An Act for the Punishment of idle and disorderly Persons, and Rogues and Vagabonds, in that Part of Great Britain called England.
Citation
5 Geo. 4. c. 83
Territorial extent
England and Wales
Dates
Royal assent
21 June 1824
Commencement
21 June 1824
Other legislation
Amended by
List
Universities Act 1825
Limitations of Actions and Costs Act 1842
Prevention of Crimes Act 1871
Statute Law Revision Act 1873
Summary Jurisdiction Act 1884
Statute Law Revision (No. 2) Act 1888
Statute Law Revision Act 1890
Public Authorities Protection Act 1893
Criminal Justice Act 1925
Vagrancy Act 1935
Criminal Justice Act 1948
National Assistance Act 1948
Statute Law Revision Act 1950
Fraudulent Mediums Act 1951
Criminal Law Act 1967
Criminal Justice Act 1967
Theft Act 1968
Courts Act 1971
Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975
Criminal Attempts Act 1981
Indecent Displays (Control) Act 1981
Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982
Criminal Justice Act 1982
Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984
Public Order Act 1986
Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1989
Sexual Offences Act 2003
Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005
Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 2011
Criminal Procedure (Attendance of Witnesses) Act 1965
Statute Law Revision Act 1966
Poor Law Act 1927
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended
The Vagrancy Act 1824 (5 Geo. 4. c. 83) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that makes it an offence to sleep rough or beg in England and Wales. The legislation was passed in Georgian England to combat the increasing number of people forced to live on the streets due to the conclusion of the Napoleonic Wars and the social effects of the Industrial Revolution. Critics of the law included politician and abolitionist, William Wilberforce, who condemned the Act for making it a catch-all offence for vagrancy with no consideration of the circumstances as to why an individual might be homeless.
Parts of the Vagrancy Act 1824 have not been repealed by UK Parliament, meaning some of its legal provisions remain convictable offences and are enforceable.
^The citation of this Act by this short title was authorised by the Short Titles Act 1896, section 1 and the first schedule. Due to the repeal of those provisions it is now authorised by section 19(2) of the Interpretation Act 1978.
The VagrancyAct1824 (5 Geo. 4. c. 83) is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that makes it an offence to sleep rough or beg in England and Wales...
called England', commonly known as the VagrancyAct1824. The VagrancyAct1824 consolidated the previous vagrancy laws and addressed many of the frauds...
1898, Home Secretary Sir Matthew Ridley moved a bill to amend the VagrancyAct of 1824. He described "rogues and vagabonds," as "bullies" and "enemies of...
arrest people on suspicion of them being in breach of section 4 of the VagrancyAct1824. According to a 2018 study in the British Journal of Criminology,...
was passed, then both were repealed by the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The VagrancyAct1824 permits in section 6 "any person whatsoever" to apprehend offenders...
section four of the VagrancyAct1824 to ensure that it is still enforced with the acts. There were five prosecutions under this Act between 1980 and 1995...
practices". Prior to this Act, the "exposure for sale" of "obscene books and prints" had been made illegal by the VagrancyAct1824. but the publication of...
The VagrancyAct 1838 (1 & 2 Vict. c. 38) was an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom. It amended the VagrancyAct1824 to provide that any person discharged...
under the VagrancyAct1824, one purpose of which was to reinforce the 1735 Act. In September 1943, Helen Duncan was jailed under the Witchcraft Act 1735 on...
1716 and 1725, and the Act of Proscription 1746. The first British firearm controls were introduced as part of the VagrancyAct1824, which was set up in...
prosecuted under section 28 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 or section 4 of the VagrancyAct1824. The latter contained a provision for the prosecution...
exhibitionism. In the United Kingdom, the 4th draft of the revised VagrancyAct1824 included an additional clause "or openly and indecently exposing their...
idle and ungodly life and company". UK immigration law UK labour law VagrancyAct1824 s 4, contained the offence of telling fortunes Raithby, John, ed....
prostitution. The term was first used in the VagrancyAct1824. The term continued to be used in the Street Offences Act 1959 which maintained the illegality...
the 1956 Act was amended by the Sexual Offences Act 1985. The Act abolished the offence of "loitering with intent" under the VagrancyAct1824. Section...
Britain into surrender, but again was unsuccessful. Canada Corn Act 1843 VagrancyAct1824 - catch-all legislation that criminalised destitution in the UK...
powers that were 'piecemeal'. Such powers included those within The VagrancyAct1824, which developed 'sus' laws. These powers allowed police to stop a...
elected in May 1979 had instituted new powers for the police under the VagrancyAct1824 to stop and search people based on only a "reasonable suspicion" that...
begging or sleeping in the open and prosecuted for an offence under the VagrancyAct1824. A typical early 19th-century casual ward was a single large room...
colloquially known as the "Sus law." This referred to powers under the VagrancyAct1824, which allowed police to search and arrest members of the public when...
Academy. The Littleport riots of 1816 influenced the passage of the VagrancyAct1824. With an Old English name of Litelport, the village was worth 17,000...
and their clients as sinners, and society for tolerating it. The VagrancyAct1824 introduced the term "common prostitute" into English Law and criminalised...
standard scale, or to both. There is a further offence provided by the VagrancyAct1824, concerning "violently resisting" a constable: "...and every person...
identify their ship. She was initially arrested under section 4 of the VagrancyAct1824, a minor offence tried by magistrates. The authorities regarded the...
well established. In an attempt to produce some law and order the VagrancyAct1824 was introduced. The Van Diemen's Land Asylum for the Protection of...
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