The9th Parliament of Queen Elizabeth I was summoned byQueen Elizabeth I of England on 23 August 1597 and assembled on 24 October following. The Parliament was summoned to discuss the problems of food shortages and the need for social and economic legislation to deal with the consequential social problems. The speaker was SirChristopher Yelverton, the Member of Parliament (MP) forNorthampton.[1]
The first day of Parliament, 5 November, was opened bySir Francis Bacon, MP forIpswich, with a motion regarding farming, the raising of livestock, and depopulation. He introduced two bills to reduce enclosed pasture land in favour of arable food-producing land, which were debated and eventually passed in a heavily redrafted form, as theHouses of Husbandry Act 1597 and theTillage Act 1597. Other bills designed to keep down the price of corn and to restrict the wearing of elaborate clothing were rejected.[1]
Taxation bills to support the war against Spain at home and on the continent and to deal with chronic unrest in Ireland were approved. A petition to the Queen for an investigation into monopolies elicited a reply that their lawfulness would be examined. In total 28 public and 15 private measures received the royal assent.[1]
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