Servants’ Characters Act 1792
1792 c.56 32_Geo_3
An Act for preventing the counterfeiting of Certificates of the Characters of Servants.
Preamble. Whereas many false and counterfeit characters of servants have either been given personally or in writing by evil disposed persons being or pretending to be the master, mistress, retainer or superintendent of such servants, or by persons who have actually retained such servants in their respective service, contrary to truth and justice and to the peace and security of his Majesty
’s subjects: And whereas the evil herein complained of is not only difficult to be guarded against, but is also of great magnitude and continually increasing, and no sufficient remedy has hitherto been applied:
[1.] Any person personating a master, &c. or giving a false character to a servant;
If any person or persons shall falsely personate any master or mistress, or the executor, adminstrator, wife, relation, housekeeper, steward, agent or servant of any such master or mistress, and shall
[ either] personally
[ or in writing] give any false,
[ forged or counterfeited] character to any person offering him or herself to be hired as a servant into the service of any person or persons, then and in such case every such person or persons so offending
[ shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale] 2. or asserting that a servant has been hired for a period of time, or in a station;
And if any person or persons shall knowingly and wilfully pretend or falsely assert in writing that any servant has been hired or retained for any period of time whatsoever, or in any station or capacity whatsoever, other than that for which or in which he, she or they shall have hired or retained such servant in his, her or their service or employment, or for the service of any other person or persons, then and in either of the said cases such person or persons so offending as aforesaid
[ shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale] 3. or was discharged at any other time, or had not been hired in any previous service; contrary to the fact;
And if any person or persons shall knowingly and wilfully pretend or falsely assert in writing that any servant was discharged or left his, her or their service at any other time than that at which he or she was discharged or actually left such service, or that any such servant had not been hired or employed in any previous service, contrary to truth, then and in either of the said cases such person or persons
[ shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale] 4. or any person offering himself as a servant, pretending to have served where he has not served, or with a false certificate, or who shall alter any certificate;
And if any person shall offer himself or herself as a servant, asserting or pretending that he or she hath served in any service in which such servant shall not actually have served, or with a false,
[ forged or counterfeit] certificate of his or her character,
[ or shall in anywise add to or alter, efface or erase, any word, date, matter or thing contained in or referred to in any certificate given to him or her by his or her last or former actual master or mistress, or by any other person or persons duly authorised by such master or mistress to give the same] , then and in either of the said cases such person or persons
[ shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale] 5. or who having been before in service shall pretend not to have been in such service;
And if any person or persons having before been in service shall, when offering to hire himself, herself or themselves as a servant or servants in any service whatsoever, falsely and wilfully pretend not to have been hired or retained in any previous service as a servant, then and in such case such person or persons
[ shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 2 on the standard scale] 6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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8. Offenders discovering accomplices before information indemnified.
Provided always, that if any servant or servants who shall have been guilty of any of the offences aforesaid shall, before any information has been given or lodged against him, her or them for such offence, discover and inform against any person or persons concerned with him, her or them in any offence against this Act, so as such offender or offenders be convicted of such offence in manner aforesaid, every such servant or servants so discovering and informing shall thereupon be discharged and indemnified of, from and against all penalties and punishments to which at the time of such information given he, she or they might be liable by this Act for or by reason of such his, her or their own offence or offences.
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