Anatomy Act 1832

Anatomy Act 1832
This entry is part 2 of 9 in the series Statutes of Law

Body Snatching could make your body worth more dead than alive and the Anatomy Act was one way of starting toa ddress this dreadful and workhouse Regime fuelled fear by legislating to protect the corpses of the poor, this act lasts into the 20th Century so it was certainly significant well-beyond it’s original foundation,,,

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‘Lunatics’ and the Poor Law Act 1834

This entry is part 4 of 9 in the series Statutes of Law

Asylums had been operating in Britain for hundreds of years, the first recorded was the Bethlem Royal Hospital established in the C15th and were run  as private charitable institutions. The whole business was a haphazard affair until the Madhouse Act of 1774 which established licensing and yearly inspections of asylums. Still little provision was made…

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Birth Marriage Death Registration Act 1836

This entry is part 5 of 9 in the series Statutes of Law

The Birth, Marriage and Death Registration Act of 1836, introduced registration of these life events but contained no penalties for refusal to register. It established the General Register Office and divided the country into registration districts. It became effective from 1st July 1837   Find the earliest registration of a life event in your tree…

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Metropolitan Police Act 1839

This entry is part 8 of 9 in the series Statutes of Law

The Metropolitan Police Act of 1839 gave greatly increased powers to the Metropolitan Police. The district over which it operated was increased to cover a 15 mile radius from Charing Cross. Constables were given ‘all powers and privileges’ in the counties of Berks, Bucks and on the River Thames. Within the Port of London they…

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