Treason Act 1795

Treason Act 1795^[1]

Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An act for the Safety and preservation of his Majesty's person and government against treasonable and seditious practises and attempts.
Citation	36 Geo. 3. c. 7
Dates
Royal assent	18 December 1795
Commencement	18 December 1795
Other legislation
Amended by	Statute Law Revision Act 1871
Repealed by	Crime and Disorder Act 1998
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Treason Act 1795^[1] (sometimes also known as the Treasonable and Seditious Practices Act^[2]) (36 Geo. 3. c. 7) 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 other being the Seditious Meetings Act 1795. The Act made it high treason to "within the realm or without compass, imagine, invent, devise or intend death or destruction, or any bodily harm tending to death or destruction, maim or wounding, imprisonment or restraint, of the person of ... the King". This was derived from the Sedition Act 1661, which had expired. The 1795 Act was originally a temporary Act which was to expire when George III died, but it was made permanent by the Treason Act 1817.

Some other treasons created by the Act (which also originated with the 1661 Act) were reduced to felonies by the Treason Felony Act 1848, which also extended the 1795 Act to Ireland.

The Act also stipulated that anyone found to have brought either the King, the Constitution or the government into contempt could be transported for a period of 7 years.^[3] This clause was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1871.

A later perspective given on the context surrounding its passage:

"In the meantime, the supporters of Fox had been active in protesting against the attitude of the government. To offset this, so it is claimed, an incident was prearranged by the ministry which was calculated to arouse the indignation of loyal subjects of George III. While the king was on his way to attend the opening of Parliament on October 29, 1795, a riotous crowd assembled and stoned his carriage, breaking some panes of glass. The evidence is not altogether clear that this assault was not a premeditated affair, arranged with the knowledge of responsible ministers. As a result of the agitation following the incident, the Treasonable Practices Bill was passed on December 18, 1795. To this was coupled a Seditious Meetings Bill, aimed at the gatherings that Pitt had taken exception to. The government was thus thoroughly established in the position aimed at by Pitt, which position placed him personally in the height of his power."

— O.E. Hunt, "Review: England and the French Revolution, 1789-1797. By Wm. Thomas Laprade, Ph. D. (Baltimore). The Johns Hopkins Press. 1909.", Journal of the Military Service Institution of the United States (1910) pg. 545 ^[4]

The rest of the Act was repealed by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.