The Clergy Act 1661 (13 Car. II, St. I, c.2) was an

Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...

of the

Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised ...

passed in 1661. It "repealed, annulled and made void to all intents and purposes" the

Clergy Act 1640 The Clergy Act (1640), also known as the Bishops Exclusion Act, or the Clerical Disabilities Act, was an Act of Parliament, effective 13 February 1642. Prior to the Act, bishops of the Church of England sat in the House of Lords, where they comp ...

, which had prevented those in holy orders from exercising any temporal jurisdiction or authority and so, expelled the bishops, as Lords Spiritual, from the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

. It was itself repealed by the

Statute Law Revision Act 1863 The Statute Law Revision Act 1863 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was intended, in particular, to facilitate the preparation of a revised edition of the statutes. The enactments which were repealed (whether for the whol ...

References

*''The Law & Working of the Constitution: Documents 1660-1914'', ed. W. C. Costin & J. Steven Watson. A&C Black, 1952. Vol. I (1660-1783), p. 9
Text of the Clergy Act 1661
at British History Online. 1661 in law 1661 in England Acts of the Parliament of England concerning religion Christianity and law in the 17th century Constitutional laws of England Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom concerning the House of Lords {{statute-stub