Repeal of Acts Concerning Importation (No. 2) Act 1822

The Repeal of Acts Concerning Importation (No. 2) Act 1822 (3 Geo. 4. c. 42) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that repealed enactments relating to navigation in the United Kingdom.

Background In the United Kingdom, acts of Parliament remain in force until expressly repealed. Blackstone's Commentaries on the Laws of England, published in the late 18th century, raised questions about the system and structure of the common law and the poor drafting and disorder of the existing statute book.

In 1806, the Commission on Public Records passed a resolution requesting the production of a report on the best mode of reducing the volume of the statute book. From 1810 to 1825, The Statutes of the Realm was published, providing for the first time the authoritative collection of acts.

By the early 19th century, British customs law, relating to trade, navigation, the import and export of goods, and the collection of customs revenue, had become increasingly intricate and difficult to navigate due to the large number of acts passed that had accumulated over many years. This complexity posed challenges for both commerce and law enforcement. The preamble of the act acknowledged that the existing system had become an impediment to trade and proposed the repeal of inconsistent or obsolete acts "for the encouraging of shipping and navigation".

In 1810, the Lords of the Treasury asked Nicholas Jickling to produce a Digest of the Laws of the Customs, which was published in 1815, numbering 1,375 pages from the earliest period to 53 Geo. 3. This Digest was continuously published to bring the state of the law up to date to the end of every session. In 1814, the Commission of Public Records published their 14th Report, recommending consolidation of the statute law.

In 1822, bills were introduced to encourage shipping and navigation and to repeal related inconsistent or obsolete enactments.

Passage Leave to bring in the Importation of Goods Bill to the House of Commons was granted to James Brogden and the Vice-President of the Board of Trade, Thomas Wallace on 19 March 1822. The bill had its first reading in the House of Commons on 25 March 1822, presented by the Vice-President of the Board of Trade, Thomas Wallace . The bill had its second reading in the House of Commons on 6 May 1822 and was committed to a committee of the whole house, which met on 20 May 1822 and reported on 23 May 1822, with amendments. The amended bill had its third reading in the House of Commons on 4 July 1822 and passed, with amendments.

The amended bill, now named the Importation of Goods Repeal Bill, had its first reading in the House of Lords on 6 June 1822. The bill had its second reading in the House of Lords on 17 June 1822, introduced by Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, and was committed to a committee of the whole house, which met and reported on 18 June 1822, without amendments. The bill had its third reading in the House of Lords on 19 June 1822 and passed, without amendments.

The bill was granted royal assent on 24 June 1822.

Provisions Sections 1–4 and 6–32 of the act repealed 36 enactments, listed in those sections.

Section 5 of the act extended the repeals by this act of the Navigation Act 1660 (12 Cha. 2. c. 18), as extended by the Registry of Ships Act 1787 (27 Geo. 3. c. 23 (I), to Ireland.

