List of acts of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1773 facts for kids

This article is about the laws, also known as acts, that were made by the Parliament of Great Britain in the year 1773. These laws were important because they shaped how people lived and how the country was run during that time.

What is an Act of Parliament?

An Act of Parliament is a special law made by the government. Back in 1773, the Parliament of Great Britain was the main law-making body for England, Scotland, and Wales. These laws covered many different things, from building roads to how money was handled.

How Laws Were Numbered

Each law passed by Parliament got a special number. For example, you might see "13 Geo. 3 c. 67." This means it was the 67th law passed during the session of Parliament that started in the 13th year of King George III's rule. "Geo. 3" stands for King George III.

Before 1793, a law was considered to have started on the very first day Parliament met for that session, even if the law was passed much later in the year. This means some laws listed for 1773 might have actually been passed in late 1772.

Important Public Laws from 1773

Many laws passed in 1773 were "public acts," meaning they affected everyone. Here are some examples:

• Highways Act 1773 (Chapter 78): This law was made to improve and maintain public roads in England. It helped make travel easier and safer. This act was later replaced by newer laws.
• Bank of England Notes Act 1773 (Chapter 79): This act aimed to stop people from making fake money (forging notes) from the Bank of England. It also tried to prevent people from pretending to have money by copying Bank of England notes.
• Game Act 1773 (Chapter 80): This law changed rules about hunting and protecting wild animals, known as "game." It replaced an older law from 1770.
• Inclosure Act 1773 (Chapter 81): This act was about how common lands were used. It aimed to improve and manage shared farming fields, unused lands, and common pastures across the country.
• Lying-in Hospitals Act 1773 (Chapter 82): This law helped regulate "lying-in hospitals," which were places where pregnant women could go to have their babies. It also made rules about what happened to children born in these hospitals if their parents were not married.
• Richmond Bridge Act 1773 (Chapter 83): This law allowed for a new bridge to be built across the River Thames, connecting Richmond in Surrey to the opposite side in Middlesex. It also allowed the King to give the ferry service at Richmond to certain people.
• Turnpike Roads Act 1773 (Chapter 84): This was a big law that brought together many existing rules about "turnpike roads." These were roads where people paid a toll to use them, and the money was used to keep the roads in good condition. This act was later replaced.
• Trent Navigation Act 1773 (Chapter 86): This law focused on making the River Trent easier to travel on by boat, especially near the town of Newark upon Trent. This helped with trade and transport.
• Forth and Clyde Navigation Act 1773 (Chapter 104): This act expanded on earlier laws to build and maintain a canal connecting the Firth of Forth and the River Clyde in Scotland. This was a huge project to link the east and west coasts of Scotland by water, making it easier to move goods.
• Llandovery Bridge Act 1773 (Chapter 111): This law allowed for a bridge to be built over the River Towey near Llandovery in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It also aimed to make the shallow river crossings (fords) near the town safer.
• Redstone Bridge, Severn Act 1773 (Chapter 113): This act allowed for a new bridge to be built across the River Severn near Redstone in Worcestershire. It also made sure that the people who owned the ferry service there were paid fairly.

Private Laws from 1773

Besides public laws, Parliament also passed "private acts." These laws usually affected specific people, families, or small local areas, rather than the whole country. Many of these laws were about:

• Land Inclosures: These acts allowed common lands to be divided up and fenced off for private use. This was a common practice at the time to make farming more efficient. Examples include the Hadsor Common (Worcestershire) Inclosure Act (Chapter 8) and the Snaith and Cowick (Yorkshire) Inclosure Act (Chapter 9).
• Estate Management: Laws were passed to help families manage their land and property, often involving sales or exchanges of land. For example, the Sir Charles Cocks Estates Act (Chapter 5) allowed parts of his family's land to be sold.
• Personal Matters: Some private acts dealt with personal issues, like allowing someone to change their name (e.g., Robert Athorpe Blanchard: change of name to Athorpe only, Chapter 47) or even divorces (e.g., John Featherstone Bowerbank's divorce, Chapter 71).
• Naturalization: These acts allowed people from other countries to become British citizens (e.g., Naturalization of Isaac Morier Act, Chapter 22).

Many of these private acts were very specific and local, showing how Parliament dealt with individual requests and needs across Great Britain.

Sources

• Chronological Table of and Index to the Statutes. 1: To the End of the Session 59 Vict. Sess. 2 (1895) (13th ed.). London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. 1896. pp. 129–130. https://books.google.com/books?id=EfcZAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA129.

See also

• List of acts of the Parliament of Great Britain