Courts of Pyepowder Act 1483
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | 1483 c. 6 |
(1 Ric. 3) C A P. VI.
'PRayen the Commons in this present Parliament assembled, That where in a Statute made in the SeventeenthYear of the Reign of King Edward the Fourth, it was ordained among other, That where divers Fairs have been holden and kept in divers Places within this Realm, some by Prescription allowed afore Justices in Eyre, and some by the Grant of your noble Progenitors and Predecessors, and to every of the same Fairs is of Right pertaining a Court of Pipowders, to minister therein due Justice in that Party; (2) in which Court it hath ever been accustomed, That every Person coming to such Fairs, should have lawful Remedy of all Manner Contracts, Trespasses, Covenants, Debts, and other Deeds made or done within any of the said Fairs during the Time of the said Fairs, within the Jurisdiction of the same, and to be tried by Merchants being at the same Fairs; (3) which Courts in these Days have been misused by Stewards, Bailiffs, Commissaries, and other Ministers, holding and ruling the said Courts of the said Fairs for their singular Profit, holding Plea by Plaints, as well Contracts, Debts, Trespasses, and other Deeds done and made out of the Time of the said Fairs or Fair, and Jurisdiction of the same, whereof it troth they have no Jurisdiction, surmising the Contracts, Debts, Trespasses, Covenants, or other Deeds to be done within the Time of the Fairs, and within the Jurisdiction of the same Fairs, where in Troth they were not so. (4) And sometime upon fained Plaints, by Imagination by evil disposed People, to trouble them to whom they owe evil Will, some to the Intent to make them to lose their Fair, and some to the Intent that they should have, for Lucre, favourable Inquests of Comers to the same Fairs where they take their Actions, (5) whereby much People coming to the said Fairs be grievously vexed and troubled by feigned Actions, and also by Actions of Debts, Trespasses, Deeds, and Contracts made and done out of the Time of the said Fairs, or Jurisdiction of the same, contrary to Equity, and good Conscience, whereby the Lords of the said Fairs lose great Profits by the not coming of divers Merchants to their Fairs, which for that...
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