Gunpowder Act 1860

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Gunpowder Act 1860 [a]
Act of Parliament
Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (1837).svg
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title An Act to amend the Law concerning the making, keeping, and Carriage of Gunpowder and Compositions of an explosive Nature, and concerning the Manufacture, Sale, and Use of Fireworks.
Citation 23 & 24 Vict. c. 139
Introduced by Sir George Lewis MP (Commons)
Territorial extent  United Kingdom
Dates
Royal assent 28 August 1860
Commencement 31 August 1861 [b]
Repealed1 January 1876
Other legislation
Repeals/revokes
Repealed by Explosives Act 1875
Relates to
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Gunpowder Act 1860 [a] (23 & 24 Vict. c. 139), also known as the Gunpowder and Fireworks Act 1860, [1] [2] was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that amended the law relating to the making, keeping and transport of gunpowder.

Contents

Passage

Leave to bring in the Gunpowder, &c. Bill to the House of Commons was granted to the home secretary, Sir George Lewis MP and the under-secretary of state for the home department, George Clive MP on 2 July 1860. [3]

The bill had its first reading in the House of Commons on 3 July 1860, presented by the home secretary, Sir George Lewis MP . [3] The bill had its second reading in the House of Commons on 19 July 1860 and was committed to a committee of the whole house, [3] which met and reported on 19 July 1860, with amendments. [3] The amended bill was re-committed to a committee of the whole house, which met on 25 July 1860 and reported on 26 July 1860, with amendments. [3] The amended bill had its third reading in the House of Commons on 28 July 1860 and passed, without amendments. [3]

The bill had its first reading in the House of Lords on 30 July 1860. [4] The bill had its second reading in the House of Lords on 9 August 1860 and was committed to a committee of the whole house, [4] which upon the motion of the Lord President of the Council, Granville Leveson-Gower, 2nd Earl Granville, was directed to meet with urgency. [4] The committee met on 16 August 1860 and reported on 17 August 1860, with amendments. [4] The amended bill had its third reading in the House of Lords on 20 August 1860 and passed, with amendments. [4]

The amended bill was considered and agreed to by the House of Commons on 23 August 1860. [3]

The bill was granted royal assent on 28 August 1860. [4]

Provisions

Repealed enactments

Section 1 of the act repealed 3 enactments, listed in that section, effective from 31 August 1861, except for any offences or penalties incurred done under those enactments before repeal. [5]

CitationShort titleExtent of repeal
9 & 10 Will. 3. c. 7 Fireworks Act 1697 The whole act.
5 Geo. 2. c. 12 (I) Fireworks Act 1731 The whole act.
12 Geo. 3. c. 61 Gunpowder Act 1772 The whole act.

Subsequent developments

On 2 October 1874, two barges carrying gunpowder ignited and exploded in the Macclesfield Canal, which became known as the Macclesfield Bridge Disaster. [6] Four people were killed and the bridge was destroyed. The disaster led to efforts to reform explosives law in the United Kingdom, [6] and the whole act was repealed by section 122 of, and the fourth schedule to, the Explosives Act 1875 (38 & 39 Vict. c. 17).

Notes

  1. 1 2 This short title was conferred on this act by section 3 of the Gunpowder Act Amendment Act 1862.
  2. ↑ Section 1.

References

  1. ↑ Aiyar, Ananta Narayana (1971). Sales Tax Cases. Commercial Laws of India Private.
  2. ↑ "GUNPOWDER AND FIREWORKS ACT 1860: As to the construction of the act". TS 25 - Treasury Solicitor and HM Procurator General: Law Officers' and Counsel's Opinion, ID: TS 25/1156. The National Archives.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Commons, Great Britain House of (1860). The Journals of the House of Commons (PDF). Vol. 115. pp. 348, 351, 361, 493, 495, 498, 501, 508.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lords, Great Britain Parliament House of (1860). Journals of the House of Lords. Vol. 92. H.M. Stationery Office. pp. 631–632, 668, 672, 696–698, 702, 709, 724, 733, 784.
  5. ↑ A Collection of the Public General Statutes: 1860. 1860. pp. 1261–1279.
  6. 1 2 "The Macclesfield Bridge disaster | Royal Museums Greenwich". www.rmg.co.uk. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
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