List of acts of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1777 facts for kids

The Parliament of Great Britain was like the government back in 1777. It made important rules and laws, which were called "Acts of Parliament." This list tells you about all the laws that were passed in 1777.

Each law had its own special number, called a chapter number. For example, a law might be called "17 Geo. 3 c. 56." This means it was the 56th law passed during the 17th year of King George III's rule.

Before 1793, a new law usually started being used on the very first day of the Parliament meeting when it was passed. So, some laws listed here might have actually been passed in late 1776, even though they are listed under 1777.

Laws Passed in 1777 (17 Geo. 3)

The British Parliament met from October 31, 1776, to June 6, 1777. Here are the laws they passed during that time.

Public Laws

Public laws were for everyone in Great Britain. They covered things like trade, roads, and public services.

• Frauds by Workmen Act 1777 (c. 56): This law aimed to stop cheating and bad practices by people working in different industries, like hat-making, wool, linen, and silk. It also had rules to prevent dyers from cheating.
• Prints Copyright Act 1777 (c. 57): This law helped artists and engravers protect their original drawings and prints. It allowed them to sue people who copied their work without permission.
• Warwick Gaol Act 1777 (c. 58): This law was about making the public prison in Warwick bigger and better.
• Rolls Estate Act 1777 (c. 59): This law changed how leases (rental agreements) were made for properties belonging to the "Rolls Estate." It also made sure that certain people, like the Earl of Macclesfield, were paid fairly for their rights to these properties.
• Shoreditch (Hoxton Square) (Improvement) Act 1777 (c. 60): This law was about improving and making Hoxton Square in Shoreditch, London, more beautiful. It also removed old common rights to the land there.
• Westminster (Streets) Act 1777 (c. 61): This law allowed the Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey to build new streets and widen existing ones in Westminster, making it easier to get around.
• Lincolnshire (Small Debts) Act 1777 (c. 62): This law made it easier and quicker for people to get back small amounts of money owed to them in certain areas of Lincolnshire.
• Clerkenwell (Streets) Act 1777 (c. 63): This law updated an earlier act about paving, lighting, and watching the streets in Clerkenwell, London. It also allowed for widening some passages and building a new chapel.
• Kensington (Poor Relief) Act 1777 (c. 64): This law was designed to better help and provide work for the poor people in the parish of Saint Mary Abbotts Kensington.
• Bedford Level (Drainage) Act 1777 (c. 65): This law improved an earlier act about draining and protecting certain low-lying, marshy lands (fen lands) in parts of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire.
• Mile End Night Watch Act 1777 (c. 66): This law set up a nightly watch (like a police patrol) in the area of Mile-End Old Town in Middlesex.
• Chester Canal Act 1777 (c. 67): This law expanded the powers of an earlier act to build a navigable canal from the River Dee near Chester to Middlewich and Nantwich.
• Maismore Bridge, Severn Act 1777 (c. 68): This law was about rebuilding a bridge over the River Severn at Maisemore, near Gloucester. It also covered improving a nearby road and keeping the streets in Gloucester clean.
• Erewash Canal Act 1777 (c. 69): This law allowed for the creation and upkeep of a navigable canal from the River Trent in Derbyshire to Langley Bridge.
• Lincoln (Drainage) Act 1777 (c. 70): This law was about dividing and enclosing common fields and draining certain low lands in Billinghay, Lincolnshire.
• Rugby School and Alms-houses Act 1777 (c. 71): This law allowed the people in charge of the Rugby School and almshouses (charitable homes for the poor) to sell or lease parts of their land in Middlesex to help fund the school and homes.
• Roads Acts (c. 72-111): Many laws were passed in 1777 to repair, widen, and improve roads across Great Britain. These included roads in:
  • Wiltshire (c. 72, 93, 98, 99)
  • Yorkshire (c. 73, 77, 78, 80, 87, 102, 106)
  • Sussex (c. 74, 91, 97)
  • Worcestershire (c. 75)
  • Cheshire (c. 76)
  • Cornwall and Devon (c. 79, 81, 89)
  • Buckinghamshire (c. 82)
  • Dorset (c. 83, 86, 89, 103, 104)
  • Surrey and Hampshire (c. 84)
  • Herefordshire (c. 85)
  • Oxfordshire (c. 88, 105)
  • Lancashire (c. 90)
  • Derbyshire (c. 92, 101)
  • Bedfordshire (c. 94)
  • Somerset (c. 95, 99)
  • Monmouthshire (c. 96)
  • Merioneth, Montgomery, Denbigh, and Shropshire (c. 100)
  • Dumfries (Scotland) (c. 107)
  • Leicestershire (c. 108)
  • Lincolnshire (c. 109)
  • Durham and Northumberland (c. 110)
  • Caernarvonshire and Denbighshire (Wales) (c. 111)

Private Laws

Private laws were special laws that only affected certain people, families, or small groups, often dealing with their land or personal matters.

