WHEREAS divers disordered people inhabiting amongst us, not regarding the good of this Universitie, and Town of Cambridge, do suffer their chanels, streets, and lanes, to lie unpaved, ungravelled, and uncleansed; and do lay their muck, mire, dung, dust, and other filth, in the open streets, or under Colledge-walls, Church-walls, or in other lanes within the Town; to the great annoyance, as well of the Students in the Colledges, as the Inhabitants of this Town, and danger of infection to both: For remedie whereof, there hath order heretofore been taken, by composition made between the Universitie and Town, yet remaining in full force; some particular branches whereof are here inserted: All which, we (whose names are here under written) do will and require all the Inhabitants within this Universitie and Town, whom it doth or may concern, strictly to observe and keep, upon pain herein limited, and further punishment, as shall be thought meet to be inflicted upon the breakers or contemners of so good and wholesome Orders.
FIRST, that every Inhabitant within this Town, and also every Colledge, Hall, and House of Scholars, and all Churchwardens of Churches within this Town, and suburbs thereof, and the Town by their severall ministers, do cause the streets, and chanels before their Houses, Colledges, and Colledge-walls, Churches, and Church-yards, Halls and Houses of Students, the Market places, and all other common places, streets, and chanels, within the Statute of paving, and gravelling, to be cleansed, and swept twice every week; that is, on Wednesdaies, and Saturdaies: And all the muck and filth thereof coming, to be conveied and carried to the common dung-hills of this Town, and to no other place; upon pain of xx pence of every default, to be levied of the Burser, or Steward of every Colledge, Hall, or House of Students; and every Churchwarden, or other Housholder for his, or their offence herein, by their competent Judge therein.
2 If any Inhabitant shall make a muck-hill, or lay, or suffer to be laid any filth in his own yard, that shall be annoyance or dangerous to his neighbour or neighbours (those so grieved complaining to their competent Judge) he, or they offending, shall presently remove the same by a day to be limited them by such their competent Judge, upon pain of x shillings for every default.
3 That no person or persons whatsoever shall lay, or suffer to be laid in any street or lane aforesaid, there to remain above six dayes, any timber, wood, blocks, or stone; upon pain of xx pence for every default after this present notice, and so from time to time upon every new warning.
4 If any house or ground stand vacant, then the owner or farmer thereof shall pave, or gravell, according to the Statute in that case provided; and further sweep and cleanse the street before it, and carrie away the dust, durt, and filth, upon pain above rehearsed.
5 That no Butcher, or other person kill or dresse any manner of beast in any part of this Town, except in the now common slaughterhouses, or other places hereafter assigned for that purpose; nor suffer any bloud of any manner of beast, to runne or come in any streets, lanes, or chanels in this Town; upon pain of x shillings for every default.
6 That all Butchers shall cause to be carried and conveied all the paunches, guts, filth, entralls, and bloud of all their beasts unto the usuall common place, called the Pudding-pits, and the valley beyond the Castle-hills, or such other convenient places, as shall be assigned for that purpose by the Vicechancellour and Maior, and no other; upon pain of x shillings for every offence.
7 That no Inhabitant of this Town shall keep or bring up, within their house or yard, any hog or hogs, pig or pigs, or any other kinde of swine, except he or they have a convenient yard to bring them up in; nor shall feed or serve any such swine whatsoever in the streets or lanes; upon pain of iii shillings iiii pence for every default: nor shall suffer any such hogs or swine, or any other cattell, to go at large within the streets, or precincts of any Colledge, Hall, or House of Students, Church-yards, lanes, or other common pastures of this Town, without a driver, and that onely to and from the fallow fields; upon pain to forfeit for every hog or pig or other cattell, that shall be taken at large within any of the said places without a driver, iiii pence.
8 If any such hogs or cattell as be mentioned in the next precedent article, shall break, or be taken away from the pounders, officers, ministers, or other persons, driving them to the pound, and runne into their masters houses, or yards; then the said pounders, officers, ministers, or drivers, shall demand of the owners of every such hog so taken at large, iiii pence: which if he refuse presently to pay to the foresaid pounders or drivers, then the said pounders, officers, or ministers, and other person, shall make complaint of the offenders or owners, to the competent Judge; who shall convent such owner of such hog or hogs before him, and there adjudge him to pay the foresaid summe of iiii pence, and such other charges, as by the said competent Judge shall be taxed; which if he refuse to do, then to commit him to ward, there to remain till he submit himself to such judgement.
