# Poll Tax Act 1660, Section V: Commissioners may execute Act without further Commission.


Commissioners may divide themselves; and direct Precepts to Inhabitants, & c. to appear, and at such Appearance read the said Rates, and charge them how to make their Certificates, &c.; and after such Charge prefix another Day and Place for Appearance & bringing in Certificate Penalty 40s. ; Commissioners to make Precept to Collectors containing Names of Persons Presented in Certificate.; Commissioners suspecting Value of Estates; to set Rate Persons refusing to pay Rate; Officers may distrain.; If Rate not paid within Four Days, Distress appraised and sold for Payment of Rates, &c. Overplus paid to Owner of Goods. Officer charged only for his Portion; and to pay same to Commissioners; Commissioners to pay same to Sheriff; Sheriff to pay same to Treasurers.; Rates paid in current Money.
And Bee it further enacted and ordained that the severall Commissioners aforesaid shall have full power and authority by vertue of this Act without any further Commission to putt the effect of this Act in execution and in order thereunto shall in their respective Countyes Cittyes Burroughes Townes and Places meete together at the most usuall and common place of meeting within each of the said Countyes Cittyes Burroughs Townes and Places respectively within foure dayes after the proclayining of this Act, and the said Commissioners or soe many of them as shall be present at the said first generall meeting or the major part of them may by their consents and agreements sever themselves for the execution of this Act in Hundreds Rapes Wapentakes Wards Townes and other places within their limits in such manner & forme as to them shall seeme expedient and shall direct their severall or joynt precept or precepts to such Inhabitants High Constables Petty Constables Bailiffes and other like Officers and Ministers and such number of them and as in and by this Act is appointed, and at such their appearances the said Commissioners or soe many of them as shall be therunto appointed shall openly read or cause to be read unto them the said rates in this Act mentioned, and openly declare the effect of their charge unto them, and how and in what manner they ought and should make their certificats according to the rates and summes therof abovesaid, and of all manner of persons as well Aliens and Strangers Denizens or not Denizens inhabiting within this Realme as of such popish Recusants and other persons who be borne under the Kings obeysance chargeable by this Act and after such charge given shall at the discretion of the same Commissioners or any three of them prefix another day and place to the said persons to appeare before the said Commissioners and bring in their certificates under the penalty of forty shillings for every default, and therupon at the said day and place prefixed and limited the said Commissioners shall make their precept or precepts to such Officers or Collectors being able and sufficient men in every Hundred Wapentake towne or other place aforesaid as they the said Commissioners or any three or more of them shall thinke fitt, comprising and containing in them the names and surnames of all persons presented before them in the said Certificates, of whom or of any of them if the said Commissioners or any three of them in their severall limitts shall have certaine knowledge, or vehement suspect that he or she is of greater value then is upon such person or persons soe certified or specified, that then the said Co[m]missioners shall upon examination thereof by good and lawfull meanes without oath set such rate or rates upon every such person or persons as shall be according to the true intent and meaning of this Act, and if any person or persons shall refuse to pay the severall summes and proportions appointed by this Act for such person to pay upon demand made by the Constable or Officer of the said place according to the Estreats delivered to them by the said Commissioners, it shall be lawfull to and for such Constable or Officer for non payment thereof to destraine the person or persons soe refuseing by his and their Goods and chattels, and the distresse soe taken to keepe by the space of fower dayes at the costs and charges of the owner thereof, And if the said Owner doe not pay the said summe of money, due by this Act within the said foure dayes, then the said distresse to be apprised by three or two of the Inhabitants where such distresse is taken and then to be sould by the said Officer for the payment of the said money, and the overplus comeing by the said Sale (if any be) over and above the charged of takeing and keeping the said distresse to be immediately restored to the Owner their of, and the said Officers and other persons soe deputed to aske take gather and leavy the said summes shall answere and be charged for the portion onely to them assigned and limitted to be leavyed gathered and comprised in the said Writing and estreate soe to them as aforesaid delivered to the persons and uses in this Act expressed, and the said summe in that writing or estreat to be comprized to pay unto the said Commissioners, or any three of them with all speede and without delay at such day and place as by them shall be appointed, and the said Commissioners to whom the said summes or any of them shall be paid shall with all speede and without delay carry and pay the same unto the Sheriffe or Sheriffes of the said County or Citty respectively wherin the said summes shall or ought to be collected and paid, and every such Sheriffe respectively within the Kingdome of England, and Dominion of Wales shall with all speede and without delay pay or cause to be paid all and every the su[m]mes by him or them received to the Treasurers in this Act named, or any three of them, all and every which said summe and summes of money soe to be paid by force and vertue of this Act shall bee paid in currant money of England,

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/aep/Cha2/12/9/section/Vn2 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/poll-tax-act-1660/section-Vn2
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.