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shillings and fourpence rent, and above three shillings and fourpence rent, twopence and no more.

No coroner shall fight or take quarrel in hand, nor be advocate in any place during his office, but in the lord's causes

*

It is ordered that the ancient law for continuing coroners in office but one year, be revived †.

Costs.

WITNESSES shall have costs allowed them, (save in the lord's causes) in manner following:-Every person-of the degree of a gentleman or gentlewoman, that shall be charged as a witness before any court, magistrate, or minister of justice, shall, upon his or her appearance, be allowed sixpence for every parish through which he or she shall be obliged to travel, so as that the same do not exceed two shillings and sixpence in the whole. Every person of the degree of a tradesman, shall, upon appearance as aforesaid, be allowed for loss of time eightpence, besides twopence for every parish he shall be obliged to go through, so as that the whole does not exceed one shilling and sixpence; and every woman in the same degree to be allowed twopence a parish as aforesaid. Every labouring man shall be allowed fourpence for loss of time, and a penny a parish; and every woman in the same degree twopence a parish. Degrees or denominations of the witnesses to be regulated at the discretion of the court before whom the cause depends, and the charges to be paid by the person at whose suit they are charged, by immediate execution from the said court by way of pawn, according to the due course of law, or by order of commitment, where the nature of the process by the A. T. 1629.

* A. T. 1442. "

rules of the court doth so require it. And whenever a defendant shall be cast in a cause, it shall be lawful for the court to award execution to the plaintiff against the defender for the witnesses charges aforesaid, as well as for the fees of tokens and presentments, along with the subject-matter in litigation, or otherwise, as the case may require. Or if the defendant shall incur a presentment for not appearing, it shall subject him to the plaintiff for the witnesses charges thereby occasioned. And if any default shall fall out by the non-appearance of a juror or witness, whereby the cause cannot that day proceed to a determination, then such juror or witness, unless some lawful cause be shewn to stop a presentment against him, shall be obliged by the like immediate execution, to pay the parties jury, inquest, and other witnesses, all their charges occasioned by such contempt, to be regulated as in the case of witnesses, at the discretion of the magistrate, in manner aforesaid. And if a plaintiff shall charge a defendant, juror, or witness, before any court, and not appear to prosecute, it shall be lawful for such court, upon the production of a certificate of the charge, (which the officer concerned shall give any person on paying the fee of twopence,) to grant immediate execution to such defendant, juror, or witness, to levy their costs of the plaintiff in the same proportion and degrees aforesaid, together with the said fee of twopence *.

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It shall be lawful for the governor, upon any where he shall judicially preside, and for all other courts, as well spiritual as temporal, upon the full hearing of any cause, to award such costs, charges, da mages, and expences, to any injured party, whether plaintiff or defendant, against such other party as shall appear upon such hearing, to have brought a vexatious suit, or litigiously defended the same, as such court shall think proper; and to grant immediate execution to any

*A. T. 1753

party, juror, witness, or other person injured, to be le vied in as full and ample a manner as any other decree, order, judgment, or execution. Provided that any person conceiving himself aggrieved by any of the inferior courts, in awarding extravagant damages and costs, may, upon application to the governor, have the same further heard, and considered of in chancery, where it may be mitigated and rectified, or enforced as to the governor shall seem reasonable: which is to be final in the premises, without further relief by appeal or otherwise *.

Council.

WHOSOEVER is sworn, and after telleth the lord's council, or his own, he forfeiteth three pounds to the lord t.

Courts.

THE lord, or his lieutenant, may hold a court wheresoever pleaseth them, and do execution as oft and where pleaseth him, within the land of Man, except in passion week, at which time, execution of life and limb ought not to be done. But as for courts of challenge, all times in the year, and execution to be done.

No court, judge, or magistrate, shall impose any fine or punishment upon any person on account of any criminal cause, until he be first convicted by the ver dict or presentment of four, six, or more men, as the case shall require, upon some statute-law in force; nor shall imprison any person arbitrarily, before a proper + Ord. 1422.

* A. T. 1758.

complaint is made and lodged, and an affidavit made to the truth thereof.

Courts of justice, or magistrates doing the duty of their offices, shall have and continue the power of committing and fining any person for contemptuous behaviour, insulting or abusing them, or any of them, in the execution of their duty, according to the nature of the offence *.

Tynwald Court.

No Tynwald shall be holden on the Lord's day; but as often as the feast of St John the Baptist shall fall upon the Sabbath, the Tynwald and the fair to be the day following.

Court of Common Law, or Sheading Court.

THE Coroner of Glanfaba is to open the court of common law with this proclamation: "I do fence this court that no manner of person do quarrel nor brawl, nor molest the audience, and that they do answer when they are called, by licence of the king and this court. I draw witness to the whole audience that the court is fenced."

Then to call in four honest men of every parish to serve upon the great inquest, to present all trespasses that shall be done within the half year, as follows: and their charge is to be given to them, viz. To present any who have abjured the land, and be received again into the same without the lord's especial pardon and licence.

* A. T. 1736.

To present all petty officers; that is to say, the coroner, lockman, moar, and his runners, the water bailiff and his deputy, and the forest keeper and his deputy, if they do not the duty of their offices according to law; and also all petty craftsmen, viz. shoemakers, cobblers, tailors, websters, women-weavers, and smiths, who do not execute their occupations justly, or do otherwise than the old laws of the land permit.

Also, all persons who go to the hough where hawks and herons do breed, and take away either old or young hawks or herons, or their eggs out of the nest; and all such as go by day or by night, with his bow and arrow to the lord's forest, or with his hounds or greyhounds, to kill the lord's game.

Also all persons, who shall set fire to any ling, turf, gorse, &c. within the lord's forest.

Also all persons who leave the fell ditch or lidgates open to the low lands, also such as take up the lord's wrecks or floats, further than the low water mark, till above full sea, without the coroner or lockman, with two witnesses, with them

Also all persons that receive a common thief.

And all persons that keep stoned horses not worth six shillings and eightpence, or scabbed horses or

mares.

Also all persons who neglect to keep their boundary fences in lawful repair; and parishioners neglecting to keep the pinfold in repair.

If any party to a suit in the court of common law, lives in Great Britain or Ireland, or wants proof from thence to be taken under a commission from the said court, he shall have time allowed for the same, not exceeding a year from the time that issue is joined, and a jury sworn upon the same: and if any such party lives in foreign countries, or wants proof from thence, he shall be allowed time at the court's discretion, not exceeding three years *.

* A. T. 1736.

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