The Making of the English Working Class

by E.P. Thompson

The Six Acts appear as a codification and extension of the legislation of 1795 and 1817. The first Act prohibited drilling and “military” training: the second authorised justices to enter and search houses, without warrants, on suspicion of there being arms: the third prohibited meetings exceeding fifty in number, with certain exceptions (county and parish meetings) and additions (designed to suppress Radical lecture-meetings): the fourth Act (of great importance in the next twelve years) increased the stamp duty on periodical publications, raising their cost to 6d. and above: the fifth and sixth Acts were designed to extend and expedite the powers of the authorities, especially in actions for seditious libel.1 The only measure of the earlier repressions which was not repeated was the suspension of Habeas Corpus.