WHereas many heinous Murders, Robberies on the high-way, and Burglaries, and other Breaking of Dwelling-Houses, have been committed, and many leud, disorderly and wicked Persons, who betake themselves to commit such Murders, Robberies and Bur­glaries, have been, and in time to come may be emboldened to the like Offences, by reason of the negligence of due keeping of Watch and Warding, and for want of that Pursuit which ought to be of Robbers on the High-way by Hue and Cry; and sometimes they are emboldened to commit such Rapines through the refusal of Persons to give that Aid they ought to do, in being Assistant to the Constables and other Publick Officers, in Following and Apprehending of Felons, and many times by reason of the Concealment of them and their Horses by Inn-keepers, Hostlers and others, where such Felons do set up and keep their Horses, to Ride out and com­mit such like Thefts, Burglaries and Robberies, and by the Connivance of Persons keeping Horses to Lett out to Hire, and also by other Persons who keep Lodgings where such Felons and Robbers do privately Harbour, and are Harboured by evil disposed Per­sons, and frequently by the private, unlawful and clandestine Practic [...] of Brokers and others who buy stoln Goods, and who have sufficient cause to suspect, but will not Apprehend the Felons, and who often upon Enquiry refuse to produce what Goods they Buy or take to Pawn, and by many the indirect Practices of such as Receive and Cenceal the said Felons and Robbers, and share with them their stoln Goods: And We being given to understand, that many of Our Loving Subjects Travelling on the High-ways and other Parts, upon their lawful Occasions, are daily Set upon, and put in fear and peril of losing of their Lives, and others Our Subjects are by frequent Bur­glaries, and Felonious Breaking of their Houses, much disquieted in their Dwellings and Habitations, and spoiled of their Goods: And being in particular In­formed, That John Smith alias Ely Smith, Charles Rawlinson alias Lloyd, Edward Poor, Anthony St. Leger, Jonathan Compton, Elias Carroll, Henry Howell, Charles Browne, Richard Awson alias Old Mobb, Thomas Randall, Thomas Walters, Nicholas Gradin, Anthony Dunn, Henry Vaughan alias Phillips, [...] Trelawney, and William Jennings, are Persons notoriously known to be such as do daily commit such Offences in despite and defiance of the Law, and are some or most of them Indicted or Accused upon Oath, and all of them are known to be of one Party and Knott, and commonly do keep Company the one with the other, and all of them fly from Iustice, although great Endeavour, Pains and Cost have been used for their Apprehension: And We being minded, and Graciously inclined to preserve Our Loving Sub­jects in their Lives and Estates, against such and all other like Rapine and Violence, have thought fit, by and with the Advice of Our Privy Council, to Issue this Our Royal Proclamation, and do hereby Command all Our Loving Subjects and Officers of Iustice, that they do use all their best Endeavours for the Discovering and Apprehending, as well the Persons particularly before mentioned, as all such other Persons who have committed, or shall commit any of the Of­fences aforesaid, to the end they may be proceeded against according to Law for such their Offences.

