j?20 A P P 
APPREHEN'SIVENESS, f The quality of being ap- 
prehenfive.—Whereas the vowels are much more difficult 
to be taught, you will find, by falling upon them laft, 
great help by the apprehcnfivcncjs already gained in learning 
the confonants. Holder. 
APPREN'TICE, f. [ apprentice , Fr. .of apprehendere, 
J.at. to learn.] One who is bound by covenant to ferve a 
.ttadefman or artificer a certain time, upon condition of 
the mailer’s inftrudting him in his art or myftery. Appren¬ 
tices are ufually bound by deed indented , to ferve their mafi¬ 
lers, and be maintained and inftructed by them, i Btackft. 
426. And hereby an infant is bound, though under age. 
.Neverfhelefs. they cannot bind tliemfelves lo as to intitle 
the matter to an adtion of covenant, or other adtion, for 
departing the fervice, or other breaches of the indenture ; 
therefore it is ufiual for the father or fome friend of the 
apprentice to be bound with him for the faithful dilcharge 
of his office, according to the terms agreed on. 8 Mod. 1 90. 
The churchwardens and overfeers of the poor may bind 
any fuch pooi; children apprentices, wliofe parents they 
fill all judge not able to maintain them; till fuch man child 
filial! attain the age of twenty-one, and fuch woman child 
the age of twenty-one, or marriage. 43 Eliz. c. 2. 18 
Geo. 111 . c. 47. Alio they may, by the conlent of two 
juftices, bind out any boy, of the age of ten years, who 
/hall be chargeable, or whole parents fhall be chargeable, 
or who (hall beg for alms, to be apprentice to the fea-fer- 
vice till he (hall attain the age of 21 years. 2& 3 An. c . 6 . 
A mailer may by law correct his apprentice, for negli¬ 
gence or other misbehaviour, fo it be done with modera¬ 
tion. 1 Blackft. 428. Difputes between mailers and ap¬ 
prentices are in mod cafes determinable before the juftices 
of the peace. 
Untieing an apprentice to depart from his mailer is not 
an offence for which an indictment will lie ; but the party’s 
remedy is by an action on the cafe, which he may well 
maintain. Bur. Mansf. 1306. An apprentice gains a fettle- 
meat where he ferves the iaft forty days of his time. 
An apprenticefhip, being a perfonal truft, becomes de¬ 
termined by the death of the mafter, unlefs there are fpe- 
cial words in the indenture to the contrary. Bur. Set. Caf. 
320. Perfons, having ferved feven years as apprentices 
to any trade, have an exclufive right to let up that trade 
in any part of England, except where they are prohibited 
by the bye-laws or local privileges of divers corporations. 
And if a man fliall in any town exercife a trade, without 
having ferved an apprenticefhip for feven years, lie fliall 
forfeit 40s. a month. The whole law, with refpect to 
apprentices, is as follows : 
Who may take Apprentices. —Every perfon being an houfe- 
holder, and having and tiling half a plough-land in tillage, 
may take an apprentice above the age of ten years, and 
under eighteen, to ferve in hufbandry till twenty-one at 
the lead, or till twenty-four, as the parties can agree. 
5 Eliz. c. 4. f. 25. 
Every perfon being an houfeholder, and twenty-four 
years old at the leaf], dwelling in any city or town corpo¬ 
rate, and exercifmg any art, myltery, or manual occupa¬ 
tion, may retain the fon of a freeman, not occupying huf¬ 
bandry, nor being a labourer, and inhabiting in the fame, 
or in any other city or town corporate, to ferve as an ap¬ 
prentice, after the cuftom and order of the city of Lon¬ 
don, for feven years at the leaft, fo as fuch apprenticefhip 
do not expire before the apprentice fliall be twenty-four 
years of age. 5 Eliz. c. 4. fi. 26. But no perfon dwelling 
in any city" or town corporate, being a merchant, mercer, 
draper, goldfmith, ironmonger, embroiderer, or clothier, 
fhall take any apprentice except he be his fon, or elfe that 
the father and mother of fuch apprentices fliall have an 
ellate of inheritance or freehold of 40s. a year, to be cer¬ 
tified under the hands and heals of three juftices where the 
lands lie, to the mayor of that city or town corporate, and 
to be inrolled among the records there, f. 27. And the 
reafon of this feems to be, for that fuch as are to be bound 
apprentices in towns corporate, if their parents be of a 
A P P 
competent livelihood, then their mailers fliall be -not only 
better fecured, but fuch apprentices alfo in likelihood • 
lhall have the better means to let up their trades after 
their times expired. And concerning fuch, wliofe parents 
have not 40s. a year, they are fitter to be bound appren¬ 
tices to hufbandry, and the like, in the country. Halt. c. 58. 
