Transcripts of Various Acts of Parliament of Interest to the Genealogist1

Searches at a registrar’s office.

Registry of Deeds Conveyances & Wills, Wakefield

Some Private Acts

Census Acts

Acts concerning Burial Grounds

Married Women’s Property Acts

Consanguinity & Affinity

Public Records Acts

Timeline of events concerning the keeping of records pre 1812

Parochial Registers and Records Measures

He is a Bastard that is born before the Marriage of his Parents (1235)

An Act concerning Peter pence and Dispensations. (1533)

Thomas Cromwell’s order to keep Parish Registers 1538

An Act For Marriages to stand notwithstanding Pre-contracts (1540)

An Act for the Punishment of such as shall take away Madyens that be Inheritors, being within the Age of sixteen Years, or that marry them without Consent of their Parents. (1557)

An Act for taking away of Clergy from Offenders against a certain Statute made in the third Year of the Reign of King Henry the Seventh, concerning the Taking away of Women against their Wills unlawfully. (1597)

An Act to restrain all Persons from marriage until their former Wives and former Husbands be dead. (1604)

An Act for preventing the Mischiefs and Dangers that may arise by certain Persons called Quakers and others, refusing to take lawful Oaths. [1661]

An Act for Burying in Woollen. (1677)

An Act for exempting their majesties Protestant Subjects, dissenting from the Church of England, from the Penalties of certain Laws. [1688] Toleration Act

An Act for Granting to His Majesty certain Rates and Duties upon Marriages, Births and Burials, and upon Batchelors and Widowers, for the Term of Five Years, for Carrying on the War against France with Vigour. (1695)

An Act for the enforcing the Laws which restrain Marriages without Licence or Banns, and for the better registering Marriages, Births, and Burials. (1696)

Section X of An Act for laying further Duties on Low Wines, and for preventing the Damage to her Majesty’s Revenue by Importation of foreign cut Whalebone, and for making some Provisions as to the Stamp Duties, and the Duties on Births, Burials, and Marriages, and the Salt Duties, and touching Million Lottery Tickets, and for enabling her Majesty to dispose the Effects of William Kidd, a notorious Pirate, to the Use of Greenwich Hospital, and for appropriating the publick Monies granted in this Session of Parliament. (1705)

An Act for the Relief of Parishes and other Places from such Charges as may arise from Bastard Children born within the same. [1733]

An Act for the better preventing of clandestine Marriages. (1753) Lord Hardwicke’s Act

An Act for granting to his Majesty a Stamp-duty on the Registry of Burials, Marriages, Births, and Christenings. [1783]

An Act for better regulating and preserving Parish and other Registers of Births, Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials in England [28th June 1812] Rose’s Act

An Act to repeal Two Act of the Thirtieth and Thirty second Years of King Charles the Second, for burying in Woollen, and for indemnifying Persons against Penalties for Offences committed against the said Acts. [23rd July 1814.]

An Act to render valid certain Marriages [7th March 1823.]

An Act to repeal certain Provisions of an Act passed in the Third Year of His present Majesty, intituled An Act to amend certain Provisions of the Twenty sixth of George the Second, for the better preventing of Clandestine Marriages. [26th March 1823.]

An Act for amending the Laws respecting the Solemnization of Marriages in England. [18th July 1823]

An Act to relieve His Majesties Subjects from all Doubt concerning the Validity of certain Marriages solemnized abroad [18th July 1823]

An Act to render certain Marriages valid, and to alter the Law with respect to certain voidable Marriages. Lord Lyndhurst’s Act

An Act for registering Births, Deaths, and Marriages in England [17th August 1836.]

An Act for Marriages in England [17th August 1836]

An Act to explain and amend Two Acts for Marriages and for registering Birth Deaths and Marriages [30th June 1837]

An Act to suspend for a limited Time the Operation of Two Acts passed in the last Session of Parliament, for the registering Births, Deaths, and Marriages in England, and for Marriages in England. [24th February 1837]

An Act for enabling Courts of Justice to admit Non-parochial Registers as Evidence of Births or Baptisms, Deaths or Burials, and Marriages. [10 August 1840]

An Act to amend the Law relating to Divorce and Matrimonial Causes in England. [28th August 1857]

An Act to make further Provision for the Registration of Burials in England [29th July 1864]

An Act to render it unlawful to demand any Fee or Reward for the Celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism, or the Registry thereof. [18th July 1872.]

Registration Births and Deaths 1874

The Confirmation of Marriages on Her Majesty’s Ships Act, 1879

The Registration of Births, Deaths, and Marriages, (Army) Act, 1879.

Burial Laws Amendment Act, 1880

The Marriage Act 1886

Notification of Births Act, 1907

Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Act 1907

Deceased Brother's Widow's Marriage Act 1921

Births and Deaths Registration Act 1926

Legitimacy Act 1926

Adoption of Infants Act 1926

Age of Marriage Act, 1929

Marriage (Prohibited Degrees of Relationship) Act, 1931

Births and Deaths Registration Act 1947

Marriage Act, 1949. Parts I, II & III

Marriage Act, 1949. Parts IV, V & VI

Adoption of Children Act, 1949

Births & Deaths Registration Act, 1953

Legitimation (Re-registration of Birth) Act, 1957

The Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages (Fees) Order 1968

Links to external sites

House of Lords publications

HMSO
Acts of the UK Parliament

House of Commons publications

Public Bills before Parliament

 Update on Consultation Document

House of Commons Factsheets

 White Paper
on proposed changes

The Consultation Document
on proposed changes

 European Convention on Human Rights

Scottish
Civil Registration in the 21st Century

Summary of proposals to be Implemented

Scottish
Civil Registration in the 21st Century

Summary of Responses

The General Register Office for Scotland

 Scottish Groundbreaking Family Tree Project Under Way

Freedom of Information Act 2000

 Data Protection Act 1998

Confession of Faith

Change of name

The Cremation Society of Great Britain

 

Copyright Act 1988

Copyright Act 1988 + amendements

 Workhouse & Poor Laws

Inclosure Act 1845

 

An Act for Regulating the Commencement of the Year; and for Correcting the Calendar now in Use.

 

Printed Acts of Parliament may be found in the multi volume series of books entitled Statutes at Large by various editors. return

 

Copyright Guy Etchells © 2001-2006 All rights reserved.

Permission is granted for all free personal and non-commercial uses. It is my intention to make all data contained herein freely available for all private, non-profit and non-commercial uses. Commercial use of any portion contained herein is expressly prohibited.
Database Right, all databases on this website are covered by the 1997 Database Regulations
Guy Etchells is the maker of the database contained within and the owner of the database rights.
First published in 2001.

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