Produced by Jonathan Walther









Full text of the Riot Act (c. 1714-1715)


Typed in this February 8, 2002 by Jonathan Walther. The source was cap
V, volume XIII, pages 142-146 of the "Statutes At Large" series,
printed in the year 1764. Also indexed as "Anno primo GEORGEII I. Stat.
2. C. 5." Many sources on the Internet claim the Riot Act was passed in
1715; according to Statutes At Large it was passed in 1714. The
confusion may be caused by the fact that the Act took _effect_ in
August of 1715. This is, of course, the famous Riot Act that gave rise
to the expression _"Read them the Riot Act!_".



CAP. V.

An act for preventing tumults and riotous assemblies, and for the more
speedy and effectual punishing the rioters.


I.

Whereas of late many rebellious riots and tumults have been in divers
parts of this kingdom, to the disturbance of the publick peace, and the
endangering of his Majesty's person and government, and the same are
yet continued and fomented by persons disaffected to his Majesty,
presuming so to do, for that the punishments provided by the laws now
in being are not adequate to such heinous offences; and by such rioters
his Majesty and his administration have been most maliciously and
falsly traduced, with an intent to raise divisions, and to alienate the
affections of the people from his Majesty therefore for the preventing
and suppressing of such riots and tumults, and for the more speedy and
effectual punishing the offenders therein; be it enacted by the King's
most excellent majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the lords
spiritual and temporal and of the commons, in this present parliament
assembled, and by the authority of the same, That if any persons to the
number of twelve or more, being unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously
assembled together, to the disturbance of the publick peace, at any
time after the last day of _July_ in the year of our Lord one thousand
seven hundred and fifteen, and being required or commanded by any one
or more justice or justices of the peace, or by the sheriff of the
county, or his under-sheriff, or by the mayor, bailiff or bailiffs, or
other head-officer, or justice of the peace of any city or town
corporate, where such assembly shall be, by proclamation to be made in
the King's name, in the form herin after directed, to disperse
themselves, and peaceably to depart to their habitations, or to their
lawful business, shall, to the number of twelve or more
(notwithstanding such proclamation made) unlawfully, riotously, and
tumultuously remain or continue together by the space of one hour after
such command or request made by proclamation, that then such continuing
together to the number of twelve or more, after such command or request
made by proclamation, shall be adjudged felony without benefit of
clergy, and the offenders therein shall be adjudged felons, and shall
suffer death as in a case of felony without benefit of clergy.



II.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the order
and form of the proclamation that shall be made by the authority of
this act, shall be as hereafter followeth (that is to say) the justice
of the peace, or other person authorized by this act to make the said
proclamation shall, among the said rioters, or as near to them as he
can safely come, with a loud voice command, or cause to be commanded
silence to be, while proclamation is making, and after that, shall
openly and with loud voice make or cause to be made proclamation in
these words, or like in effect:


  Our sovereign Lord the King chargeth and commandeth all
  persons, being assembled, immediately to disperse themselves,
  and peaceably to depart to their habitations, or to their
  lawful business, upon the pains contained in the act made
  in the first year of King George, for preventing tumults
  and riotous assemblies. God save the King.


And every such justice and justices of the peace, sheriff,
under-sheriff, mayor, bailiff, and other head-officer aforesaid, within
the limits of their respective jurisdictions, are hereby authorized,
impowered and required, on notice or knowledge of any such unlawful,
riotous and tumultuous assembly, to resort to the place where such
unlawful, riotous, and tumultuous assemblies shall be, of persons to
the number of twelve or more, and there to make or cause to be made
proclamation in manner aforesaid.



