Vagabonds Act 1549
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| Act of Parliament | |
.svg) | |
| Long title | An Act touching the Punishment of Vagabonds, and other idle Persons. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 3 & 4 Edw. 6. c. 16 |
| Territorial extent | England and Wales |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 1 February 1550 |
| Commencement | 4 November 1549[a] |
| Repealed | 19 February 1624 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amends | Vagabonds Act 1530 |
| Repeals/revokes | Vagabonds Act 1547 |
| Amended by | |
| Repealed by | Continuance, etc. of Laws Act 1623 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The Vagabonds Act 1549 (3 & 4 Edw. 6. c. 16) was an act of the Parliament of England.
Section 1 of the act repealed the Vagabonds Act 1547 (1 Edw. 6. c. 3) and revived and made perpetual the Vagabonds Act 1530 (22 Hen. 8. c. 12).[1]
Subsequent developments
According to historian Mark Rathbone, "there is no evidence that the Act was enforced."[2]
The act proved to be impractical to implement. The Tudor Vagabond Acts had an emphasis on punishments for the impotent poor. The English Poor Laws, that followed, built on the Tudor acts to provide a comprehensive system for poor relief, that was paid for by a system of compulsory taxation.[3]
The whole act was repealed by section 11 of the Continuance, etc. of Laws Act 1623 (21 Jas. 1. c. 28).