Section 33 of the act provided that nothing in the act would affect penalties already incurred under repealed acts. +CitationShort titleDescriptionExtent of repealProvision of the act12 Cha. 2. c. 18Navigation Act 1660An Act for expedient to the further Increase and Encouragement of Shipping and Navigation.Whereby it is enacted, that no Goods or Commodities whatsoever, of the Growth, Production or Manufacture of Asia, Africa or America, be imported into England, Ireland or Wales, the Islands of Guernsey or Jersey, or Town of Berwick-upon- Tweed, in any other Ship or Ships, Vessel or Vessels whatsoever, but in such as do truly and without Fraud belong only to the People of England or Ireland, Dominion of Wales or Town of Berwick- upon – Tweed, or of the only. Lands, Islands, Plantations or Territories in Asia, Africa or America, to His Majesty belonging, and whereof the Master and Three-fourths of the Mariners at least are English, under the Penalty in the said Act mentioned. I.e., section 3.Section 1.12 Cha. 2. c. 18Navigation Act 1660An Act for expedient to the further Increase and Encouragement of Shipping and Navigation.Whereby it is enacted, that no Goods or Commodities that are of Foreign Growth, Production or Manufacture, and which are to be brought into England, Ireland, Wales, the Islands of Guernsey and Jersey. I.e., section 4.Section 2.12 Cha. 2. c. 18Navigation Act 1660An Act for expedient to the further Increase and Encouragement of Shipping and Navigation.Whereby it is enacted, that no Goods or Commodities of the Growth, Production or Manufacture of Muscovy, or of any of the Countries, Dominions or Territories to the Great Duke or Emperor of Muscovy or Russia belonging, as also that no Sort of Masts, Timber Turkish Goods or Boards, no Foreign Salt, Pitch, Tar, Rosin, Hemp or Flax, in British Ships, Raisins, Figs, Prunes, Olive Oils, no Sorts of Corn or Grain, or Ships of the Sugar, Pot -Ashes, Wines, Vinegar or Spirits called Aqua Vitæ, or Brandy-Wine, shall be imported into England, Ireland, Wales or Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in any Ship or Ships, Vessel or Vessels whatsoever, but in such as do truly and without Fraud belong to the People thereof, or some of them, as the true Owners or Proprietors thereof, and whereof the Master and Three-fourths of the Mariners at least are English, and that no Currants nor Commodities of the Growth, Production or Manufacture of any of the Countries, Islands, Dominions or Territories to the Ottoman or Turkish Empire belonging, shall be imported into any of the aforementioned Places, in any Ship or Vessel but which is of English built, and navigated as aforesaid, and no other, except only such Foreign Ships and Vessels as are of the Built of that Country or Place of which the said Goods are the Growth, Production or Manufacture respectively, or of such Port where the said Goods can only be or most usually are first shipped for transportation, and whereof the Master and Three-fourths of the Mariners at least are of the said Country or Place, under the Penalty in the said Act mentioned. I.e., section 8.Section 3.12 Cha. 2. c. 18Navigation Act 1660An Act for expedient to the further Increase and Encouragement of Shipping and Navigation.As relate to the Importation of any of the Commodities of the Streights or Levant Seas, or to the Importation of all Sorts of Goods or Commodities of the Growth, Production or Manufacture of the Plantations or Dominions of Spain or Portugal respectively, from any of the Ports of Spain or Portugal, or Western Islands, commonly called Azores, or Madeira or Canary Islands. I.e., section 12 and 14.Section 4.13 Cha. 2. c. 11Customs Act 1662An Act for expedient to the further Increase and Encouragement of Shipping and Navigation.Whereby it is enacted and declared, that no Sort of Wines (other than Rhenish,) no Sort of Spicery, Grocery, Tobacco, Pot-ashes, Pitch, Tar, Salt, Rosin, Deal Boards, Fir Timber or Olive Oil, shall be imported from the Netherlands or Germany, upon any Pretence whatsoever, in any Sort of Ships or Vessels whatsoever, upon Penalty of the Loss of all the said Goods, as also of the Ships and Furniture. I.e., section 23.Section 613 Cha. 2. c. 11Customs Act 1662An Act for expedient to the further Increase and Encouragement of Shipping and Navigation.Whereby it is enacted, that no Foreign built Ship shall enjoy the Privilege of a Ship belonging to England or Ireland, although owned or manned by English (except such Ships only as shall be taken at Sea by Letters of Mart or Reprisal, and Condemnation made in the Court of Admiralty as lawful Prize), but that all such Ships shall be deemed as Alien Ships. I.e., section 6.Section 71 Ann. c. 6Land Tax, Forfeited Estates, etc. Act 1702An Act for granting an Aid to Her Majesty by divers Subsidies, and a Land TaxWhereby it is enacted, that it shall and may be lawful to import, from Hamburgh, Wines of the Growth of Hungary.Section 86 Ann. c. 60Importation Act 1707An Act for the Importation of Cochineal from any Port in Spain, during the present War, and Six Months longer.The whole act, as made perpetual by section 3 of the Poor Act 1712 (12 Ann. c. 18).Section 96 Geo. 1. c. 14Importation Act 1719An Act for prohibiting the Importation of Raw Silk and Mohair Yarn, of the Product or Manufacture of Asia, from any Ports or Places in the Streights or Levant Seas, except such Ports and Places as are within the Dominions of the Grand Seignior.The whole act.Section 106 Geo. 1. c. 15Importation (No. 2) Act 1719An Act to repeal so much of the Act, intituled An Act for preventing Frauds and regulating Abuses in His Majesty's Customs, passed in the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Years of King Charles the Second, as relates to the prohibiting the Importation of Deal Boards and Fir Timber from Germany.The whole act.Section 1113 Geo. 1. c. 25Importation (No. 2) Act 1726An Act for the free Importation of Cochineal, during the Time therein limited.The whole act.Section 127 Geo. 2. c. 18Importation Act 1733 An Act, passed in the Seventh Year of the Reign of King George the Second, for the Revival of the said last mentioned Act of the Thirteenth Year of the Reign of King George the First, and also for the free Importation of Indigo.The whole act as revived and continued by the Importation Act 1821 (1 & 2 Geo. 4. c. 14).Section 126 Geo. 2. c. 7Importation Act 1732 An Act for the free Importation and Exportation of Diamonds, Pearls, Rubies, Emeralds and all other Jewels and precious StonesThe whole act.Section 1314 Geo. 2. c. 36Importation Act 1740An Act passed in the Fourteenth Year of the Reign of King George the Second, intituled An Act for opening a Trade to and from Persia through Russia.The whole act.Section 1423 Geo. 2. c. 34Importation of Raw Silk Act 1749An Act made in the Twenty third Year of the Reign of the said King George the Second, intituled An Act for permitting Raw Silk, of the Growth or Produce of Persia, purchased in Russia, to be imported into this Kingdom from any Port or Place belonging to the Empire of Russia.The whole act.Section 1425 Geo. 2. c. 32Importation, etc. Act 1751 An Act, passed in the Twenty fifth Year of the Reign of King George the Second, for the Purpose, among other things, of allowing the Importation of Gum Senega from any Part of Europe.Whereby it is enacted, that it shall be lawful for any of His Majesty's Subjects to import Gum Senega in British built Ships, navigated according to Law, from any Port or Place in Europe. I.e., section 1.Section 15Act, passed in the Sixth Year of the Reign of His late Majesty King George the Third, intituled An Act for repealing certain Duties in the British Colonies and Plantations, granted by several Acts of Parliament, and also the Duties imposed by an Act, made in the last Session of Parliament, upon certain East India Goods exported from Great Britain, and for granting other Duties instead thereof; and for further encouraging, regulating and securing several Branches of the Trade of this Kingdom and the British Dominions in America.Whereby it is enacted, that it shall and may be lawful to and for any Person or Persons to import and bring into Great Britain, in British built Ships or Vessels navigated according to Law, from any Port or Place whatsoever, any Sort of Cotton Wool.