Vagabonds Act 1547 facts for kids
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| Long title | An Act for the punishment of Vagabonds, and for the Relief of the poor and ... Persons. |
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| Statute book chapter | 1 Edw. 6. c. 3 |
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The Vagabonds Act 1547 (1 Edw. 6. c. 3), also known as the Vagrancy Act, was a statute passed in England by King Edward VI and his Lord Protector, Edward Seymour. It provided that vagabonds could be enslaved for two years and continued weekly parish collections for the poor. The enslaved vagabonds were to be fed bread and water or small drink and were allowed to be worked by beating, chaining, or other methods the master may choose. Vagabond slaves were allowed to be bought and sold just as other slaves. Also, should no private man want the vagabond slave, the slave was to be sent to their town of birth and be forced to work as a slave for that community. Vagabond children could be claimed as "apprentices" and be held as such until the age of 24 if a boy, or the age of 20 if a girl. Should they attempt to escape this apprenticeship, they were subject to enslavement for the remainder of the apprenticeship.
It was repealed in 1550 by an act which reinstated the Vagabonds Act 1530 (3 & 4 Edw. 6. c. 16).
See also
- Vagabonds Act
