Att Edinburgh The Twenty Third day of February J^aj vj^c nynty and nyne years

A1699/2/30

A1699/2/30¹

Proclamation

Proclamation Anent Excise after the first of March next 1699

Proclamation anent the Excyse after the first of march next Read and amended, and having gone to the vote It was approven and signed, and ordered to be Recorded. Whereof the tenor follows
William By the grace of God King of great Brittain France and Ireland defender of the faith To […] macers of our privy Councill, messengers att armes, our sheriffs in that pairt Conjunctly and severallie Specialy Constitute Greeting. Forasmuchas The Annexed Excise as Converted by the Twenty Eight act of the first Session of this Current parliament, from Two merks upon the Boll of malt, To ane Excyse of Three pennies upon the pint of all ale and bear, Brown to be vended and Sold with the Excyses of other Liquors mentioned in the said act. are now sett in Tack by the Lords of our Thesaury and Exchequer, To William Meinzies late Bailie of Edinburgh and Alexander Wood merchant there, for the space of five years, To Commence from the first of March next to come Inclusive And that the Lords of our privy Councill are authorized and Empowred To prescribe such methods and orders besides these mentioned in the acts of parliament, as they shall Judge necessary for the better uplifting and Inbringing of the saids Excises. Therfore and for determineing all differences that may arise betwixt the Brewers and the Tacksmen of the saids Excises, and their Sub-Tacks-men or Collectors during the space and years of the forsaid Tack, And for the due and timeous making of Entries of all Liquors Brown or Imported lyable to the said Excise. Wee with Advice of the Lords of our privy Councill, doe Require and Command the Commissioners of Supply of the several shires within this Kingdom, qualified according to Law, and Resideing within the Shire; And who by the said Act of parliament are appointed Commissioners of the saids Excise, To meet at the Head Burghs of the respective shires, upon the first Twesday of Aprile next to come and at their said meeting, to divide themselves as is prescribed to the said act, And to settle and Appoint places at Convenient Distances, where the publick Excise offices may be best Keeped, for the Brewers and Retailers to Enter and give up the quantities of Liquors Browen and Retailed by them lyable in payment of the saids Excises, And Appoints the saids Commissioners. Immediatly after designing places for the saids offices To cause make publict Intimation at all the Church Doors within the respective Shires, of the particular places designed by them for the severall Excyse offices, with Certification To the Saids Commissioners or any of them, resideing within the saids respective Shires, who shall failzie to meet the first Twesday of Aprile next to Come, And to appoint and design the particular places for Excise offices in manner above Exprest, Their names Shall be Returned by their Clerks, To the Lords of our privy Councill, to the Effect they may take such course therewith as they shall see cause. And Wee with Advice forsaid Require and Command the saids Commissioners To meet the first Twesday of Every moneth thereafter, during the Continuance of the forsaid Tack for the Ends prescribed and set down in the acts of parliament. And wee with Advice forsaid Require and Command The whole Brewers and Retailers within the Bounds alloted for the saids Excyse-officers, To attend the Commissioners thereat, upon the first Twesday of Aprile next without any farder charge Citation or Intimation to them for that Effect But allenarly upon the publication heirof. And There to give In and make, and the saids Commissioners To Receave from them ane True account of their names, place of Residence and the tyme when they did begin to Brew, what Ever the Quantitie may be, And Likeways full and faithfull Entries of all Liquors browen or Retailed be them, lyable in payment of the saids Excises, after the first day of March next to come Inclusive, Declareing heirby and Certifieing such Brewers and Retailer as shall not Compear, and attend the saids Commissioners the first Twesday of Every moneth, for giving up their names places of abode, and tyme when they did begin to Brew. And for making Entry of the precise quantities of all Liquors Browen and Retailed by them, lyable to Excise for the preceeding month, They shall be holden as Confest, and decreets given against them for the quantities Contained in the Claims and Complaints To be given in by the Tacksmen, or their Sub-Tacks-men or Collectors against them, provideing nevertheless, That if the saids Brewers or Retailers holden as Confest as said is, shall at any tyme within Three moneths therafter, Compear before any Two of the saids Commissioners, after having made due Intimation To the Tacksmen or their forsaids, and there make faith as above and Report a Certificat under the hands of the siads Commissioners. They shall be Reponed against the said Certification upon punctuall payment of what they shall be found due, And wee with advice forsaid appoint and ordain, That no Brewer or Retailer within burgh of Royality, Regality, or Barrony, vend or sell any pairt of their Broust, untill first they make Entry thereof, att the Excise offices there, if any be, and obtain a Sufferance for the quantities Browen or upon their hand, which the Keeper of the Excyse office is to give without delay, gratis. And That in caice of non-Entry or wrongous Entry, The Brewer or Retailer within Burgh be lyable in the soume of Ten pounds scots toties quoties, And to all Execution Competent for payment thereof. And it is heirby declared That the saids Entries or claims in absence, may nevertheless be disproven before any magistrat Justice of peace or Commissioner of Excise by witnesses or oath of pairty, notwithstanding of any Survey made by the Surveyors and waiters, provideing the same be done within Eight days