Black Act
Encyclopedia
The Black Act was an Act
of the Parliament of Great Britain
passed in 1723 during the reign King George I of Great Britain
in response to the Waltham
deer poachers and a group of bandits known as the "Wokingham Blacks". It made it a felony
(that is, a hanging offence) to appear armed in a park or warren, or to hunt or steal deer, with the face blackened or disguised. The Act was later amended to deal with protest
ers outside the royal forests and chases, becoming an adjunct to the Riot Act
of 1715. The Black Act was repealed in 1827. Subsequent acts inflicting heavy penalties for malicious injuries to livestock and machinery have also been called black acts.
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament of Great Britain
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland...
passed in 1723 during the reign King George I of Great Britain
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
in response to the Waltham
Waltham Chase
Waltham Chase is a village in Hampshire, England, neighbouring the village of Bishop's Waltham.The village comprises about 2 sq. kilometres of land to the south-east of Bishop's Waltham....
deer poachers and a group of bandits known as the "Wokingham Blacks". It made it a felony
Felony
A felony is a serious crime in the common law countries. The term originates from English common law where felonies were originally crimes which involved the confiscation of a convicted person's land and goods; other crimes were called misdemeanors...
(that is, a hanging offence) to appear armed in a park or warren, or to hunt or steal deer, with the face blackened or disguised. The Act was later amended to deal with protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
ers outside the royal forests and chases, becoming an adjunct to the Riot Act
Riot Act
The Riot Act was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain that authorised local authorities to declare any group of twelve or more people to be unlawfully assembled, and thus have to disperse or face punitive action...
of 1715. The Black Act was repealed in 1827. Subsequent acts inflicting heavy penalties for malicious injuries to livestock and machinery have also been called black acts.
Further reading
- E. P. ThompsonE. P. ThompsonEdward Palmer Thompson was a British historian, writer, socialist and peace campaigner. He is probably best known today for his historical work on the British radical movements in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, in particular The Making of the English Working Class...
, Whigs and hunters: the origin of the Black Act, London : Allen Lane, 1975 [ISBN 0-7139-0991-9]
External links
- Back to 1662
- Offenders from The Newgate CalendarThe Newgate CalendarThe Newgate Calendar, subtitled The Malefactors' Bloody Register, was a popular work of improving literature in the 18th and 19th centuries....