Treasonable Practices Act
Encyclopedia
The Treason Act 1795 (36 Geo.3 c.7) was one of the Two Acts introduced by the British government in the wake of the stoning of King George III on his way to open Parliament
in 1795, the other being the Seditious Meetings Act 1795
. The Act made it high treason to "within the realm or without compass, imagine, invent, devise or intend death or destruction, or any bodily harm tending to death or destruction, maim or wounding, imprisonment or restraint, of the person of ... the King." This was derived from the Sedition Act 1661, which had expired. The 1795 Act was originally a temporary Act which was to expire when George III died, but it was made permanent by the Treason Act 1817
.
Some other treasons created by the Act (which also originated with the 1661 Act) were reduced to felonies by the Treason Felony Act 1848
, which also extended the 1795 Act to Ireland.
The Act also stipulated that anyone found to have brought either the King, the Constitution or the government into contempt could be transported
for a period of 7 years. This clause was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1871.
The rest of the Act was repealed by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998
.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
in 1795, the other being the Seditious Meetings Act 1795
Seditious Meetings Act 1795
The Seditious Meetings Act 1795, approved by the British Parliament in November 1795, was the second of the well known "Two Acts" , the other being the Treason Act 1795. Its purpose was to restrict the size of public meetings to fifty persons...
. The Act made it high treason to "within the realm or without compass, imagine, invent, devise or intend death or destruction, or any bodily harm tending to death or destruction, maim or wounding, imprisonment or restraint, of the person of ... the King." This was derived from the Sedition Act 1661, which had expired. The 1795 Act was originally a temporary Act which was to expire when George III died, but it was made permanent by the Treason Act 1817
Treason Act 1817
The Treason Act 1817 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It made it high treason to assassinate the Prince Regent...
.
Some other treasons created by the Act (which also originated with the 1661 Act) were reduced to felonies by the Treason Felony Act 1848
Treason Felony Act 1848
The Treason Felony Act 1848 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The Act is still in force. It is a law which protects HM the Queen and the Crown....
, which also extended the 1795 Act to Ireland.
The Act also stipulated that anyone found to have brought either the King, the Constitution or the government into contempt could be transported
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
for a period of 7 years. This clause was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1871.
The rest of the Act was repealed by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998
Crime and Disorder Act 1998
The Crime and Disorder Act 1998 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The Act was published on 2 December 1997 and received Royal Assent in July 1998...
.
External links
- The Treason Act 1795 (at the time of its repeal in 1998), from the UK Statute Law DatabaseUK Statute Law DatabaseThe UK Statute Law Database is the official web-accessible database of the statute law of the United Kingdom, hosted by The National Archives. It contains all primary legislation in force as of 1991, and all primary and secondary legislation since that date; it does not include legislation which...