And in Order thereto, We do hereby Declare Our Will and Pleasure to be, and do hereby Require and Command all and every Our Iustices of the Peace throughout this Our Realm of England, Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick upon Tweed, That upon Notice of this Our Royal Proclamation they do take Order and see that due Watch and Ward be constantly kept by Horse and Foot; And that after Notice to them given of any Murder, Robbery on the High-Way, or Burglary, and other Thefts committed, that they take Care that Hue and Cry be made after Robbers, and other pursuit made and raised, and Felons pursued with the utmost Diligence that the Law requireth for the Apprehending of the Offenders. And We do hereby strictly Charge and Command, That all Vintuers, Keépers of common Ordinaries, Gaming-Houses, Inn-keépers, House-keepers, and Persons keéping Lodgings, Chamberlains, and Keepers of Common Hostleries, Goldsmiths, and Workers in Gold and Silver, Brokers, and Common Buyers, and Takers to Pawn of Goods, and all other Persons whatsoever where any such Robber on the High-Way, Burglarer, Breaker of Houses or Murderer shall resort unto, come, or be, or such Person as they have cause to suspect to be Robbers on the High-Way, Burglarers, or to have committed any Murder, that they immediately stop them with their Goods sus­pected to be stoln, and cause the said Offenders to be Apprehended, and carry them before some of Our Iustices of the Peace to be Examined upon such Suspi­cions, and proceeded against according to Law. And they the said Goldsmiths, and Workers in Gold and Silver are hereby Required upon any Melted Silver in Ingot or otherwise to be brought unto them, to be well satisfied of the Persons who bring the same unto them, that such Silver is honestly come by, and who melted down the same, and why the same was so melted down, or to secure such Person so offering the same to Sell, and to cause them to be brought [Page]before some Iustice of Peace, that the same Suspicion may be further enquired after, as they the said Goldsmiths, and Workers in Gold and Silver will an­swer their Negligence therein at their Peril. And for the Suppression of High-way Robbers, Burglarers, Breakers of Houses, and Murderers; and for the Encouragement of all such Persons as have Discovered and Apprehended, and hall from henceforth Discover and Apprehend, and cause to be brought into Cu­stody, Prosecuted and Convicted any Person or Persons who already have, or hereafter shall commit any Murder, Robbery, Burglary or Breaking any Dwel­ling-House in the day time, and commit any Murder or Rapine therein, We are graciously pleased, and do hereby Declare, That such Person or Persons who already have or hereafter at any time, until Our Pleasure be known to the contrary, shall Discover, Apprehend, and cause to be brought into Custody, Prose­cuted and Convicted the Persons particularly before mentioned, or any one or more of them, or any other Person or Persons who already have committed, or hereafter shall commit any Murder, Robbery on or near the High-Way, or Burglary, or Break any Dwelling-House or Houses in the Day-time, and commit any Murder, or Felonious Rapine therein, for which by the Laws of this Our Kingdom they ought to Receive Iudgment of Death, shall for every of the Per­sons before herein particularly mentioned, have and receive the Reward of Twenty Pounds; and for every other Offender so Discovered, Apprehended and Convicted the Reward of Ten Pounds of lawful Money of England within Fifteen Days after Conviction of such Offender or Offenders. And all and every Sheriff and Sheriffs of the respective Counties where such Conviction shall be had, are hereby Required upon the Certificate of the Iudge, or Two or more of the Iustices before whom such Person or Persons shall be Convicted, to Pay unto the Person and Persons who Discover, Apprehend, and cause to be brought into Custody, Prosecuted, and Convicted, or upon whose Discovery and Apprehension the Offenders herein before particularly Named, or any other Offender or Offenders shall be Convicted, the Reward of Twenty Pounds for each of the said Persons before particularly Named; and the Reward of Ten Pounds for every other like Offender so Apprehended and Convicted, out of the Publick Moneys received by him in that County where such Conviction shall be had, without any Demand or Defalcation of any part of the said Reward, upon any pretence of charge for passing such Sheriffs Accompt for the same in Our Exchequer, or otherwise, or other matter whatsoever, and for Allowance whereof this Our Proclamation shall be a Discharge to such Sheriff for such Money by any She­riff paid (The said Sheriff or Sheriffs producing a Receipt of Payment according to the Tenor of the Certificate of the Iudge or Iustices certifying for Pay­ment of the said Rewards, which shall be Allowed unto such Sheriffs, paying the same without Feé or other Demand.) And to that purpose We do hereby Direct, and give in Command to Our Vnder-Treasurer and Chancellor of Our Exchequer, and Barons of the said Court of Exchequer, and all other Our Officers of Our said Court of Exchequer, and to every of them, to Allow unto every Sheriff and Sheriffs so from time to time paying the said Rewards, such Moneys as he or they shall actually pay upon such Certificate for the Reward as aforesaid, without any Charge unto, or Feé, or Money to be Demanded of such Sheriff for passing such part of his said Accompt in Discharge from Vs of so much Money by him so paid, or to be paid, or for Allowance to be made un­to such Sheriff, for Re-imbursing him or them any Money so from time to time paid and to be paid in Obedience to this Our Proclamation for the Purposes above mentioned.

