Just and legal exceptions against the late act : for preventing multiplicity of buildings erected within the suburbs of the city of London and ten miles thereof, since March 1620.
1657
Items
Details
Title
Just and legal exceptions against the late act : for preventing multiplicity of buildings erected within the suburbs of the city of London and ten miles thereof, since March 1620.
Created/published
[Place of publication not identified], [1657?]
Description
8 pages ; 18 cm
Note
From dealer's description: "4to., pp. 8, with a drop-head-title; woodcut head-piece and initial to p.1; side-note shaved on p.2, else a very good copy, disbound. Unrecorded. The 1657 Act for preventing the Multiplicity of Buildings, which ostensibly legislated against speculative building, was in fact designed less to limit construction than as a convenient way to deal with the Commonwealth's current financial crisis. Fines were hoped to bring in £400,000 (though they may have only realised a tenth of that) and the funds were ear-marked for such things as repaying a loan for pay for forces serving in Jamaica. The aristocratic Western suburbs were exempt, as were any sequestered properties recently bought from the government. Unsurprisingly both the exceptions and act itself elicited numerous objections. The present pamphlet lays out in 12 points that the aim of the act (to limit building) is in fact contrary to its actual intention (to raise money), that new buildings are not 'a great Annoyance and Nuzance to the Common-wealth', that previous legislation to the effect was specific to times of plague, and that it unfairly targets Westminster as the City of London is exempt. Another version of the work appeared under the title Just and legal exceptions against thelate Actetc. (Wing J1221, Senate House, Harvard and Yale only). The wording is different in several places (see for example point 10 here where it is stated that the Act has been 'made for the Protectors own advantage, and his Instruments', a phrase not found in the other printing). In addition the present edition closes (pp. 7-8) with five additional 'Grievances and Irregularities', which do not appear in the other printing: namely that the commissioners are responsible for computing the value of property, to their own obvious advantage (they took a percentage of the levy); that they 'imploy their own private informers' rather than existing officials; that they send soldiers to levy the fines, rather than appointed civil officers like bailiffs; that the fines are 'excessive and intollerable'; and that any imprisonments are illegal. In place of this fervent argument the other edition prints a topical but less contentious piece of Elizabeth legislation. Not in ESTC, COPAC or OCLC.See frontispiece illustration."
This is a PRELIMINARY RECORD. It may contain incorrect information. The "FAST ACC" number is a temporary call number. Please email catalog@folger.edu for assistance.
This is a PRELIMINARY RECORD. It may contain incorrect information. The "FAST ACC" number is a temporary call number. Please email catalog@folger.edu for assistance.
Item Details
Call number
FAST ACC 271393 (quarto)
Folger-specific note
Ordered from Bernard Quaritch Ltd., D 9223, 07-20-2018, Catalogue, English Books & Manuscripts Summer 2018. Purchase made possible by The Eric and Mary Weinmann Acquisitions Fund.
Folger accession
271393