Metropolitan Police (Receiver) Act 1861

1861 CHAPTER 124

An Act for amending the Law relating to the Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District; and for other Purposes.

[6th August 1861]

WHEREAS by an [10 G. 4. c. 44.] Act passed in the Tenth Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Fourth, Chapter Forty-four, intituled An Act for improving the Police in and near the Metropolis, after providing for the Establishment of a Police Force within the District to be called " the Metropolitan Police District," and including the Metropolis and its Neighbourhood, it is provided amongst other things that it should be lawful for His Majesty to appoint a proper Person to receive all Sums of Money applicable to the Purposes of the said Act, who should be called " the Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District;" and it was provided that such Receiver for the Time being should receive all Sums of Money applicable to the Purposes of the said Act, and should pay the same into the Hands of the Governor and Company of the Bank of England to an Account intituled " The Account of the Public Monies of the Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District," inserting the Name of the Receiver for the Time being, and shall draw on such Account in manner therein mentioned for all such Sums of Money as might be necessary for the Payment of the Expenses of carrying the said Act into execution; and there were in the said Act contained Powers for the Receiver to purchase and hold Lands, Buildings, and other Real and Personal Property for the Purposes of the Act, and it was thereby declared that it should be lawful for him, in obedience to Directions to be given by any One of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, to sell, assign, or dispose of the whole or any Part of such Property as aforesaid, and to execute all such lawful Matters for carrying the said Act into execution as such Principal Secretary of State should from Time to Time direct: And whereas Provisions were made, by the said Act for defraying the Expense of the said Police Force by means of Contributions from the several Parishes and Places within the Metropolitan Police District, and for the Purpose of enforcing such Contributions it was declared that it should be lawful for the Justices appointed under the said Act forthwith and so from Time to Time, subject to the Approbation of One of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, to issue a Warrant under their Hands to the Overseers of the Poor of every such Parish or Place, commanding the Overseers to pay the Amount mentioned in the Warrant for the Purposes of the Police under the said Act, or to levy the same in manner therein mentioned ; and it was further provided that the Overseers to whom any such Warrant as aforesaid should be issued should pay the Amount mentioned in the Warrant out of such Monies as therein mentioned to the Receiver within the Time specified for that Purpose, and at the Time of making any Payment to the Receiver should deliver to him a Note in Writing signed by them specifying the Amount so paid, which Note should be kept by the Receiver as a Voucher for his Receipt of that particular Amount, and the Receipt of the Receiver specifying the Amount paid to him by the Overseers should be a sufficient Discharge to the Overseers for such Amount, and should be allowed as such in passing their Accounts with their respective Parishes, Townships, Precincts, or Places: And whereas the Commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury have from Time to Time granted Pensions and compassionate Allowances for the Benefit of the Widows or Children of Police Constables who have been killed or who have died from the Effects of Injuries received in the Execution of their Duty: And whereas it is expedient that further Provision should be made with respect to the Property vested in the Receivers for the Metropolitan Police District for the Purposes of their Office, and that Provision should be made for charging on the Monies received by the Receiver such Pensions and compassionate Allowances as may hereafter be awarded to the Widows and Children of such Police Constables as aforesaid:

Be it therefore enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, as follows:

1 Receiver constituted a Corporation Sole.

The Person for the Time being holding the Office of Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District shall be a Corporation Sole, by the Name of " the Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District," and by that Name shall have perpetual Succession, with a Capacity by his Official Name to acquire and hold Lands, to hold Stock in the Public Funds, Shares in any public Company, Securities for Monies, and Personal Property of every Description, to sue and be sued, to execute Deeds, using an Official Seal, to make Leases, to enter into Engagements binding on himself and his Successors in Office, and to do all other Acts necessary or expedient to be done in the Execution of the Duties of his Office.

