Popery Act
Encyclopedia
An Act to prevent the further Growth of Poperty (commonly known as the Popery Act or the Gavelkind Act.) was an Act of Parliament
of the Parliament of Ireland
passed in 1703 and amended in 1709, one of a series of penal law
s against Roman Catholics.
The aim was to ensure that, when a Roman Catholic died, his estate was divided equally among his sons, unless the eldest son converted to the Protestant faith, in which case he could inherit all the land. The law was intended to reduce the size, and therefore influence, of Catholic landed estates.
Its citation is 2 Ann c.6.
Catholic land holdings:
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
of the Parliament of Ireland
Parliament of Ireland
The Parliament of Ireland was a legislature that existed in Dublin from 1297 until 1800. In its early mediaeval period during the Lordship of Ireland it consisted of either two or three chambers: the House of Commons, elected by a very restricted suffrage, the House of Lords in which the lords...
passed in 1703 and amended in 1709, one of a series of penal law
Penal law
In the most general sense, penal is the body of laws that are enforced by the State in its own name and impose penalties for their violation, as opposed to civil law that seeks to redress private wrongs...
s against Roman Catholics.
The aim was to ensure that, when a Roman Catholic died, his estate was divided equally among his sons, unless the eldest son converted to the Protestant faith, in which case he could inherit all the land. The law was intended to reduce the size, and therefore influence, of Catholic landed estates.
Its citation is 2 Ann c.6.
Catholic land holdings:
- 1688: 25% of land
- 1704: 14% of land
- 1776: 5% of land