The Explosives Act 1875 ( 38 & 39 Vict. c. 17) is an act of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...

that consolidated and amended statutes relating to

explosives An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An exp ...

Background

On 2 October 1874, two barges carrying gunpowder ignited and exploded in the

Macclesfield Canal The Macclesfield Canal is a canal in east Cheshire, England. There were various proposals for a canal to connect the town of Macclesfield to the national network from 1765 onwards, but it was not until 1824 that a scheme came to fruition. There ...

, which became known as the Macclesfield Bridge Disaster. Four people were killed and the bridge was destroyed. The disaster led to efforts to reform explosives law in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Passage

Leave to bring in the Explosive Substances Bill was granted to the

home secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, more commonly known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom and the head of the Home Office. The position is a Great Office of State, maki ...

, R. A. Cross , Sir Henry Selwin-Ibbetson , and William Henry Smith on 25 February 1875. The bill had its

first reading A reading of a bill is a stage of debate on the bill held by a general body of a legislature. In the Westminster system, developed in the United Kingdom, there are generally three readings of a bill as it passes through the stages of becoming, ...

in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

on 25 February 1875, presented by the

, R. A. Cross . During debate, the

described the key changes of the Bill, including: * Requiring manufacturers to submit plans to the Home Secretary before seeking local licensing * Introducing registration requirements for retailers * Creating a tiered system for storage amounts: ** Retailers: Up to 200 lbs ** Personal use: Up to 30 lbs (no registration needed) ** Consumer stores: 2 cwt to 2 tons * Establishing government inspectors * Granting factory owners more power to remove people causing safety risks The bill had its

second reading A reading of a bill is a stage of debate on the bill held by a general body of a legislature. In the Westminster system, developed in the United Kingdom, there are generally three readings of a bill as it passes through the stages of becoming ...

in the

on 16 March 1875 and was committed to a committee of the whole house, which met on 5 April 1875, 8 April 1875 and 12 April 1875. During debate, a proposed amendment

John Philip Nolan Lieutenant-Colonel John Philip Nolan (1838 – 30 January 1912) was an Irish nationalist landowner and Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and as member of the Irish Parliamentary ...

to change "grand jury cess" to "poor rates" for

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

was defeated. The consideration of the Bill was adjourned after d debate on 19 April 1875, and the committee met again on 23 April 1875, with amendments. The committee was discharged and the Bill was re-committed to a committee of the whole house on 27 April 1875 in respect of amended clause 110 of the Bill, which met and reported immediately on 27 April 1875, with amendments. The amended bill had its

third reading A reading of a bill is a stage of debate on the bill held by a general body of a legislature. In the Westminster system, developed in the United Kingdom, there are generally three readings of a bill as it passes through the stages of becoming ...

in the

on 28 April 1875 and passed, without amendments. The bill had its

in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

on 29 April 1875. The bill had its

in the

on 3 May 1875, introduced by

Frederick Lygon, 6th Earl Beauchamp Frederick Lygon, 6th Earl Beauchamp (10 November 1830 – 19 February 1891), styled The Honourable Frederick Lygon between 1853 and 1866, was a British Conservative politician. Background and education Beauchamp was the third son of Henry Ly ...

, and was committed to a committee of the whole house, which met and reported on 7 May 1875, with amendments. The amended bill had its

in the

on 13 May 1875 and passed, with amendments. The amended bill was considered and agreed to by the

on 21 May 1875. The bill was granted

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in othe ...

on 14 June 1875.

Provisions

Repealed enactments

Section 122 of the act repealed 6 enactments, listed in fourth and fifth schedules to the act. Section 122 preserved existing securities, rates and charges and protected all pre-existing rights, actions and proceedings from being affected by the repeal.

Legacy

Courtenay Ilbert Sir Courtenay Peregrine Ilbert, (12 June 1841 – 14 May 1924) was a distinguished British lawyer and civil servant who served as legal adviser to the Viceroy of India's Council for many years until his eventual return from India to England. H ...

described the act as a Consolidation Act, given that the act, which amended the law with respect to

, also consolidated various enactments relating to that particular branch of law. Section 42 of the act was repealed by the

Merchant Shipping Act 1894 The Merchant Shipping Act 1894 ( 57 & 58 Vict. c. 60) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that consolidated enactments relating to merchant shipping in the United Kingdom. Background In the United Kingdom, acts of Parliamen ...

( 57 & 58 Vict. c. 60). The act was partly repealed when the Manufacture and Storage of Explosives Regulations 2005 (

SI 2005 This is an incomplete list of statutory instruments of the United Kingdom in 2005. 1–100 * The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Gibraltar) (Amendment) Order 2005S.I. 2005 No. 1 * The Education (Co-ordination of Admission Arrangements ...

/1082) was brought into being but the inspection and licensing remained much the same.

Notes

References

Sources

* * {{Authority control United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1875 Health and safety in the United Kingdom Fire prevention Consolidation Acts