| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act for the effectual securing the Kingdom of England from the apparent Dangers that may arise from several Acts lately passed in the Parliament of Scotland. |
|---|---|
| Citation |
|
| Territorial extent | England and Wales |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 14 March 1705 |
| Commencement | 24 October 1704[c] |
| Repealed | 15 July 1867 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1867 |
| Relates to | |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
TheAlien Act 1705 (3 & 4 Ann. c. 6)[a] was anact of theParliament of England in February 1705, as a response to theParliament of Scotland'sAct of Security 1704, which in turn was partially a response to the EnglishAct of Settlement 1701 (12 & 13 Will. 3. c. 2).Lord Godolphin, the Lord High Treasurer, was instrumental in theUnion of 1707 and all the acts leading up to it. The Alien Act was passed to prevent the inconveniences that would occur hastily if these two Kingdoms were not to become one Union.[1]
The act provided that Scottish nationals in England were to be treated asaliens (foreign nationals), and estates held by Scots would be treated as alien property,[2] makinginheritance much less certain. It also included anembargo on theimport of Scottish products into England andEnglish colonies – about half of Scotland'strade, covering goods such aslinen,cattle andcoal.[3] There was also an embargo on the export of arms, ammunition, and horses to Scotland so that they could not raise an army and invade England.[4]
The act contained a provision that it would be suspended if the Scots entered into negotiations regarding a proposed union of the parliaments of Scotland and England. The Act demanded that a settlement of succession or authorise union negotiation by December 25, 1705.[5] The Scots insisted that the act be repealed before entering into treaty negotiations.[6] In late December, news that both the Commons and the Lords had agreed to repeal the act reached the north.[7] Combined with English financial offers to refund Scottish losses on theDarien scheme, the act achieved its aim, leading to theActs of Union 1707 uniting the two countries as theKingdom of Great Britain.
The whole act was repealed by section 1 of, and the schedule to, theStatute Law Revision Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vict. c. 59).
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