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Item 33
App. IIA]
Distress for Rent Act 1737
[1987 Ed.
by him, her, or them respectively so fraudulently carried off or concealed as aforesaid; and, upon full proof of the offence, by order under their hands and seals, the said justices of peace may and shall adjudge the offender or offenders to pay double the value of the said goods and chattels to such landlord or landlords, his, her, or their bailiffs, servant, or agent, at such time as the said justices shall appoint;
E
7. Landlords may break open houses to seize goods fraudulently secured therein.---And ... where any goods or chattels fraudulently or clandestinely conveyed or carried away by any tenant or tenants, lessee or lessees, his, her, or their servant or servants, agent or agents, or other person or persons aiding or assisting therein, shall be put, placed, or kept in any house, barn, stable, out-house, yard, close, or place, locked up, fastened, or otherwise secured, so as to prevent such goods or chattels from being taken and seized as a distress for arrears of rent, it shall and may be lawful for the landlord or landlords, lessor or lessors, his, her, or their steward, bailiff, receiver, or other person or persons impowered, to take and seize, as a distress for rent, such goods and chattels (first calling to his, her, or their assistance the constable, headborough, borsholder, or other peace-officer of the hundred, borough, parish, district, or place where the same shall be suspected to be concealed, who are hereby required to aid and assist therein; and in case of a dwelling-house, oath being also first made before some justice of the peace of a reasonable ground to suspect that such goods or chattels are therein), in the daytime, to break open and enter into such house, barn, stable, out-house, yard, close, and place, and to take and seize such goods and chattels for the said arrears of rent, as he, she, or they might have done by virtue of this or any former Act if such goods and chattels had been put in any open field or place.
8. Landlords may distrain stock or cattle on the premises, for arrears of rent. And ... from and after the said twenty-fourth day of June, which shall be in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and thirty-eight, it shall and may be lawful to and for every lessor or landlord, lessors or landlords, or his, her, or their steward, bailiff, receiver, or other person or persons impowered by him, her, or them, to take and seize, as a distress for arrears of rent, any cattle or stock of their respective tenant or tenants feeding or depasturing upon any common, appendent or appurtenant, or any ways belonging to all or any part of the premises demised or holden; and also to take and seize all sorts of corn and grass, hops, roots, fruits, pulse, or other product whatsoever which shall be growing on any part of the estates so demised or holden, as a distress for arrears of rent; and the same to cut, gather, make, cure, carry, and lay up, when ripe, in the barns or other proper place on the premises so demised or holden; and in case there shall be no barn or proper place on the premises so demised or holden, then in any other barn or proper place which such lessor or landlord, lessors or landlords, shall hire or otherwise procure for that purpose, and as near as may be to the premises,
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