2 Transfer of Property vested in previous Receivers.

All such Property, Real and Personal, including all Interests and Rights in, to, and out of Property, Real and Personal, and including Things in Action, as may be vested in John Wray, the late Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District, for the Purposes of his Office, and all such Property, Real and Personal, including all such Interests, Rights, and Things in Action as aforesaid, as may be vested in Maurice Drummond, the present Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District, for the Purpose of his Office, shall pass to and vest in the present Receiver for the Metropolitan Police District and his Successors, by his Official Name, for all the Estate and Interest of the said John Wray and Maurice Drummond respectively therein, to be held by the said Receiver and his Successors for the Purposes for which the same were held by the said John Wray and Maurice Drummond respectively.

3 Exoneration of Receiver of Metropolitan Police District.

The Receiver for the Time being for the Metropolitan Police District, herein-after referred to as the Receiver, shall not be personally liable for any Debt incurred or Engagement entered into by him by his Official Name in his Official Capacity, but all such Debts and Engagements shall be satisfied out of the Monies for the Time being received by him in his Official Capacity.

4 Alteration of Name of Account at Bank of England.

The Name of the Receiver for the Time being shall not after the passing of this Act be inserted in the Official Account kept by him with the Governor and Company of the Bank of England.

5 Power of Receiver to purchase, &c.

The Receiver may, by the Direction of One of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, transfer, demise, enfranchise, mortgage, or otherwise dispose of Property of any Tenure vested in him in his Official Capacity, and may purchase, take, or lease Property of any Tenure required for the Purposes of the Metropolitan Police Force or other the Purposes of his Office.

6 Power to grant Pensions and compassionate Allowances to Widows and Children of Constables killed in the Execution of their Duty.

One of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State may from Time to Time grant such Pensions as he thinks just to the Widows of Metropolitan Police Constables who have been killed or have died from the Effect of Injuries received in the Execution of their Duty, and may likewise make Grants by way of compassionate Allowances to the Children of any such Constables, and any Grant so made shall be, payable out of any Monies for the Time being in the Hands of the Receiver; .but any Grants made in pursuance 0f this Section of Pensions or compassionate Allowances shall not exceed the Amount which the Lords of the Admiralty are for the Time being empowered to pay to the Widows and Children of Coast Guard Officers who may have been killed or have died from the Effect of Injuries received in the Execution of their Duty.

7 Repeal of Part of Sect. 25 of 10G.4. c.44. and enactment of new Provisions in lieu thereof.

There shall be repealed so much of the Twenty-fifth Section of the said Act of the Tenth Year of King George the Fourth, Chapter Forty-four, as provides " that the Overseers shall pay to the Receiver " the Amount mentioned in the Warrant within the Time specified " for that Purpose, and at the Time of making any Payment to the " Receiver shall deliver to him a Note in Writing signed by them " specifying the Amount so paid, which Note shall be kept by the " Receiver as a Voucher for his Receipt of that particular Amount, " and the Receipt of the Receiver specifying .the Amount paid to " him by the Overseers shall be a sufficient Discharge to the Over" seers for such Amount, and shall be allowed as such in passing " their Accounts with their respective Parishes, Townships, Precincts, " or Places;" and in lieu thereof be it enacted, That the Overseers shall pay into the Bank of England, to the Account of the Receiver of the Metropolitan Police, the Amount mentioned in the Warrant within the Time specified for that Purpose, and that the Certificate of the Bank, signed by One of their Cashiers, specifying the Amount paid into the Bank, shall be a sufficient Discharge to the Overseers for such Amount, and shall be allowed as such in passing their Accounts with their respective Parishes, Townships, Precincts, or Places.

8 Payment of Monies into the Bank.

In addition to the Sums hereby directed to be paid by the Overseers all other Sums from Time to Time accruing payable to the Receiver shall be paid into the Bank of England to the Account of the Receiver of the Metropolitan Police, and the Certificate of the Bank, signed by One of their Cashiers, specifying the Amount paid into the Bank, shall be a sufficient Discharge to the Persons paying the same.

9 This and previous Acts to be construed as One.

This Act, so far as is not inconsistent with the Purposes thereof, shall be construed as one with the said Act of the Tenth Year of King George the Fourth, Chapter Forty-four, and the other Acts relating to the Metropolitan Police Force.

10 Short Title.

This Act may be cited for all Purposes as "The Metropolitan Police Receiver's Act, 1861."