Gin Act

Historical Context Note

Litencyc Editors (Independent Scholar - Europe)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.05: English Writing and Culture from the Glorious Revolution to the French Revolution, 1689-1789.
Vol. editors: Paul Baines (University of Liverpool), Daniel Cook (University of Dundee), Pat Rogers (University of South Florida), Nicholas Seager (University of Keele)

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Legislation (Bills, Acts, Laws ...)

Dates

Date of occurrence 1751

Places

United Kingdom (Location)

Act 24. Geo. II c. 40 was a response to a long-standing campaign to curb the dreadful consequences of cheap gin. Henry Fielding inveighed against the “diabolical liquour” in his Inquiry into the Late Increase in Robbers (January 1751) and William Hogarth gave graphic representation to its effects in his engravings Beer Street andGin Lane (February 1751). The Act made it unlawful for distillers to sell directly, restricting gin sales to taverns worth £10 per annum.

Gin distilling had in fact been encouraged by official government policy and its paid journalists since the 1710s since it increased the demand for corn, and therefore contributed to the revenues of large landowners who produced for the …

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189 words

Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Gin Act". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 02 February 2007 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1703, accessed 23 November 2024.]

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Gin Act

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