9 That no person, owner or tenant, shall lay, or cause to be laid, any dead beast, or the garbage thereof, or any dog, hog, cat, rat, fowl, vermine, or fish, as carrion; or any dung, or filth, in any common street, lane, or Church-yard within this Town, or any other place, within the compasse of one quarter of a mile of the Town; upon pain of iii shillings iiii pence for every default.
10 That no such person in the next precedent article mentioned, suffer any dead carrion to lie in any lane or street, before his doore or ground, where he is charged to pave or gravell; but shall either bury it within his own ground three foot deep, or three foot deep within the ground where the common dung-hills be appointed, or other place further from the Town, within six houres after it is known to such persons as are charged with the said paving or gravelling; upon pain of iii shillings iiii pence for every default: or else shall within the said time detect unto his competent Judge herein the partie by whom that was there laid. But if the partie which did there lay it, or cause it there to be laid, be not known within the said time, yet afterwards is known, then the offender to forfeit, and pay unto him that is charged with such paving or gravelling, where such dead beast or carrion was laid, vi shillings viii pence.
11 That no person sweep into any chanel within this Town, any durt, dust, or other filth whatsoever; upon pain of iii shill. iiii pence.
12 That no person do by any means annoy the new current of water brought to this Town, or sweep into the same, or the chanels, or other passages where the said water doth runne, or hath his course, any durt, dust, muck, or other filth; nor cast therein, or into the common rivers any manner of dead beast, dogs, hogs, cats, rats, fowl, fish, vermine, or other carrion, or any garbage, durt, dust, or other rubbish whatsoever, or lay any such there; upon pain of vi shillings viii pence for every offence.
13 That no persons wash any bucks or clothes in any street, lanes, or common wharfs of this Town, except by the main rivers side, upon pain of iii shillings iiii pence for every buck of clothes so washed: nor shall hang any clothes to drie upon any lines or poles in any Church-yard, or streets within this Town: nor shall hang or lay any fish, skins, bedding, apparell, haires, or such other like things upon the walls of any Church, or Church-yard, payls, rayls of any bridge, or shambles, upon the like pain of vi shillings viii pence for every offence.
14 That every Inhabitant in this Town do every fourth night hang out candle and lanthorn before his doore, from five of the clock in the evening untill the bell hath done ringing eight: and for the more convenient ordering hereof, we will that they take due course with their next neighbours, that by turns every night every fourth house have a candle light the said houres, untill fourteen dayes after Candlemas next.
15 That no person burn in his house any shreds of cloth, or leather, or hoofs of beasts which shall be offensive to his neighbour; upon pain of iii shillings iiii pence.
16 That the Parents, Guardians, Governours, Masters, and Mistresses shall answer the penalties for the offences above specified, for their children, servants, wards, and others being commonly conversant or resident in his or their house or houses.
17 That all forfeits and penalties above mentioned, which are not by the foresaid composition otherwise applied, shall be distributed, and limited to such use and uses, as by the Vicechancellour and Maior of this Universitie and Town shall be appointed.
18 That all offences and offenders in the premises shall be punished before their severall competent Judges, and compelled to submit themselves to such censure, viz. if he or they be a Scholars servant, before the Vicechancellour; if a Burgesse or Farmer, before the Maior or his Deputie.
19 That this Order be not prejudiciall to either Bodie, in regard of any priviledge or libertie heretofore granted to them or either of them.
And for the Execution of the premises, we have nominated and appointed the persons here named in the severall Parishes of this Town to be Overseers and Informers against all offenders in any of the Premises: every of them to take their courses assigned to them, whom we will and require to make due enquirie within their severall Parishes, and to present unto us, our Deputies or Successours, every Munday in the forenoon, all persons offending against these Orders, or any part of them, at their utmost perill.
Given under our hands and seals, this of ANN. DOM. 163