Seditious Meetings Act 1817
Encyclopedia
The Seditious Meetings Act 1817 was an Act
of the Parliament
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
which made it illegal to hold a meeting of more than 50 people.
The Act was passed by Lord Liverpool's government in March 1817 in retaliation to the March of the Blanketeers
in the same month.
John Ehrmann, biographer of William Pitt
, refers to the Act as being, "open-endingly severe". On the other hand, this piece of legislation can be seen as exploiting The Sword of Damocles
effect by quickly suppressing any symptom of distress effectively and efficiently in order to prevent a major outbreak of revolution. This was one piece of legislation among many others that blackened the reputation of Lord Liverpool's government until the Prime Minister
's cabinet reshuffle in 1822, which ushered in Enlightened Liberal Toryism, an ideology that characterised British Politics during the mid-1820s.
The Act was repealed by the Public Order Act 1986
(although much of the Act had already been repealed by earlier legislation in 1824).
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
which made it illegal to hold a meeting of more than 50 people.
The Act was passed by Lord Liverpool's government in March 1817 in retaliation to the March of the Blanketeers
Blanketeers
The Blanketeers or Blanket March was a demonstration organised in Manchester in March 1817. The intention was for the participants, who were mainly Lancashire weavers, to march to London and petition the Prince Regent over the desperate state of the textile industry in Lancashire, and to protest...
in the same month.
John Ehrmann, biographer of William Pitt
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
, refers to the Act as being, "open-endingly severe". On the other hand, this piece of legislation can be seen as exploiting The Sword of Damocles
The Sword of Damocles
The Sword of Damocles is widely considered to be the first virtual reality and augmented reality head-mounted display system. It was created in 1968 by hall of fame computer scientist Ivan Sutherland with the help of his student Bob Sproull...
effect by quickly suppressing any symptom of distress effectively and efficiently in order to prevent a major outbreak of revolution. This was one piece of legislation among many others that blackened the reputation of Lord Liverpool's government until the Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
's cabinet reshuffle in 1822, which ushered in Enlightened Liberal Toryism, an ideology that characterised British Politics during the mid-1820s.
The Act was repealed by the Public Order Act 1986
Public Order Act 1986
The Public Order Act 1986 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It creates a number of public order offences. They replace similar common law offences and parts of the Public Order Act 1936...
(although much of the Act had already been repealed by earlier legislation in 1824).