Parliament Act 1782

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(Redirected from Crewe's Act)

Act of Parliament
Long titleAn 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.
Citation22 Geo. 3. c. 41
Introduced byThe Marquess of Rockingham
Leader of the House of Lords (Lords)
Territorial extent Great Britain
Dates
Royal assent19 June 1782
Commencement19 June 1782
Repealed1868
Other legislation
Repealed byRevenue Officers' Disabilities Act 1868
Status: Repealed

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]

It was repealed by the Revenue Officers' Disabilities Act 1868 (31 & 32 Vict. c. 73).[2]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Parliament Act 1782 (22 Geo 3 c.41)". www.gbps.org.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
  2. ^ Kemp, Betty (1953). "Crewe's Act, 1782". The English Historical Review. 68 (267): 258–263. ISSN 0013-8266.
  • Edward Porritt and Annie G Porritt. The Unreformed House of Commons. Cambridge University Press, 1903.