And for the more effectual Execution of the Laws against such Offenders, and for the Preservation of Our Peace, and the Preventing for the future of Robbe­ries and Violences to Our said Loving Subjects, We do hereby strictly Charge and Command all and every of Our Iustices of the Peace, that they do forthwith meet, and in their several Districts assemble themselves together, and cause publick Notice to be given of this Our Proclamation, and Intentions and Pleasure for the Apprehending of Offenders, and Punishment of them above mentioned, to all Inn-keepers, Hostlers, and such as Lett Horses to Hire; And to all Bro­kers, and such as Buy, or take to Pawn any Goods, that if any of them do furnish any Person who shall commit any the Offences aforesaid, with Horses, or shall in any manner receive, comfort, harbour, maintain, countenance or conceal any such or other Felons that they shall be proceeded against, and punished according to the severity of Law. And for the furthering of the good Purposes We desire to be effected by this Our Royal Proclamation, We strictly hereby Charge and Command Our said Iustices of the Peace, and they are hereby Enjoyned to meet once in every Month in their several Divisions of their Counties and Places, and to Enquire after, and to take an Account of the Constables, of the Defaults of Watch, Warding, and of the Defaults of Hue and Cry and Pursuit of Fe­lons, and to take care that all Persons and Places making Default herein, be Presented and Prosecuted to Conviction for such their Defaults; And also the said Iustices are to Enquire after the Defaults of the Constables, Headboroughs, and other Officers of Iustice, to see that they do their respective Duties as they are of Office to perform, in discovery of all Persons committing any Murbers, Robberies and Burglaries, and other Felonies, and to Present their Default at every next Quarter Sessions of the Peace, and to see them Prosecuted for the same. And also Our said Iustices are Monthly to take an Accompt from the said Constables, of all Inn-keepers, Hostlers, and Keepers of Horses at Livery, and of such as keep and Lett out Horses to Hire, and of Persons either publickly or pri­vately driving the Trade of Pawn-Brokers, and common Buyers of Goods, and of their Demeanour in their said Employments; And also what suspected Per­sons there are, and where and by whom they are Lodged, Harboured or Resort unto in their Constableries, to the end the Offenders and their Harbourers, Aiders and Countenancers may be proceeded against according to Law. And to that end the said Iustices of the Peace are hereby Required to cause the Constables to make frequent Searches after all Persons suspected to be of evil Life, and guilty of any of the said heinous Offences, their Abettors and Harbourers, to the end Our said Iustices may proceed against them for the Preservation of Our Peace, as there shall be occasion: And Our said Iustices of the Peace, and every of them, Committing any Person brought before them, for any Robbery on the High-Way, Burglary, or Breaking and Robbing of any Dwelling-House in the Day-time, are hereby Required and Enjoyned, that with all convenient speed they be transmit a Copy of such Persons Commitment to some of Our Iudges of Our Court of Kings-Bench, with such Description as they can give of such Person Charged with, or suspected to have committed any Robberies, Burglaries or House­breakings, as above mentioned, and of their Horses, and with a Particular of what Goods are taken with such Offender, to the end Our said Iudges may give further Direction for Prosecuting and Trial, or for Charging them in Custody with any other Robberies and Burglaries which such Offenders have committed, as shall be requisite, so as they may in no wise escape from Iustice, [...]ut receive a just Punishment for their Misdoings. And Lastly, We do hereby Charge and Command all Lieutenants, Deputy Lieutenants, Iustices of Peace, Mayors, Sheriffs, Bailiffs and other Officers and Persons whatsoever, to take notice of this Our Royal Proclamation, and to give due Obedience thereunto, in being Aiding, and giving Assistance in all things tending to the Execution hereof according to the Laws and Statutes of this Kingdom, as they tender Our Pleaure, and upon Pain of being proceeded against as Contemners of Our Royal Au­thority, in a Matter of so great Concern to the Publick, according to the strict Rites of Iustice.

Given at Our Court at Whitehall the Thirtieth Day of October, 1690. In the Second Year of Our Reign.

God save King William and Queen Mary.