Anno quinto et sexto Eduardi Sexti Actes made in the session of this present parlament, holden vpo[n] prorogacion at Westminster, the. xxiii. daie of Ianuarie, in the fiueth yere of the reigne of our moste drad souereigne Lorde, Edward the. VI. by the grace of God, kyng of Englande, Fraunce, and Irelande, defendour of the faith, and of the Churche of Englande and Irelande, in yearth [sic] the supreme hed: and there continued and kept to the. xv. daie of Aprill, in the vi. yere of the reigne of our saied souereigne lorde, as foloweth

¶ The .iiii. Chapiter. ¶ An acte, against fightyng, and quarellyng, in Churches, and Churche yardes. (Book 4)

FOr asmuche as of late, diuerse and many outragi∣ous and barbarous behauors & actes, haue been vsed, and committed by diuerse vngodly, and irre∣ligious persons, by quarellyng, braulyng, fraiyng and fightyng, openly in Churches, and Churche yardes: therfore it is enacted by the kyng our so∣uereigne lorde, with the assent of the lordes spiri∣tual and temporal, & the commons in this present Parlament assembled, and by thaucthoritie of thesame, that if any per∣sone whatsoeuer, shall at any tyme after the first daie of Maie next cō∣myng,

by woordes onely, querell, chide, or brawle in any Churche, or Churche yarde, that then it shalbee lawfull vnto the Ordinarie of the place, where thesame offence shalbe doen, and proued by twoo lawfull witnesses, to suspende euery persone so offendyng. That is to saie, if he be a laye man, ab ingressu Ecclesiae, and if he be a clerke, from the mini∣stracion of his office, for so long tyme as thesaied Ordenarie shall by his discrecion thynke mete, and conuenient, accordyng to the faulte.

And further it is enacted, by the aucthoritie aforesaied, that if any persone, or persones, after thesaied first daie of Maie, shall smite, or lay any violent handes vpon any other, either in any Churche, or Churche yarde: That then, Ipso facto, euery persone so offendyng, shalbe demed excommunicate, and bee excluded from the felowship and company of Christes congregacion.

And also it is enacted by the aucthoritie aforesaied, that if any per∣sone, after thesaied first daie of Maie, shall maliciously strike any per∣sone, with any weapon, in any Churche, or Churche yarde, or after thesame firste daie of Maie, shall drawe any weapon, in any Chuche, or Churche yarde, to the entent to strike another with thesame weapon: That then euery persone so offendyng, and therof beyng conuicted by verdict of twelue menne, or by his awne confession, or by twoo lawfull witnesses, before the Iustices of Assise, Iustices of Dyer and determi∣ner, or Iustices of Peace, in their Sessions, by force of this Acte, shal∣be adiudged by thesame Iustices, before whom suche person, shalbe so conuicted, to haue one of his eares cutte of. And if the persone, or per∣sones, so offendyng, haue none eares, wherby thei should receiue suche punishment, as is afore declared: that then he, or thei, to be marked and burned in the cheke, with an hotte yron hauyng this letter. F. vhereby he, or thei, maie be knowen, and taken, for fraye makers and fighters, and besides that, euery suche persone, to be, and stande, Ipso facto, exco∣municated, as is aforesaied.