III.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That if such
persons so unlawfully, riotously, and tumultuously assembled, or twelve
or more of them, after proclamation made in manner aforesaid, shall
continue together and not disperse themselves within one hour, That
then it shall and may be lawful to and for every justice of the peace,
sheriff, or under-sheriff of the county where such assembly shall be,
and also to and for every high or petty constable, and other
peace-officer within such county, and also to and for every mayor,
justice of the peace, sheriff, bailiff, and other head-officer, high or
petty constable, and other peace-officer of any city or town corporate
where such assembly shall be, and to and for such other person and
persons as shall be commanded to be assisting unto any such justice of
the peace, sheriff or under-sheriff, mayor, bailiff, or other
head-officer aforesaid (who are hereby authorized and impowered to
command all his Majesty's subjects of age and ability to be assisting
to them therein) to seize and apprehend, and they are hereby required
to seize and apprehend such persons so unlawfully, riotously and
tumultuously continuing together after proclamation made, as aforesaid,
and forthwith to carry the persons so apprehended before one or more of
his Majesty's justices of the peace of the county or place where such
persons shall be so apprehended, in order to their being proceeded
against for such their offences according to law; and that if the
persons so unlawfully, riotously and tumultuously assembled, or any of
them, shall happen to be killed, maimed or hurt, in the dispersing,
seizing or apprehending, or endeavouring to disperse, seize or
apprehend them, that then every such justice of the peace, sheriff,
under-sheriff, mayor, bailiff, head-officer, high or petty constable,
or other peace-officer, and all and singular persons, being aiding and
assisting to them, or any of them, shall be free, discharged and
indemnified, as well against the King's Majesty, his heirs and
successors, as against all and every other person and persons, of, for,
or concerning the killing, maiming, or hurting of any such person or
persons so unlawfully, riotously and tumultuously assembled, that shall
happen to be so killed, maimed or hurt, as aforesaid.



IV.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That if any
persons unlawfully, riotously and tumultuously assembled together, to
the disturbance of the publick peace, shall unlawfully, and with force
demolish or pull down, or begin to demolish or pull down any church or
chapel, or any building for religious worship certified and registred
according to the statute made in the first year of the reign of the
late King _William_ and Queen _Mary_, intituled, _An act for exempting
their Majesty's protestant subjects dissenting from the church of_
England _from the penalties of certain laws_, or any dwelling-house,
barn, stable, or other out-house, that then every such demolishing, or
pulling down, or beginning to demolish, or pull down, shall be adjudged
felony without benefit of clergy, and the offenders therein shall be
adjudged felons, and shall suffer death as in case of felony, without
benefit of clergy.



V.

Provided always, and be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid,
That if any person or persons do, or shall, with force and arms,
wilfully and knowingly oppose, obstruct, or in any manner wilfully and
knowingly lett, hinder, or hurt any person or persons that shall begin
to proclaim, or go to proclaim according to the proclamation hereby
directed to be made, whereby such proclamation shall not be made, that
then every such apposing, obstructing, letting, hindering or hurting
such person or persons, so beginning or going to make such
proclamation, as aforesaid, shall be adjudged felony without benefit of
clergy, and the offenders therein shall be adjudged felons, and shall
suffer death as in case of felony, without benefit of clergy; and that
also every such person or persons so being unlawfully, riotously and
tumultuously assembled, to the number of twelve, as aforesaid, or more,
to whom proclamation should or ought to have been made if the same had
not been hindred, as aforesaid, shall likewise, in case they or any of
them, to the number of twelve or more, shall continue together, and not
disperse themselves within one hour after such lett or hindrance so
made, having knowledge of such lett or hindrance so made, shall be
adjudged felons, and shall suffer death as in case of felony, without
benefit of clergy.



