Making of Bread Act 1757 facts for kids
| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Act for the due making of bread; and to regulate the price and assize thereof; and to punish persons who shall adulterate meal, flour, or bread. |
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| Citation | 31 Geo. 2. c. 29 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repeals/revokes | Price and Assise of Bread Act 1709 |
The Making of Bread Act 1757 was an important law passed by the Parliament of Great Britain. Its main goal was to make sure bread was made properly. It also aimed to punish anyone who added bad things to bread. This was done to protect the health of everyone who ate bread.
This law was created after a report came out. The report said that some bakers were using things like alum, chalk, and even powdered bones. They added these to bread to make it look whiter.
Why the Law Was Needed
Controlling how bread was made and sold was a big deal in England. Governments had been trying to do this since the 1200s. Before the 1700s, it was against the law to sell bread that weighed too little. To get around this, some bakers would put stones in their bread. This made the bread heavier.
Over time, people started to prefer white bread. So, bakers began adding things like alum to make it whiter. The idea that bakers might add chalk or bone even caused a riot in Manchester once! Making white bread also meant throwing away parts of the healthy wholegrain. This was a problem when food was scarce.
In 1735, bakers themselves complained about the poor quality of the flour they were getting. England used to sell a lot of wheat to other countries. But after 1750, England started buying wheat from other places. This made the price of bread go up. All these issues led to the new law being introduced in 1757.
What the Act Did
The main purpose of the Making of Bread Act 1757 was to keep bread safe. It wanted to stop bakers from adding harmful things to it. The law mostly focused on London. It aimed to change how people bought and ate bread.
To encourage bakers to make a common "household bread," the Act changed the old rules. It got rid of the traditional "White" and "Wheaten" bread types.
How It Changed Things
Even with the new law, people in London didn't really change their eating habits much. They still preferred the old "Wheaten bread" over the new "household" type. The law had little effect on what kind of bread people chose to eat.
See also
- Making of Bread, etc. Act 1800
- Assize of Bread and Ale
