1870: 33 & 34 Victoria c.25: An Act to disfranchise certain Voters of the City of Norwich.

[4th July 1870.]

WHEREAS the Commissioners appointed under a commission of Her Majesty, dated the twenty-third day of June one thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, for the purpose of making inquiries into the existence of corrupt practices at the election of members to serve in Parliament for the city of Norwich, held in the month of November one thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, have by their report, dated the fifteenth day of February one thousand eight hundred and seventy, reported to Her Majesty that the several persons named in the schedule marked A. annexed to their report were guilty of bribery; that the several persons named in the schedule marked B. annexed to their report were bribed; and that the several persons named in the schedule marked C. annexed to their report were guilty of corruptly influencing voters by treating:

Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

[Disfranchisement of certain voters of city of Norwich.]

1. From and after the passing of this Act none of the persons so named in the said schedules, or any of them, shall at any time hereafter have the right of voting at any election of a member or members to serve in Parliament for the city of Norwich.

[When to be adjudged guilty of bribery.]

2. Neither Arthur Bignold nor Orlando D. Bay, mentioned in Schedule A annexed to the said report, nor any person against whom any criminal proceeding has been instituted by the Attorney General for such bribery, shall be subject to any disqualification under this Act until he shall be or shall have been adjudged guilty of such bribery.

[Evidence of report.]

3. Any copy of the said report by the said Commissioners appointed for the purpose of making inquiries into the existence of corrupt practices in the said city of Norwich, with the schedules thereunto annexed, purporting to be printed by the Queen’s Printers, shall, for the purposes of this Act, be deemed to be sufficient evidence of the said report, and of the schedules annexed thereto.

Source: Public General Statutes, 1870.