VI.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That if after the
said last day of _July_ one thousand seven hundred and fifteen, any
such church or chapel, or any such building for religious worship, or
any such dwelling-house, barn, stable, or other out-house, shall be
demolished or pulled down wholly, or in part, by any persons so
unlawfully, riotously and tumultuously assembled, that then, in case
such church, chapel, building for religious worship, dwelling-house,
barn, stable, or out-house, shall be out of any city or town, that is
either a county of itself, or is not within any hundred, that then the
inhabitants of the hundred in which such damage shall be done, shall be
liable to yield damages to the person or persons injured and damnified
by such demolishing or pulling down wholly or in part; and such damages
shall and may be recovered by action to be brought in any of his
Majesty's courts of record at _Westminster_, (wherein no effoin,
protection or wager of law, or any imparlance shall be allowed) by the
person or persons damnified thereby, against any two or more of the
inhabitants of such hundred, such action for damages to any church or
chapel to be brought in the name of the rector, vicar or curate of such
church or chapel that shall be so damnified, in trust for applying the
damages to be recovered in rebuilding or repairing such church or
chapel; and that judgment being given for the plaintiff or plaintiffs
in such action, the damages so to be recovered shall, at the request of
such plaintiff or plaintiffs, his or their executors or administrators,
be raised and levied on the inhabitants of such hundred, and paid to
such plaintiff or plaintiffs, in such manner and form, and by such ways
and means, as are provided by the statute made in the seven and
twentieth year of the reign of Queen _Elizabeth_, for reimbursing the
person or persons on whom any money recovered against any hundred by
any party robbed, shall be levied: and in case any such church, chapel,
building for religious worship, dwelling-house, barn, stable, or
out-house so damnified, shall be in any city or town that is either a
county of itself, or is not within any hundred, that then such damages
shall and may be recovered by action to be brought in manner aforesaid
(where no effoin, protection or wager of law, or any imparlance shall
be allowed) against two or more inhabitants of such city or town; and
judgment being given for the plaintiff or plaintiffs in such action,
the damages so to be recovered shall, at the request of such plaintiff
or plaintiffs, his or their executors or administrators, made to the
justices of the peace of such city or town at any quarter-sessions to
be holden for the said city or town, be raised and levied on the
inhabitants of such city or town, and paid to such plaintiff or
plaintiffs, in such manner and form, and by such ways and means, as are
provided by the said statute made in the seven and twentieth year of
the reign of Queen _Elizabeth_, for reimbursing the person or persons
on whom any money recovered against any hundred by any party robbed,
shall be levied.



VII.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That this act
shall be openly read at every quarter-session, and at every leet or
law-day.



VIII.

Provided always, That no person or persons shall be prosecuted by
virtue of this act, for any offence or offences committed contrary to
the same, unless such prosecution be commenced within twelve months
after the offence committed.



IX.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the sheriffs
and their deputies, stewards and their deputies, bailies of regalities
and their deputies, magistrates of royal boroughs, and all other
inferior judges and magistrates, and also all high and petty
constables, or other peace-officers of any county, stewartry, city or
town, within that part of _Great Britain_ called _Scotland_, shall have
the same powers and authority for putting this present act in execution
within _Scotland_, as the justices of the peace and other magistrates
aforesaid, respectively have by virtue of this act, within and for the
other parts of this kingdom; and that all and every person and persons
who shall at any time be convicted of any the offences aforementioned,
within that part of _Great Britain_ called _Scotland_, shall for every
such offence incur and suffer the pain of death, and confiscation of
moveables: and also that all prosecutions for repairing the damages of
any church or chapel, or any building for religious worship, or any
dwelling-house, barn, stable or out-house, which shall be demolished or
pulled down in whole or in part, within _Scotland_, by any persons
unlawfully, riotously or tumultuously assembled, shall and may be
recovered by summar action, at the instance of the party aggrieved, his
or her heirs or executors, against the county, stewartry, city or
borough respectively, where such disorders shall happen, the
magistrates being summoned in the ordinary form, and the several
counties and stewartries called by edictal citation at the market-cross
of the head borough of such county or stewartry respectively, and that
in general, without mentioning their names and designations.



X.

Provided, and it is hereby declared, That this act shall extend to all
places for religious worship, in that part of _Great Britain_ called
_Scotland_, which are tolerated by law, and where his majesty King
_George_, the prince and princess of _Wales_, and their issue, are
prayed for in express words.