The Jews Relief Act 1858, also called the Jewish Disabilities Bill, is an Act of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

which removed previous barriers to Jews entering Parliament, a step in

Jewish emancipation in the United Kingdom Jewish emancipation in the United Kingdom was the culmination in the 19th century of efforts over several hundred years to loosen the legal restrictions set in place on England's Jewish population. Advocates of each stage of this process, in and o ...

."Jews Relief Act 1858"
as originally enacted Following the

Roman Catholic Relief Act 1829 The Catholic Relief Act 1829, also known as the Catholic Emancipation Act 1829, was passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1829. It was the culmination of the process of Catholic emancipation throughout the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

there had been an unsuccessful attempt in 1830 to also allow Jews to sit in Parliament. The 1858 measure was the result of a long process which began with a bill introduced by the Whig leader

Lord John Russell John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, (18 August 1792 – 28 May 1878), known by his courtesy title Lord John Russell before 1861, was a British Whig and Liberal statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1846 to 1852 and ag ...

following the election of

Lionel de Rothschild Baron Lionel Nathan de Rothschild (22 November 1808 – 3 June 1879) was a British Jewish banker, politician and philanthropist who was a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of England. He became the first practising Jew to sit a ...

to the City of London constituency in 1847. Rothschild could not take the seat without taking the Christian

oath of office An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before assuming the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations. Such ...

. The bill was supported by the future Conservative Prime Minister

Benjamin Disraeli Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, (21 December 1804 – 19 April 1881) was a British statesman and Conservative politician who twice served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He played a central role in the creation o ...

but not by his party. In 1848, the bill was approved by the House of Commons but was twice rejected by the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

as was a new bill in 1851. In the 1852 general election, Rothschild was again elected but the next year the bill was again defeated in the upper house. Finally, in 1858, the House of Lords agreed to a proposal to allow each house to decide its own oath. The bill allowed "any Person professing the Jewish Religion, oomit the Words 'and I make this Declaration upon the true Faith of a Christian in their oaths, but explicitly did not extend to allowing Jews to various high offices, and also stated that "it shall not be lawful for any Person professing the Jewish Religion, directly or indirectly, to advise Her Majesty ... touching or concerning ... any office or preferment in the Church of England or in the Church of Scotland." A separate act passed simultaneously ( 21 & 22 Vict. c.48) effected similar reforms for the public oaths required other than for Parliament. Amendments in 1871, 1922, 1973, 1980 and 1986 removed all restrictions on Jews holding office except that they may not advise certain government officials on matters related to appointments in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

or the

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland. The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...

.Jews Relief Act 1858
as amended
accessed Sept 20, 2014.

References

;''Hansard'' vol 151 (1858): Lords:
14 Jun: Observations1 Jul: 2nd Reading5 Jul: Committee, Report8 Jul: Recommittal12 Jul: 3rd Reading
Commons
16 Jul: 2nd Reading19 Jul: Committee, Report20 Jul: 3rd Reading
Lords
21 Jul: Agreement

Citations

{{UK legislation, state=collapsed Anti-discrimination legislation Anti-discrimination law in the United Kingdom United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1858 Jewish emancipation 1858 in religion Law about religion in the United Kingdom Jewish British history

See also

References

Citations