157
COUNTY OF ELGIN
157
By-Law No
MAKE REGULATIONS FOR THE PRESERVATION OF THE PUBLIC
TO
IN
PROFANATION OF THE LORD'S DAY
AND PREVENT THE
THE COUNTY OF ELGIN
.~-------
MORALS
WHEREAS under the provisions of the Act 29th
& 30th Victoria Chapter 51 Section 284 of the Municipal
Act of 1866 for Upper Canada, power is given to the
Council of every County, City and Town to pass By-Laws
for certain purposes and more particularly for those set
forth in the 284 Section of the said Act for the pre-
servation of Public Morals.
BE IT THEREFORE enacted by the Corporation
of the County of Elgin that in pursuance and in accor-
dance with the provisions of the Act 22nd Victoria Chap-
ter 104 of the Consolidated Statutes of Upper Canada
enti tIed "An Act to prevent the profanation of the Lord\':s
Day commonly called Sunday in Upper Canada."
It shall not be lawful for any person or persons,
Merchant, Tradesman, Artificer, Mechanic, Workman, Labourer
or any person whatsoever on the Lord's Day to sell or pub-
licly shew forth or expose or offer for sale or to purchase
any goods, chattels or other personal property or any Real
Estate whatsoevér, or to do or exercise any worldly labor,
businèss or work of his ordinary calling (conveying travel-
lers or Her Majesty's Mails by land or by water, selling
drugs and medicines and other works of hecessity and works
of charity only excepted)
It is not lawful for any person on the Lord's
Day to hold, convene or to attend any public political
meeting, tipple or to allow or permit such in any Inn,
Tavern or Grocery or House of Public Entertainment or to
revel or publicly exhibit· himself in a state of intoxica-
tion or to brawl or to use profane language' in a pUblic
street or open air so as to create ~ny riot or disturbance
or annoyance to Her'Majesty's peaceable subjects in any'
street or public place in the County of Elgin.
It is not lawful for any person on the Lord's
Day to play at skittles baIlor football, racket or any
other noisy game or to gamble with dice or otherwise or
to run races on foot or on horseback or in carriages or
in vehicles of any sort in said county.
(Cont'd)
Page 2
157
By-Law No
It is not lawful for any person to go out hun-
ting or shooting or in quest of or to take, kill or destroy
an~ deer or other game or any wild animal or any wild fowl
or bird or to use any dog, gun, rifle or other engine, net
or trap for the above mentioned purpose on Sunday in this
County. Except in defence of his property from any wolf
or other ravenous beast or a bird of prey.
It is not lawful for any person on the Lord's
Day to go out fishing or to take, kill or destroy any fish
or to use any gun, fishing rod, net or other engine for
that purpose.
It is not lawful for any person on the Lord's
Day to bathe in any exposed situation in any water within
the limits of any incorporated City or Town or within view
of any place or public worship or private residence.
The foregoing clauses respecting profanation of
Day not to extend to the people called Indians.
s
AND IT IS further enacted by the authority of
the 284th section of the Act 29 & JO Victoria Chapter 51
respecting public morals -
Lord'
the
That it shall not be lawful for any person to
give or sell intoxicating drink of any sort to any child,
apprentice or servant within this County without the con-
sent of the present master or legal protector.
That it shall not be lawful for any person to
post any indecent placards, writings or pictures or to
write indecent words or to make any indecent pictures
or drawings on walls or fences in any streets or public
places in this County.
That it shall not be lawful for any person to
utter or make use of any profane oath or any obscene,
blasphemous or grossly insulting language or 6ther im-
morality or indecency in any of the streets or public
places or highways within said County.
or
That it shall not be lawful for any person
persons to keep a tippling house or house of III Fame
within the said County.
That it shall not be lawful for any person to
be guilty of any drunkenness or disorderly conduct in
any of the public streets, highways or public places in
this County.
(Cont'd)
Page 3
157
By-·Law No
That it shall not be lawful for any person inde-
cently to expose his or her person or to be guilty of any
indecent exhibitions in any street, highway or public place
within said County.
That it shall not be lawful for any person or
persons to be horse racing on any of the pUblic streets
or hig~ways in this County.
That it shall not be lawful for any person to
keep a gambling house in said County and that all Faro banks,
Rouge et Noir, Roulette Tables and other devices for gambling
found therein shall be seized and destroyed.
That it shall not be lawful for any person to bathe
or indecently expose his or her person by washing in any water
within this County lying or running near any public highway
between the hours of six o'clock in the morning and eight at
night unless provided with and clothed in a proper bathing
dress sufficient to prevent any indecent exposure of their
persons.
authority aforesaid
That any person or persons guilty of a violation
of any of the provisions of this By-Law shall upon conviction
before any Justice or Justices of the Peace having jurisdic-
tion in the said County of Elgin be liable to a fine of not
more than twenty dollars nor less than one dollar to be col-
lected by distress & sale of goods and chattels of said offen-
der or offenders & in case no goods or chattels are found
belonging to the said offender or offenders as aforesaid on
which to levy any fines or fees as aforesaid it shall be law-
ful for any such Justice or Justices of the Peace in their
discretion to commit the offender or offenders to the common
gaol or lock up in the said County of Elgin for a period not
exceeding eight days nor less than one day with or without
hard labor as the said Justice or Justices may determine.
And be it enacted by the
AND BE IT further enacted that all fines and
penalties imposed and collected under and by virtue of this
By-Law shall belong to and be appropriated to the use of
the Municipality in which the offence was committed,except
when the offence is the profanation of the Lord's Day, in
which case one moiety thereof shall be paid to the party
charging the offence in writing before the Justice and the
other moiety to the Treasurer of the County wherein the
offence was committed. And it shall be the duty of the
County Clerk to furnish Municipal Clerks, Councillors and
Magistrates in the County with printed copies of this By-
Law for the purpose of being put up in conspicuous places
in the several Municipalities
(Cont'd)
By-Law No. 157 Page 4
AND IT IS ALSO enacted that By-Law number eighty-
eight of this Corporation be and is hereby repealed.
AND IT IS enacted that this By-Law shall be in
force and take effect from and after the twenty-fifth day
of January one thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Passed on the twenty-fifth day of January A. D. 1867.
St. Thomas - County of Elgin
25th January 1867 T. M. Nairn
William McKay Warden
County Clerk
Read a first time 25 January 1867.
Certified - W. McKay Clerk
Read a second time 25 January 1867.
Certified - W. McKay Clerk
Read a third time and finally passed 25th January 1867
Certified - W. McKay Clerk