A bill for the better regulating of Select Vestries, usually referred to as theSelect Vestries Bill, is customarily the firstbill introduced and debated in theUnited Kingdom'sHouse of Lords at the start of each session ofParliament. The equivalent bill used by theHouse of Commons is theOutlawries Bill.
The bill is read after theKing's Speech, after the Commons have returned to their chamber, but before any debate on the contents of the Speech. The bill is given apro formafirst reading upon the motion of theLeader of the House of Lords, to demonstrate that the House can debate on whatever it chooses and set its own business independently of the Crown.
Thevestry committees evolved in ecclesiastical parishes out of the feudal system and the removal of the influence of the Church after the Reformation. They had a dual nature and acquired civil duties such as administering thePoor Law. These bodies met in thevestry of the localparish church and were responsible for imposing a form of localtaxes known as thechurch rate. They were in effect the government of rural England and Wales until the reforms of the late 1800s creating county and district councils.
Whilst theopen vestry was a general meeting of all inhabitant rate-paying householders in a parish,[1] in the 17th century the huge growth of population in some parishes, mostly urban, made it increasingly difficult to convene and conduct meetings. Consequently,select vestries were created in some of these. They were administrative committees of selected parishioners whose members generally had a property qualification and who were recruited largely byco-option.[1] This took responsibility from the community at large and improved efficiency, but over time tended to lead to governance by a self-perpetuating elite.[2] This committee was also known as the "close vestry".
By the late 17th century, the existence of a number of autocratic and corrupt select vestries had become a national scandal, and several bills were introduced to Parliament in the 1690s, but none became acts. There was continual agitation for reform, and in 1698 to keep the debate alive theHouse of Lords insisted that a bill to reform the select vestries, the Select Vestries Bill, would always be the first item of business of the Lords in a new parliament until a reform bill was passed. The first reading of the bill was made annually, but every year the bill never got any further. This continues to this day as an archaic custom in the Lords to assert the independence from the Crown, even though the select vestries have long been abolished.[3]
| Select Vestries Act 1663 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act for regulating Select Vestryes. |
| Citation | 15 Cha. 2. c. 5 |
| Territorial extent | England and Wales |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 27 July 1663 |
| Commencement | 18 February 1663[a] |
| Repealed | 28 July 1863 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1863 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Vestries Act 1818 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act for the Regulation of Parish Vestries. |
| Citation | 58 Geo. 3. c. 69 |
| Poor Relief Act 1819 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to Amend the Law for the Relief of the Poor. |
| Citation | 59 Geo. 3. c. 12 |
The termSelect Vestries Acts collectively refers to twoActs of Parliament passed in 1818 and 1819 respectively, theAct for the Regulation of Parish Vestries (Vestries Act 1818,58 Geo. 3. c. 69), and theAct to Amend the Law for the Relief of the Poor (Poor Relief Act 1819,59 Geo. 3. c. 12). These acts were promoted byWilliam Sturges Bourne,MP and Chairman of a Committee to reform the Poor Laws, and are therefore also known as theSturges Bourne Acts.