• George Duke of Manchester's Estate Act 1777 (c. 6): This law allowed the Duke of Manchester to swap some of his church properties for other lands, keeping his estate in order.
• Land Enclosure Acts (c. 7, 8, 10-18, 30-46, 58-77, 79-81, 98-100, 104-129): Many private laws were passed to "enclose" common lands. This meant dividing up shared fields and waste grounds into private plots for farming or other uses. These acts affected areas like:
  • Northamptonshire (Thorpe Malsor, Tansor, Holcot, Nassington, Welford, Grafton Underwood, Killesby, Mears Ashby, Whilton, Norton, Brockhall)
  • Sussex (Westergate Common)
  • Leicestershire (Hatherne, Shepshead, Syston, Barkby, Wykeham, Caudwell, Gilmorton)
  • Westmorland (King's Meaburn)
  • Durham (Horncliff)
  • Yorkshire (Thorner, Tunstall, Boynton, Bugthorpe, Fremington, Aysgarth, Halton Moor, Newsham, Barmby upon the Moor, North and South Newbald, Thornton, Monkbretton)
  • Shropshire (Rednal, Whittington, Baschurch, Corfton Wood)
  • Bedfordshire (Tempsford)
  • Derbyshire (Shirland, Stretton, Tibshelf, Killamarsh)
  • Nottinghamshire (Winthorpe, Farnsfield, Halam, Edingley, Bleasby)
  • Somerset (Compton Bishop, Huntspill, Cossington, Shapwick)
  • Yorkshire (Wallingfen)
  • Buckinghamshire (Ludgershall, Wendover)
  • Cumberland (Bolton, Egremont, St. Cuthbert Carlisle, St. Mary Carlisle, Farlam, Brampton)
  • Norfolk (Little Cressingham, Wreningham, Carlton Rode, Felthorpe)
  • Warwickshire (Weston under Wetheley)
  • Gloucestershire (Condicote, Shireborne, Windrush)
  • Oxfordshire (Stanton St. John, Great and Little Bourton)
  • Wiltshire (Market Lavington, Ramsbury, Earl Stoke, Ashton Keynes, Surfleet)
  • Berkshire (Uffington, Balking, Woolston, Kinston Lisle, Fawler, Farmborough)
  • Cambridgeshire (Weston Colville)
  • Lincolnshire (Swinstead, Kirnington, Great Sturton, Metheringham, Candlesby, Brampton, Leadenham)
  • Staffordshire (Ipstones)
• Name Change Acts (c. 19, 48, 83, 132, 133): These laws allowed individuals to officially change their surnames, often to inherit property or follow a will. Examples include John Eames to Waight, Jervoise Clarke to Jervoise, William Kilborn to Burrowes, William Dutton to Naper, and Isaac Martin Rebow to Martin.
• Naturalization Acts (c. 20-26, 134, 135): These laws granted British citizenship to people born in other countries, such as George Soltau, Gerhard Berck, Henry Hammelburg, Gunter Kroger, Ernest Bernard Banning, John Centlivres, Marcellin Pernoud, William Aguiton, Willem Vlught, Horace Cattaneo, Francis Gaudot, Maria Perry, and Charles Morris Klanert.
• Estate Acts (c. 27, 28, 29, 49-56, 84-86, 88-97, 101-103, 136): These laws dealt with the buying, selling, or managing of large properties (estates) belonging to specific individuals or institutions, like the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Robert Spencer, Sir Thomas Broughton, John Barnewell Curson, Thomas and William Henry Assheton Smith, Reverend Henry and Mary Osman, Corpus Christi College Oxford, Magdalen College Oxford, William Wheatley, Sir John Swinburne, William and Hannah Jackson, Elizabeth Trattle, William Weddell, John Harvey, Charles Baldwyn, Taylor and Sarah White, Thomas and Ann Fowke, George Lord Onslow, Richard Combe, Sir William and Dame Catherine Hamilton, Philip Egerton, and John and Mary Clarke.
• John Potter Harris Divorce Act 1777 (c. 47): This law allowed John Potter Harris to divorce his wife, Elizabeth Martha Chicheley Plowden, and marry again.
• John Braithwaite Divorce Act 1777 (c. 82): This law allowed John Braithwaite to divorce his wife, Elizabeth Browne, and marry again.
• United Charities of Nathaniel Waterhouse (Halifax) Act 1777 (c. 87): This law was about combining and better managing the charities set up by Nathaniel Waterhouse in Halifax.
• George Carpenter Earl of Tyrconnel's Divorce Act 1777 (c. 131): This law allowed George Carpenter, Earl of Tyrconnel, to divorce his wife, Lady Frances Manners, and marry again.

See also

• List of acts of the Parliament of Great Britain