking to pay the Charge of carrying and re-carrying the Beams, Triangles, Weights and Scales) to apply himslef to the weighing thereof.

The Weigh-house situate in Litle Eastcheap in Billingsgate Ward, to be deemed the Common Office for Tronage and Weighing of all Goods and Merchandizes that shall be sold within the City and Liberties thereof: And to be the only Market for buying and selling of Hops.