we will that the mayor of said town for the time being, shall be one,) from time to time, for ever, hereafter may have power yearly, upon every monday next following the feast of the nativity of St. John the Baptist, without any licence had or obtained from us, our heirs or successors, in that hehalf to elect, nominate, two of the most honest free burgesses of the foresaid town, to be sheriff's for the same town and county of the town of Knockfergus aforesaid, for one whole year from the feast of St. Michael the archangel inclusively. or ble and of power to hold their And that such persons thus elected and nominated before they or either of them be admitted to execute these offices of sheriffs, shall take their corporal oaths upon the feast day of St. Michael, arch-angel, next following the said nomination election, before the mayor and burgesses of the said town of Knock fergus aforesaid, for the time being, which then shall be present in the Tholsel or town-court of the same town, or in any other convenient place within the said town, and not elsewhere, rightly well and truly to execute the said office of sheriffs of the town and county of Knockfergus aforesaid, in all things touching the said offices, as also the foresaid commonalty, called the oath of supremacy; and that they, and every of them, after the taking of the aforesaid oaths, may be able and of power to execute the said office of sherifalty of the said town and county of Knockfergus, for one whole year from the feast of St. Michael, the arch-angel next following, and from thence until others be elected, and sworn to execute and exercise the said office. And that such sheriffs of the county of the town of Knockfergus aforesaid, and their successors which shall be from time to time, may hold and be a BELFAST MAG. NO. XXXU. Dd way go within the said town, borough, or county of the town of Knockfergus aforesaid, or within the metts. limits, bounds, permits, and franchises of the same or of any of them there to do, execute, and exercise any thing after any sort or manner, which to the office of a sheriff doth belong, or shall or may appertain. Neither yet shall they or either of them, after any sort, be suffered to put him or themselves within the same, our sheriffs of our county of Antrim for the time being, to keep and hold his county courts, turnes, and other courts at our castle of Knockfergus aforesaid, and for the sending, imprisoning, and keeping of prisoners and malefactors in and to the jail to be built within the same town for the county of Antrim aforesaid, in all things touching the same offices as in above said only excepted, and that our sheriffs and the sheirffs of our heirs and successors of our county of the town of Knockfergus aforesaid for the time being, and from time to time for ever may have and constitute, or may be able, and of power to have and constitute such officers, ministers, and servants, as also to have, enjoy, and exercise such and the like privileges and immunities within the said town and county of the town of Knockfergus aforesaid, as any other our sheriffs or the sheriff's of our beirs and successors within our said realm of Ireland, have, or ought to have, within their bailiwicks in any county or counties, within our said realm of IreJand for ever. And furthermore of our abundant special grace, we have given and granted, and by these presents, for us, our beirs and successors, we give and grant to the said sherifts, burgesses, and commonalty of the county of the town of Knockfergus, and to their suc cessors, or either of them that they and their successors for ever may have the full return of all and every our writs, warrants, attachments, mandates, and precepts of our heirs and successors, as also all manner of summons, attachments, and distringuasses of our exchequer, or the exchequer of our heirs and successors, and of all other escheats whatsoever, and of all precepts, mandates, warrants, summonses, attachments, and of all our order whatsoever, of the justices, commissioners, officers of us, and our heirs and successors whatsoever, and the execution of them within the town and the county of the town of Knockfergus aforesaid, or within the franchises and liberties of the same, or any of them as well to the suit of us, our heirs and successors by us, our heirs and successors alone, or by us, our heirs and successors jointly, with any other person or persons, as to the suit of any other person whatsoever, to be prosecuted or sent before us, our heirs and successors, or before any other justices or commissioners, or the justices or commissioners of our heirs and successors to be executed or returned, so that no other she. riffs, bailiffs, or rainisters of ours, or of our beirs and successors, af ter any manner, may go, come into the said town, or county of the said town or franchises or liberties of the same, to return or execute any such like writs, warrants, attachments, mandates, precepts, summonses, and distringuasses, within the town and county of the foresaid town and county of the foresaid town with the franchises and liberties of the same, or within the permits thereof. And we further will, and by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, grant that the mayor of Knockfergus aforesaid for the tinne being, and his successors, may T 1 au ors of the same town of