Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act to prevent and avoid dangers which may grow by Popish Recusants. |
---|---|
Citation | 3 Jas. 1. c. 4 |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 27 May 1606 |
Repealed | 13 April 1829 |
Other legislation | |
Repealed by | Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 |
Status: Repealed |
The Popish Recusants Act 1605 ( 3 Jas. 1. c. 4) was an act of the Parliament of England which quickly followed the Gunpowder Plot of the same year, an attempt by English Roman Catholics to assassinate King James I and many of the Parliament.
The Act forbade Roman Catholics from practising the professions of law and medicine and from acting as a guardian or trustee; and it allowed magistrates to search their houses for arms. The Act also provided a new oath of allegiance, which denied the power of the Pope to depose monarchs. The recusant was to be fined £60 or to forfeit two-thirds of his land if he did not receive the sacrament of the Lord's Supper at least once a year in his Church of England parish church. [1]
The Act also made it high treason to obey the authority of Rome rather than the King. [2]