4th Parliament of Elizabeth I
Parliaments of England 1558–1601 |
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List of parliaments of England |
The 4th Parliament of Queen Elizabeth I was summoned by
The Parliament was called, following pressure from the
On 13 May 1572, at a joint committee of both Houses of Parliament (Upper and Lower), the Privy Council laid out their case against Mary, who was then under house arrest in the English Midlands under the charge of the
Other debates on religious matters were stymied by Elizabeth's insistence that they must first be approved by the bishops. The only bill of any significance passed by the time the first session ended on 30 June 1572 concerned a revision of the 1563 Poor Law that had lapsed in 1571. The new legislation introduced compulsory levies for the poor, to be enforced by local, secular authorities.[1]
The second session (8 Feb 1576 to 15 March 1576) was more productive in terms of legislation, with 37 bills enacted, covering such things as measures to reduce unemployment and an Act against informers. A further statute was added to the 1572 Poor Law for "setting the poor on work and for the avoiding of idleness," a proposal first made by Sir Francis Knollys in 1571 in an attempt to finance a general welfare system.[2] During the second session of Parliament, Peter Wentworth, a prominent Protestant leader, gave a passionate speech in favor of free speech, which resulted in his imprisonment by the House of Commons. The queen released him before the end of the session.[3]
The third and final session (16 Jan 1581 to 18 Mar 1581) was prompted by the activities of seminary priests and the Jesuit mission. Speaker Bell having died in the interim, Sir John Popham was installed in his place. A total of 17 Statutes and 13 private measures received the royal assent, including an Act against sedition and a new Navigation Act. The session was then again prorogued (suspended) and only formally dissolved two years later on 19 April 1583.
Notable acts of the Parliament
- Rebellion Act 1572
- Escape of Traitors Act 1572
- Vagabonds Act 1572
- Ecclesiastical Leases Act 1572
- Hospitals for the Poor Act 1572
- Poor Act 1575
- Common Informers Act 1575
- Benefit of Clergy Act 1575
- Ecclesiastical Leases Act 1575
- Rochester Bridge Act 1575
- Religion Act 1580
See also
- List of acts of the 1st session of the 4th Parliament of Queen Elizabeth I
- List of acts of the 2nd session of the 4th Parliament of Queen Elizabeth I
- List of acts of the 3rd session of the 4th Parliament of Queen Elizabeth I
- List of parliaments of England
References
- ^ "1572 | History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
- ISBN 0415409594.
- ^ Hulme, Harold. 1958. “Elizabeth I and Her Parliaments: The Work of Sir John Neale.” The Journal of Modern History 30 (3): 236–40.
- "4th Parliament of Elizabeth I, 14 Eliz. I, 18 Eliz. I, 23 Eliz. I". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 2 November 2017.