Knockfergus aforesaid, for ever hereafter, shall be escheators, master of the saves and clerks of our markets, for us, our heirs and successors; and that every of them for the time being shall be escheators, masters of the says, and clerks of the markets, for us, our heirs, and successors, in the borough of the town and county of the town of Knockfergus aforesaid, and in the franchises and liberties of the same ; and that they may have, enjoy, use, and execute all and all manner of powers, thorities, jurisdictions, and pre-eminences within the said borough town and county of the town of Knockfergus aforesaid, and the franchises thereof, which to the several offices of escheator, master of the sayes, and clerk of the market, doth appertain or belong, or with any other escheator, master of the sayes, or clerk of the market, of ours, or of our heirs or successors, within our kingdom of Ireland, may, or ought to have, enjoy, use, or execute, by virtue of their said several offices in such sort, as no escheator, master of the says, clerk of the market, of ours, or our heirs or successors, be suffered to enter, or put themselves, or put himself, after any sort or manner, to execute their several offices, or any of them, in the said borough or town, or in the county of the town aforesaid, or in the franchises and liberties thereof, unless it be through the defect of the mayor or his successors in the premises, and we therefore will, and firmly command, and enjoin, that every such mayor of the said town of Knockfergus aforesaid, for the time being, immediately after - he hath taken upon him the office of mayor of the town aforesaid, shall take and receive before the constable of our said castle of Knockfer-gus for the time being, or in his absence, before the deputy-con + stable of our said castle of Knock. fergus, in the presence of the last mayor of the same town which was for the last year then past, respectively and as aforesaid all such and the like several oaths of the several offices of escheator, master of the sayes, and clerk of the market of ours, or our heirs and successors, with any other our escheators, master of the sayes, and clerk of the market, of ours, or our heirs and successors, or any of them in any other place within our realm of Ireland, do take or receive, or ought to take or receive; and we further will, and by these presents of our special grace, certain knowledge, and mere moeon. for us, our heits and successors, do grant unto the said mayor, sheriffs, burgesses, and commonaity of the town of Carrickfergus aforesaid, and to their successors, that the said mayor of the aforesaid town of Knockfergus, and the sheriffs, burgesses, and commonalty of the foresaid town, and their successors, for the time being, or the greater part of them, (of whom we will that the mayor of the foresaid town for the time being, shall be one), yearly for ever hereafter upon the foresaid Monday next after the feast of the nativity of St. John the baptist, or upon any other day when it shall seem most expedient unto them, without our licence, or the licence of our heirs and successors may be able to elect and nominate two of the more honest inhabitants of the same town of Knockfergus aforesaid, for one whole year from the feast of St. Michael, the arch-angel, then next following, to exercise, do, and execute all things, which to the office of coroners in the said town and county of the foresaid town doth appertain to be done, and that the said coroners and every of them so elected and nominated, shall take their corporal oaths before the mayor, sheriffs, burgesses, and commonalty of the foresaid town, or before the greater part of them, of whom we will that the mayor of the foresaid town for the time being, shall be one,) within the town, and county of the foresaid town, within the franchises and liberties of the same, and not elsewhere, respectively, well, and faithfully to execute, do, and exercise their said offices; and that after taking of the said oath, every such person which to the office of coroner, shall be elected and sworn as aforesaid, from time to time shall be coroners of the town and county of the town of Knockfergus aforesaid, and that no other coroner, or any other coroners of ours, our heirs or successors, shall after any manner or sort come in, or any of them may put themselves in to do any thing within the said town and county of the said town, which to the offices of coroners, doth now or hereafter shall be long, or appertain; and if it shall happen the said sheriffs of the county of the town of Knockfergus aforesaid, or the coroners of the county aforesaid, within one year after they are elected, made, and sworn to the offices of sheriffs and coroners of the town and county aforesaid, as aforesaid, or during the time they shall remain in the said offices, that they or any of them shall die, or for any good and sufficient cause, they shall be removed from their said offices of sheriffs and coroners of the town or county of the town aforesaid, from any one or either of them, which sheriffs, not bearing or carrying themselves well in the said offices, or any one of them for any good or sufficient cause, we will that they shall be removable by the mayor, burgesses, and commonalty of the town aforesaid, for the time being, or by the greater number of them (of whom we will