The Parliament Act 1782 (22 Geo. 3. c. 41), also known as Crewe's Act, was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of Great Britain passed in 1782. The Act, which was passed by Rockingham's government at the instance of John Crewe, disqualified all officers of Customs and Excise and the Post Office from voting in parliamentary elections. The purpose of this disfranchisement was to end the abuse by which government patronage was used to bribe the voters in rotten boroughs such as Bossiney and New Romney. It failed in practice, however, since the patronage was quickly diverted from the voters themselves to their relatives.[1]
Act of Parliament | |
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Long title | An Act for better securing the Freedom of Elections of Members to serve in Parliament, by disabling certain Officers employed in the Collection or Management of His Majesty's Revenues from giving their Votes at such Elections. |
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Citation | 22 Geo. 3. c. 41 |
Introduced by | The Marquess of Rockingham Leader of the House of Lords (Lords) |
Territorial extent | Great Britain |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 19 June 1782 |
Commencement | 19 June 1782 |
Repealed | 1868 |
Other legislation | |
Repealed by | Revenue Officers' Disabilities Act 1868 |
Status: Repealed |
It was repealed by the Revenue Officers' Disabilities Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vict. c. 73).[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Parliament Act 1782 (22 Geo 3 c.41)". www.gbps.org.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ Kemp, Betty (1953). "Crewe's Act, 1782". The English Historical Review. 68 (267): 258–263. doi:10.1093/ehr/LXVIII.CCLXVII.258. ISSN 0013-8266. JSTOR 554978.
- Edward Porritt and Annie G Porritt. The Unreformed House of Commons. Cambridge University Press, 1903.