Proclamation For the Encouragement of Piety and Virtue
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King George III's Royal Proclamation For the Encouragement of Piety and Virtue, and for the Preventing and Punishing of Vice, Profaneness and Immorality exhorted the British public against sexually explicit material. It called for the suppression of all 'loose and licentious Prints, Books, and Publications, dispersing Poison to the minds of the Young and Unwary and to Punish the Publishers and Vendors thereof'[1]. Groups which promoted it included the Proclamation Society, which became The Society for the Suppression of Vice which was instituted in 1802 to 'check the spread of open vice and immorality, and more especially to preserve the minds of the young from contamination by exposure to the corrupting influence of impure and licentious books, prints, and other publications...'. This had little effect, because they had no power to destroy the material.
It was issued on June 1 1787 -- after William Wilberforce and Bishop Porteous agreed to solicit (in the words of one source) "a Royal Proclamation such as earlier sovereigns had used in times of moral crisis".
However, according to once source, it was first made a "made a legal document" during the reign of Queen Anne, --it was "Given at our court at St. James" on 25 February 1702-3 by Queen Anne in the first year of her reign -- and secretary Lord Bolingbroke was "the instrument of introducing it into the House of Commons".
- This version issued by King George III was to be read four times a year in churches, was still being published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge in ?1818..
An editorialist writing in 1820 commented that:
- "This proclamation is now considered, both by its deliverer and receiver, as a mere usual and common place document. Those who have been present at the opening of an assize, must have perceived that the clerk of the court yawns over it two or three times whilst reading it; and it ever puts the priests to the blush, when they find it necessary to read it."
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Excerpt
- "excessive drinking, blasphemy, profane swearing and cursing, lewdness, profanation of the Lord's Day, and other dissolute, immoral, or disorderly practices".
Superseded
The next law on sexually explicit material, the Obscene Publications Act 1857 (introduced in September of that year by Lord Campbell, the Lord Chief Justice) replaced this proclamation.
Full text[2]
HIS MAJESTY'S PROCLAMATION,
For the Encouragement of Piety and Virtue, and for the preventing and punishing of Vice, Prophaneness, and Immorality.
WE, most seriously and religiously considering, that it is an indispensable duty on us to be careful, above all other things, to preserve and advance the honour and service of Almighty God, and to dis- courage and suppress all vice, prophaneness de- bauchery, and immorality, which are so highly dis- pleasing to God ; so great a reproach to our religion and government, and (by means of the frequent ill examples of the practices thereof) have so fatal a tendency to the corruption of many of our loving subjects, otherwise religiously and virtuously dis- posed, and which (if not timely remedied) may justly draw down 4he divine vengeance on us and our
62 His Majesty's Proclamation, fyc.
kingdoms : we also humbly acknowledging that we cannot expect the blessing and goodness of Almighty God (by whom kings reign, and on which we en- tirely rely) to make our reign happy and prosperous to ourself and our people, without a religious ob- servance of God's holy laws : to the intent there- fore, that religion, piety, and good manners, may (according to our most hearty desire) flourish and increase under our administration and government, we have thought fit, by the advice of our Privy Council, to issue this our royal proclamation ; and do hereby declare our royal purpose and resolution to discountenance and punish all manner of vice, prophaneness and immorality, in all persons of whatsoever degree or quality within this our realm, and particularly in such as are employed near our royal person; and that, for the encouragement of religion and morality, we will, upon all occasions, distinguish persons of piety and virtue by marks of our royal favour. And we do expect and require that all persons of honour, or in places of authority, will give good example by their own virtue and piety, and, to their utmost, contribute to the discounte- nancing of persons of dissolute and debauched lives, that they being reduced by that means to shame and contempt for their loose and evil actions and beha- viour, may be thereby also enforced the sooner to
His Majesty's Proclamation, fyc. 63
reform their ill habits and practices, and that the visible displeasure of good men towards them may (as far as it is possible) supply what the laws (probably) cannot altogether prevent. And we do hereby strictly enjoin and prohibit all our loving subjects, of what degree or quality soever, from playing on the Lord's day, at dice, cards, or any other game whatsoever, either in public or private houses, or other place or places whatsoever ; and we do hereby require and command them, and every of them, decently and reverently to attend the worship of God on every Lord's day, on pain of our highest displeasure, and of being proceeded against with the utmost rigour that may be by law. And for the more effectual reforming all such persons who, by reason of their dissolute lives and conversations, are a scandal to our kingdom, our further pleasure is, and we do hereby strictly charge and command all our judges, mayors, sheriffs, justices of the peace, and all other our officers and ministers, both eccle- siastical and civil, and all other our subjects, whom it may concern, to be very vigilant and strict in the discovery, and the effectual prosecution and punish- ment, of all persons, who shall be guilty of excessive drinking, blasphemy, prophaue swearing and cursing, lewdness, prophanation of the Lord's day, or other dissolute, immoral, or disorderly practices ; and that
64 His Majesty's Proclamation, $-c.
they take care also effectually to suppress all public gaming houses and places, and other lewd and dis- orderly houses, and to put in execution the statute, made in the twenty-ninth year of the reign of the late King Charles the Second, intituled, an Act for the better Observation of the Lord's day, commonly called Sunday ; and also an Act of Parliament, made in the ninth year of the reign of the late King William the Third, intituled, an Act for the more effectual suppressing of blasphemy and prophaneness, and all other laws now in force for the punishing and sup- pressing any of the vices aforesaid; and also to suppress and prevent all gaming whatsoever in public or private houses on the Lord's day; and likewise that they take effectual care to prevent all persons keeping taverns, chocolate-houses, coffee-houses, or other public houses whatsoever, from selling wine, chocolate, coffee, ale, beer, or other liquors, or receiving or permitting guests to be or remain in such their houses, in the time of divine service on the Lord's day, as they will answer it to Almighty God, and upon pain of our highest displeasure. And for the more effectual proceeding herein, we do hereby direct and command all our judges of assize and justices of the peace, to give strict charges at their respective assizes and sessions, for the due prosecution and punishment of all persons that shall
His Majesty's Proclamation, Sfc. 65
presume to offend in any of the kinds aforesaid, and also of all persons that, contrary to their duty, shall be remiss or negligent in putting the said laws in execution; and that they do, at their respective assizes and quarter sessions of the peace, cause this our royal proclamation to be publicly read in open court immediately before the charge is given. And we do hereby further charge and command every minister, in his respective parish church or chapel, to read, or cause to be read, this our proclamation at least four times in every year, immediately after divine service, and to incite and stir up their respec- tive auditories to the practice of piety and virtue, and the avoiding of all immorality and prophaneness. And to the end that all vice and debauchery may be prevented, and religion and virtue practised by all officers, private soldiers, marines, and others, who are employed in our service by sea and land, we do hereby strictly charge and command all our com- manders and officers whatsoever, that they do take care to avoid all prophaneness, debauchery, and other immoralities; and that by their own good and virtuous lives and conversations, they do set good examples to all such as are under their care and authority, and likewise take care of, and inspect, the behaviour of all such as are under them, and punish all those who shall be guilty of any of the
His Majesty's Proclamation, fyc. 66
offences aforesaid, as they will be answerable for the ill consequences of their neglect herein.
Given at our Court at Leicester- House, the thirty-first day of October, one thousand seven hundred and sixty, in the first year of our reign.
GOD SAVE THE KING.
See also
- Obscene Publications Acts
- British censorship
- Society for Suppression of Vice
- Society for the Reformation of Manners
- Royal Proclamation