that the mayor of the same town for the time being, shall be one,) then, and so often any such occa. sion shall fall or happen, it shall, and may be lawful for the said mayor, sheriffs, burgesses, and common alty of the town aforesaid, for the time being, or for the greater part of them, (of whom, &c.) without our licence, or the licence of our heirs and successors in that behalf had or obtained within 15 days next atfer any such sheriffs, or either of them or any such coroners, or either of them shall die, or be removed out of their offices aforesaid, in the tholsel and court-house of the said town of Knockfergus aforesaid, or in any other convenient place within the foresaid town, or within the county of the town of Knockfergus aforesaid, to assemble themselves, and to choose, and make one or more as the case shall require, of the free burgesses of the said town, in the place or places of the said sheriffs or coroners, or in the place of the said sheriffs and coroners so. dying, or from his or their place or offices removed, and that every such person thus elected and made, or to be elected and made, (after that they have respectively taken and reserved the several oaths of their officers of sheriffs and coroners of the foresaid town and county of the town of Knockfergus, in manner and forin aforesaid,) they, and every of them, may res pectively have and exercise the said several offices of sheriffs and coroners within the said town, and county of the town of Knockfergus aforesaid, for the residue of the same year, and until any one or others of the said burgesses of the said town, to such offices of sheriffs and coroners of the said town and coun ty of the same, shall be elected and swora respectively as aforesaid. And furthermore, we have grant ed, and by these presents, for us our heirs and successors, do grant unto the said mayor, sheriffs, burgesses, and commonalty of the said town of Knockfergus, and their successors, that the mayor of said town for the time being, and his successors for the time being, and deputies and substitutes of them for the time being, and the recorder of the same town for the time being, and his successors recorders of the same town for and during the several times wherein they shall be, and respectively continue in the foresaid offices, that presently after they shall take or receive respectively the foresaid oath, commonly called the oath of supremacy, as also their oaths respectively, well and truly for executing their said offices of mayor, and recorder of the said town in form aforesaid, in these presents above specified, that they are justices and keepers of the peace, and that every one of them, as a justice and keeper of our peace, and the peace of our heirs and successors within and through the foresaid town of Knockfergus, and through the whole county of the town of Knockfergus aforesaid, and through and within the franchises, limits, and liberties of the same town; and that they, and every of them, during the several times in which they shall respectively be, or remain in their several offices, shall have full power and authority there for keeping and conserving our peace, and the peace of our heirs and successors, as also for causing orders and statutes made, or to be made, for the good of our peace, or the peace of our heirs and successors, and for the quiet rule and governing of our people, and of the people of our heirs and successors, in all and singular their articles within the whole town and county aforesaid, according to the sort, form, and orders of the fore said statutes of keeping and causing the peace to be kept, and to cause all those to be punished according to the law of the land, which did, do, or have done any thing against the form and orders of the statutes, and to cause all those to appear before them, which have threatened any of our people, or the people of our heirs and successors, in their bodies, or in burning of their houses and corn, and to cause them to find sufficient securities of the peace of their good bearing towards us and our people, and the people of our heirs and successors, and if they shall refuse to find such security, then to commit them to our prison within the foresaid town of Knockfergus, and within the county of the town of Knockfergus aforesaid, until such time as he or they shall find such and the like security, and there to cause them to be safely kept, and that the said mayor and recorder of the same town and all other mayors, and recorders of the same town, for the time being, and every of them shall be our justice and justices, and the justice and justices of our heirs and successors, for keeping the peace within the said town of Knockfergus aforesaid, and within the franchises and suburbs of the said town, and in and throughout the whole county of the town of Knockfergus aforesaid, as well by land as sea, and fresh waters, and also that the now mayor and recorder of the aforesaid town, and all other and singular, the other mayors and recorders of the same town for the time being, may have power and authority by the oath of honest and lawful men of the foresaid town of Carrickfergus, or franchises of the same, or of the county of the town of Knockfergus aforesaid, to enquire of all manner of felonies, trespasses or transgressions, riots, routs, unlawful meetings or assemblies, evil |