But, by reafon of the great alteration in the value of mo¬ 
ney fince that time, this provifion is become of little ufe •. 
for an ellate of 40s. a year then was equal to more than 
iol. a year now. But the citizens of London and Norwich 
may take and have apprentices, as before this aCf. f. 40. 
Every perfon being an houfeholder, and twenty-four 
years old at the leaft, and not occupying hufbandry, nor 
being a labourer, dwelling in any market-town not cor¬ 
porate, and exerciling any art, myftery, or manual occu¬ 
pation, may have to apprentice the child or children of 
any other artificer, not occupying hufbandry, nor being a 
labourer, inhabiting in the fame or any other fuch mar¬ 
ket town in the fame (hire. 5 Eliz. c.4. f. 28. But no per¬ 
fon dwelling in any fuch market-town, being a merchant, 
mercer, draper, goldfmith, ironmonger, embroiderer, or 
clothier, fhall take any apprentice except he be his fon, or 
elfe that his father and mother fhall have an eftate of inhe¬ 
ritance or freehold of 3I. a year, to be certified under the 
hands and feals of three juftices of the (hire where the lands 
lie, to the head officer of fuch market-town where fuch ap¬ 
prentice lhall be taken, there to'be inrolled of record, f. 29. 
Any perfon uling the art of a fmith, wheelwright, 
ploughwright, millwright, carpenter, rough mafon, plaif- 
tcrer, fawyer, limeburner, brickmaker, bricklayer, tyler. 
Hater, helier, tylemaker, linen-weaver, turner, cooper, mil¬ 
ler, earthen-potter, woollen-weaver weaving houlhold cloth 
only, fuller, otherwife called tucker or walker, burner of 
oare and woad allies, thatcher or Ihingler, wherefoever he 
(hall dwell, may take the fon of any perfon as apprentice, 
albeit his parents have no land. 5 Eliz. c. 4. f. 30. 
Every owner of a (hip or veffel, and every houfeholder 
exerciling the trade of the leas by fifhing or otherwife, and 
every gunner commonly called a cannoned, and every fhip- 
wright, may take apprentices for ten years or under; and 
every apprentice fo taken, being above feven years of age, 
fliall be by the fame covenants bound, or ordered and 
ufed to all intents, according to the cuftom of London, fo 
that the covenant or bond of apprenticefhip be made by 
writing indented, and inrolled in the town where the ap¬ 
prentice (hall be inhabiting, if it be a town corporate; if 
not, then in the next town corporate : for which inroll- 
ment fliall be paid not above izd. 5 Eliz. c.5. f. 12. 
Every perfon that fliall have three apprentices in any 
the crafts of a clothmaker, fuller, Ibeerman, weaver, tay- 
lor, or ffioemaker, fliall keep one journeyman ; and for 
every other apprentice above three, one other journey¬ 
man, on pain of iol. half to the king, and half to him 
that fliall fue in the feffions or other court of record ; or, 
if it is in a town corporate, then to be applied as by the 
charter. 5 Eliz. c. 4. f. 33. No hatmaker lhall have above 
two apprentices at one time, nor thofe for any lefs term 
than feven years, on pain of 5I. a month, half to the king, 
and half to him that fhall fue in any court of record : but 
this not to extend to his own fon, in his own houfe, fo as 
he be bound by indenture for feven years, and his term 
not to expire before he be twenty-two years of age. 1 Jac. 
c. 17. f. 3, 5. Weavers of fluffs in Norfolk and Norwich, 
that fliall employ two apprentices, fliall alfo employ two 
journeymen ; and no mafter fliall have above two appren¬ 
tices, or any week boy, to weave in the faid trade; on pain 
of 5I. a month to the king. 13 and 14 Car. II. c. 5. f. 18. 
Who are compellable to be bound Apprentices. —If any perfon 
lhall be required by any houfeholder ufing half a plough¬ 
land at leaft in tillage, to be an apprentice and to ferve in 
hufbandry, or in any other art, myftery, or fcience, before 
expreffed, and lhall refufe fo to do, then on complaint of 
fucli houfekeeper to one juftice (or head officer) he (hall 
fend for the perfon refufing ; and if he lhall think the faid 
perfon meet to ferve, and fuch perfon refufe to be bound. 
