The Seditious Meetings Act 1795 (
36 Geo. 3. c. 8) was an
act of the
Parliament of Great Britain
The Parliament of Great Britain was formed in May 1707 following the ratification of the Acts of Union 1707, Acts of Union by both the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. The Acts ratified the treaty of Union which created a ...
passed in December 1795;
it had as its purpose was to restrict the size of public meetings to fifty persons.
It was the second of the well known "Two Acts" (also known as the "Gagging Acts" or the "Grenville and Pitt Bills"), the other being the
Treason Act 1795
The Treason Act 1795 (sometimes also known as the Treasonable and Seditious Practices Act) () 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 ...
(
36 Geo. 3. c. 7). It also required a magistrate's license for lecturing and debating halls where admission was charged and policies discussed.
Background
This legislation was reasonably effective. However, provided that
Jacobin
The Society of the Friends of the Constitution (), renamed the Society of the Jacobins, Friends of Freedom and Equality () after 1792 and commonly known as the Jacobin Club () or simply the Jacobins (; ), was the most influential political cl ...
alehouse clubs were restricted to fifty persons and avoided corresponding, they were able to dodge the Seditious Meetings Act. Also, actions against individuals for seditious, treasonous or blasphemous words was hindered as spies and shorthand writers could not easily transcribe undiscovered in such an environment. Alehouse debaters could convey anti-establishment sentiments in oblique ways that were difficult to prosecute in a law-court.
In a period of revolution in Europe, the British Parliament attempted to avoid any seditious movement in the kingdoms. The period between 1790 and 1800 was one of intense lectures and public speeches in defence of political reformation, which, for the similarities with the
French Revolution principles, were usually named "Jacobinic meetings". One of the most famous preachers in the period was
John Thelwall, who interpreted the "Two Acts" as a violence against him and his teachings. His meetings used to reach a large number of people and, after the approval of the acts, were disturbed by many legalists who wished to see the law being respected. Similarly, there were many societies at the time with the intention of advocating for parliamentary reform. Specifically, they wanted Parliament to more equally represent the people instead of just the aristocracy. The
Society of the Friends of the People is an example of this type of Society.
The act stated that any place, like a room or building, where political meetings took place, with the purpose of discussing the injustice of any law, constitution, government and policy of the kingdoms, must be declared a house of disorder and punished.
As a result of the act, and other similar types of legislature, societies, like the Society of the Friends of the People, were forced to disband out of fear of arrest or execution.
[Iain Hampsher-Monk. "Civic Humanism and Parliamentary Reform: The Case of the Society of the Friends of the People". (Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 70-89). ''Journal of British Studies'', 1979. ]
See also
*
Treason Act 1795
The Treason Act 1795 (sometimes also known as the Treasonable and Seditious Practices Act) () 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 ...
Notes
References
Great Britain Acts of Parliament 1795
Treason in the United Kingdom
Repealed Great Britain Acts of Parliament
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