1771: 11 George 3 c.55: An Act to incapacitate John Burnett, Charles Hannington, Thomas Haselgrove, Ralph Moor, Thomas Parsons, Thomas Snook junior, Thomas Hannington, John Hannington, John Robinson, William Cheeseman, George Browne, John Parsons, John Curl, Frederick Dean, William Dean, Samuel Tuppen, John Sawyers, Thomas Crowter, Thomas Pockney, Joseph Dedman, John Dean, John Whiting, William Stevens, John Bawcomb, Robert Parker, John Hogsflesh, John Purse, John Dean, Thomas Jennings, John Snook junior, Richard Tilstone, William Turner, Walter Sawyers, Charles Mitchell, John Jarmand, John Wood, Friend Daniel, William Gratwick, Nathaniel Hillman, Thomas Roberts, John Ashman, William Cooter, Thomas Frost, Michael Smith, Richard Carver, Michael Durrant, Emery Churcher, Walter Broad, Richard Stoneham, James Bennett, Clement Freeman, William Jupp, Thomas Crowter, John Barnard, James Mitchell, James Millar, otherwise Miller, William Newnham, Jeffery Carver, Randall Button, James Carver, John Martin, John Dedman senior, William Jennings, William Hards, Thomas Gear, William Rusbridge, Henry Robinson, and Henry Hannington, from voting at Elections of Members to serve in Parliament, and for the preventing Bribery and Corruption in the Election of Members to serve in Parliament for the Borough of New Shoreham, in the County of Sussex.

[Preamble.]

WHEREAS a wicked and corrupt Society, calling itself the Christian Society, hath for several Years subsisted in the Borough of New Shoreham, in the County of Sussex, and consisted of a great Majority of Persons having a Right to vote at Elections of Members to serve in Parliament for the said Borough: And whereas it appears that the chief End of the Institution of the said Society was for the Purpose of selling, from time to time, the Seat or Seats in Parliament for the said Borough: And whereas John Burnett, Charles Hannington, Thomas Haselgrove, Ralph Moor, Thomas Parsons, Thomas Snook junior, Thomas Hannington, John Hannington, John Robinson, William Cheeseman, George Browne, John Parsons, John Curl, Frederick Dean, William Dean, Samuel Tuppen, John Sawyers, Thomas Crowter, Thomas Pockney, Joseph Dedman, John Dean, John Whiting, William Stevens, John Bawcomb, Robert Parker, John Hogsflesh, John Purse, John Dean, Thomas Jennings, John Snook junior, Richard Tilstone, William Turner, Walter Sawyers, Charles Mitchell, John Jarmand, John Wood, Friend Daniel, William Gratwick, Nathaniel Hillman, Thomas Roberts, John Ashman, William Cooter, Thomas Frost, Michael Smith, Richard Carver, Michael Durrant, Emery Churcher, Walter Broad, Richard Stoneham, James Bennett, Clement Freeman, William Jupp, Thomas Crowter, John Barnard, James Mitchell, James Millar, otherwise Miller, William Newnham, Jeffery Carver, Randall Button, James Carver, John Martin, John Dedman senior, William Jennings, William Hards, Thomas Gear, William Rusbridge, Henry Robinson, and Henry Hannington, were Members of the said Society: In order therefore to prevent such unlawful Practices for the future, and that the said Borough from henceforth be duly represented in Parliament, be it enacted by the King’s most excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That the said John Burnett, Charles Hannington, Thomas Haselgrove, Ralph Moor, Thomas Parsons, Thomas Snook junior, Thomas Hannington, John Hannington, John Robinson, William Cheeseman, George Browne, John Parsons, John Curl, Frederick Dean, William Dean, Samuel Tuppen, John Sawyers, Thomas Crowter, Thomas Pockney, Joseph Dedman, John Dean, John Whiting, William Stevens, John Bawcomb, Robert Parker, John Hogsflesh, John Purse, John Dean, Thomas Jennings, John Snook junior, Richard Tilstone, William Turner, Walter Sawyers, Charles Mitchell, John Jarmand, John Wood, Friend Daniel, William Gratwick, Nathaniel Hillman, Thomas Roberts, John Ashman, William Cooter, Thomas Frost, Michael Smith, Richard Carver, Michael Durrant, Emery Churcher, Walter Broad, Richard Stoneham, James Bennett, Clement Freeman, William Jupp, Thomas Crowter, John Barnard, James Mitchell, James Millar, otherwise Miller, William Newnham, Jeffery Carver, Randall Button, James Carver, John Martin, John Dedman senior, William Jennings, William Hards, Thomas Gear, William Rusbridge, Henry Robinson, and Henry Hannington, shall be, and, by virtue of this Act, are from henceforth incapacitated and disabled from giving any Vote at any Election for the chusing a Member or Members to serve in Parliament.

[Freeholders above 21 Years of Age, of 40s. annually, intitled to vote.]

II. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That from henceforth it shall and may be lawful to and for every Freeholder, being above the Age of one and twenty Years, who shall have within the Rape of Bamber, in the said County of Sussex, a Freehold of the clear yearly Value of forty Shillings, to give his Vote at every Election of a Burgess or Burgesses to serve in Parliament for the said Borough of New Shoreham.

[Right of Election, in whom vested.]

III. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the Right of Election of a Member or Members to serve in Parliament for the said Borough of New Shoreham shall be, and is hereby declared to be, in such Freeholders as aforesaid, and in the Persons who, by the Custom and Usage of the said Borough, have, or shall hereafter have, a Right to vote at such Election, those whose Names are mentioned herein, and incapacitated and disabled by this Act, only excepted; and the Constable, or other proper Officer for the time being, to whom the Return of such Writ or Precept does belong, is hereby required to return the Person or Persons to serve in Parliament for the said Borough who shall have the major Number of Votes of such Freeholders and other Persons having a Right to vote at such Election (except such Persons as are herein before excepted); any Law or Usage to the contrary notwithstanding.

[Freeholders, before admitted to poll, to take the following]

IV. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That every such Freeholder, before he is admitted to poll at any Election for the said Borough, shall, if required by the Candidates, or any of them, or any other Person having a Right to vote at the said Election, first take the Oath (or being one of the People called Quakers, the solemn Affirmation) following; videlicet,

[Oath.]

”YOU shall swear, or, being a Quaker, solemnly affirm, That you are a Freeholder in the Rape of Bramber, in the County of Sussex, and have a Freehold Estate, consisting of ________ (specifying the Nature thereof, and if it consists in Messuages, Lands, or Tithes, in whose Occupation the same are; and if in Rent, the Names of the Owners or Possessors of the Tenements out of which such Rent is issuing, or of some of them), lying or being at ________ within the Rape of Bramber, in the County of Sussex, of the clear yearly Value of forty Shillings, over and above all Rents and Charges payable out of or in respect of the same; and that you have been in the actual Possession or Receipt of the Rents and Profits thereof for your own Use above twelve Calendar Months (or that the same came to you within the Time aforesaid by Descent, Marriage, Marriage-settlement, Devise, or Promotion to a Benefice in a Church, or by Promotion to an Office); and that such Freehold Estate has not been granted or made to you fraudulently, on Purpose to qualify you to give your Vote; and that the Place of your Abode is at ________ in ________ and that you are twenty-one Years of Age, as you believe; and that you have not been polled before at this Election.”

Which Oath, or solemn Affirmation, the Constable, or other proper Officer to whom the Return of any Writ or Precept for such Election shall belong, is hereby required to administer:

[Persons guilty of Perjury, &c. liable to the Penalties as directed by]

And in case any Freeholder or other Person taking the said Oath or Affirmation hereby appointed, shall thereby commit wilful Perjury, and be thereof convicted; or if any Person shall unlawfully and corruptly procure or suborn any Freeholder or other Person to take the said Oath or Affirmation, in order to be polled, whereby he shall commit such wilful Perjury, and shall be thereof convicted, he and they, for every such Offence respectively, shall incur such Penalties as are inflicted on Persons guilty of Perjury, or Subornation of Perjury, in and by two Acts of Parliament, one made in the fifth Year of the Reign of Queen Elizabeth,

[Act 5 Eliz.]

(intituled, An Act for punishing such Persons as shall procure or commit wilful Perjury, or suborn or procure any Person to commit any wilful or corrupt Perjury); and the other made in the second Year of his late Majesty’s Reign,

[and Act 2 Geo. II.]

(intituled An Act for the more effectual preventing and further Punishment of Forgery, Perjury, and Subornation of Perjury, and to make it Felony to steal Bonds, Notes, or other Securities for Payment of Money), contrary to the said Acts.

[Constable to back a Precept the Day of the Receipt thereof.]

V. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That such Constable, or other proper Officer, to whom any Writ or Precept shall be directed for making any Election for the said Borough, shall, upon the Reception of such Writ or Precept, indorse upon the Back thereof the Day of his Receipt thereof, in the Presence of the Party from whom he received such Precept; and shall forthwith cause public Notice to be given within the said Borough of New Shoreham, and at the Towns of Bramber and Steyning, in the said County of Sussex, by fixing up a Notice thereof in Writing on the Market-houses, or on the Doors of the Churches of the said Towns, of the Day of Election; and shall proceed to Election thereupon, within the Space of twelve Days, and not less than eight Days, next after his Receipt of the same Precept.

[The Act to be read publickly.]

VI. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That this Act shall be publickly read at every Election for the said Borough of New Shoreham, immediately after the Acts directed by any Act of Parliament to be read thereat, and before the Persons present shall proceed to make such Election.

Source: Ruffhead, The Statutes at large, volume 11.

Further reading: The History of Parliament has an account of the seat selling organized by the ‘Christian Society.’