Adventurers' Act 1640 facts for kids
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| Long title | An Act for the speedy and effectuall reducing of the Rebells in his Majesties Kingdome of Ireland to theire due obedience to his Majesty & the Crowne of England. |
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| Citation | 16 Cha. 1. c. 33 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 19 March 1642 |
| Commencement | 19 March 1642 |
| Repealed | 23 May 1950 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by |
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Status: Repealed
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| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The Adventurers' Act was a special law passed by the Parliament of England. Its main goal was to quickly bring the "rebels" in Ireland back under the control of the King and England.
This law came about five months after the Irish Rebellion of 1641 began. The government needed money to pay an army to stop the rebellion. So, the Act allowed them to borrow money. The plan was to pay back these loans by taking land from the rebels and selling it.
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What Was the Main Act About?
This law was passed by the Long Parliament on March 19, 1642. It was a way to get money to stop the Irish Rebellion. The Act invited people to invest £200. In return, they would get 1,000 acres (about 4 square kilometers) of land. This land would be taken from rebels in Ireland.
The English government set aside 2.5 million acres (about 10,000 square kilometers) of Irish land for this purpose. To give you an idea, the whole island of Ireland is about 20.9 million acres (about 84,600 square kilometers).
King Charles himself asked for this law in the House of Lords. Both the Lords and the Commons (parts of Parliament) agreed to it without any arguments. The law's full name was "An Act for the speedy and effectual reducing of the Rebels, in His Majesty's Kingdom of Ireland, to their due Obedience to His Majesty, and the Crown of England."
The people who invested money were called "Adventurers." This was because they were taking a risk with their money. The King had just spent a lot of money on the Bishops' Wars a few years earlier. "Reducing" the rebels meant bringing them back to obeying the King's laws and keeping the "King's Peace."
King Charles couldn't actually make this law happen himself. But his political rivals did enforce it later. This happened after the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland from 1649 to 1653. The Adventurers' Act was a key reason for another important law, the Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652. Interestingly, in May 1642, the Irish rebels themselves swore an oath that recognized Charles as their king.
Other Important Laws
| Lands of Irish Rebels (Adventurers' Subscriptions) Act 1640 | |
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| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Act for the explanation of a former act for reducing the rebels in Ireland. |
| Citation | 16 Cha. 1. c. 43 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 6 April 1642 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1950 |
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Status: Repealed
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| Lands of Irish Rebels (Adventurers' Subscriptions) (Corporations) Act 1640 | |
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| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Act to enable corporations to adventure to Ireland. |
| Citation | 16 Cha. 1. c. 35 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1950 |
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Status: Repealed
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| Irish Rebels Act 1640 | |
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| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Act for the further reducing of the rebels in Ireland to their obedience to the King and crown of England. |
| Citation | 16 Cha. 1. c. 37 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1863 |
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Status: Repealed
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The Adventurers' Act was later expanded and changed by three other laws. These were the Lands of Irish Rebels (Adventurers' Subscriptions) Act 1640, the Lands of Irish Rebels (Adventurers' Subscriptions) (Corporations) Act 1640, and the Irish Rebels Act 1640.
All four of these laws were officially approved by the King in the summer of 1642. This was just before the English Civil War started. They are often called "1640 acts" because that's when the Long Parliament began.
In July 1643, Parliament passed something called the Doubling Ordinance. This rule said that if someone invested 25% more money, they would get double the amount of land they were promised. This was done for two reasons. First, it raised more money for Parliament to fight the rebellion in Ireland. Second, it stopped the King from getting the lands taken from rebels, which he would normally have claimed.
How Was the Act Enforced?
To make these laws happen, the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland began in 1649. By 1653, Ireland was declared under control. The lands were then given to the people who had invested money. This process became known as the Cromwellian Settlement.
When Was the Act Cancelled?
The Adventurers' Act and the other three related laws were officially cancelled (repealed) for the United Kingdom in 1950. This happened with the Statute Law Revision Act 1950. For the Republic of Ireland, these laws were cancelled in 2007 by the Statute Law Revision Act 2007.
See also
- Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652
- Act of Settlement 1657
- Act of Settlement 1662
- Confederate Ireland