thereafter. And That all Brewers Barrells be for hereafter marked with their own name and the seal of the next office, which shall be furnished to them gratis, As also That no person who hath foreborn to Brew for the space mentioned in the act, one Thousand Six Hundered and nynty Three, shall begin, unless they first gett Licence from the Tacks-men forsaid. And That no person presume to Resett any ale or drinking beer in their houses, In order to the Imbazleing the Excise thereof, under the pain of Ten pounds toties quoties To the forsaids tacks-men their sub-tacks-men, or Collectors. And farder That all Tapsters and venders of ale and drinking Bear, shall from the first day of march next Inclusive, before they Tap or vend the same first make Entry of what they have upon their hand, at the next Excise-office of the Bounds now in being, and at the same time take a Licence there, And in Regaird the Excyse of Strong waters Aquavity and Forraign Beer and ale is ordered by act of parliament to be payed by the Retailers. Therfore wee with Advice forsaid Require and Command all Brewers of Aquavity or Strong Waters, to make monethly Entries, of the quantities of Strong Liquors browen by them. And give in Subscrived Lists to the next Excyse-office of the names of the persons to whom they sell their Aquavity or Strong waters to be again Sold by Retail, As likeways That all Retailers of Brandy, Forraign Aquavity and Strong waters, make the Like Entries of what quantities of Brandy, Forraign aquavity and Strong waters they have upon their hand unretailed, the said first day of march To the Effect That they may be lyable for the Excise thereof at six shilling per pint As also That The collectors clerks or surveyers at sea-ports give up a particular account to the saids Tacksmen or their subtacksmen and collectors of the said Excuse, of the quantities of forraign Strong waters, Brandy and Forraign Beer and ale Imported from tyme to tyme, and who is the Importer, That the said Importer may pay the Excise of Brandy conform to the act of the […] Session of this current parliament, as also That The said merchant Importer, and all other persons Importing the said Forraign Aquavity and Strong waters, who pretend to sell the forsaid Liquors in hail sale, That is to say above a pint as the act of parliament hath determined, be lyable and oblidged to give and deliver subscrived Lists to the saids Tacksmen and their Subtacksmen or their Collectors of the persons names to whom they sell the saids strong waters or Forraign Beer or Ale, and of the quantities sold to them, To the Effect the Retailer may be Lyable for the Excyse thereof: And in caice the saids Commissioners or at Least Tuo of them shall fail to meet and attend the saids Respective Excise offices, upon the said first Twesday of Aprile next to Come, or upon the first Twesday of any subsequent moneth during the Continuance of the said Tack, The whole division and Each of them resideing within the said shire under the Certification forsaid, and after Instruments taken against them of their failzie; Wee with advice forsaid Require and Command The Sheriffs and their Deputs or such as the saids Sheriffs or Deputs, Shall Substitute to Each particular dyet for that Effect allenarly, To Repair to the saids respective offices within three days after they shall be desired, by the Tacks-men or their Sub-tacks-men or Collectors of the said Excises. There Summarly to Judge upon what occurrs within the Bounds of that office In Reference to the saids Excises. Certifieing The saids sheriffs and their Deputs or substituts if they failzie They shall be punished as the Lords of our privy Councill shall think fitt. And farder wee with Advice forsaid Prohibite and discharge any of the Commissioners of Supply or other Inferior Judge or officers of the Law, within this our Realm, To stop or hinder Either quartering, poynding, Imprisoning or any other Laufull Execution That shall be used by our Tacksmen, or Their sub-tacks-men and Collectors of the saids Excises against the respective Brewers and Retailers, Conform to the Entries That shall be made by them, or according to the quantity of the Liquor Retailed by them, or whereupon They shall be holden as Confest in manner, and before the Judges abovementioned, Except they Crave to be Reponed within Three moneths in manner above provided, under the pain of being not only lyable for the charges and damnages our Saids Tacksmen their sub-tacksmen and Collectors, shall sustain and Incurr therethrough, but also to such furder pains, as the Lords of our privy Councill Shall think fitt: And Lastly It is heirby declared That all the penalties toties quoties abovementioned are not to be understood for Every delinquency or fault, But allenarly For Every Conviction, and the Transgressions to be therein found. Our Will is Heirfore And wee charge yow Strictly and Command That Incontinent these our letters seen ye pass to the mercat Cross of Edinburgh and Remanent mercat Crosses of the whole head Burghs of the severall shires and stewartries within this Kingdom, And There In our name and authority By open proclamation make Intimation heirof, that none pretend Ignorance, And ordains printed Coppies heirof To be sent to the Sheriffs of the Several Shires and Stewarts of the Stewartries within this Kingdom whom and their Clerks we ordain To see the samen published and Coppies hereof affixed att the said mercat Crosses, And appoints them to send doubles thereof, To all the ministers both in churches and meeting houses within their respective Jurisdictions, That upon the Lords day Immediatly preceeding the said First Twesday of Aprile next, The same may be Read and Intimate in Every paroch-Church and meeting-house. And Coppies of the same affixed upon the most publick doors thereof And ordains the presents to be printed. Given under our Signet att Edinburgh The Twenty Third day of February and of our Reign the Tenth year 1699 sic subscribitur.