Sale of Offices Act 1551

The Sale of Offices Act 1551 (5 & 6 Edw. 6. c. 16) was an act of the Parliament of England concerned with corruption in public office.^[1] It has been repealed completely in the United Kingdom since 2013, but only partly in the Republic of Ireland, where it makes it an offence to sell certain public offices, or to receive or agree to receive money for an office.

Sale of Offices Act 1551^[a]

Act of Parliament
Parliament of England
Long title	An Act against buyinge and sellinge of offices.[b]
Citation	5 & 6 Edw. 6. c. 16
Territorial extent	England and Wales Scotland Ireland
Dates
Royal assent	15 April 1552
Commencement	23 January 1552[c]
Repealed	31 January 2013
Other legislation
Amended by	Sale of Offices Act 1809 Statute Law Revision Act 1863 Statute Revision Act (Ireland) 1872 Statute Law Revision Act 1888 Customs Law Repeal Act 1825 [Statute Law Revision Act 1950]]
Repealed by	Statute Law (Repeals) Act 2013
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted
Revised text of statute as amended

The act was extended to Scotland and Ireland, and to all offices in the gift of the Crown, by section 1 of the Sale of Offices Act 1809 (49 Geo. 3. c. 126),^[2] now also repealed in the UK.^[3] The two acts had to be construed as one.^[4]

The act was repealed, from and after 5 July 1826, so far as regards the Revenue of Customs or Offices in the Service of the Customs, by sections 1 and 10 of the Customs Law Repeal Act 1825 (6 Geo. 4. c. 105).^[5]

The whole act was repealed for the United Kingdom by section 1 of, and group 7 of part 2 of schedule 1 to, the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 2013.

Parts of the act were retained for the Republic of Ireland by section 2(2)(a) of, and Part 2 of Schedule 1 to, the Statute Law Revision Act 2007.

See Graeme v Wroughton (1855) 11 Exch 146, (1855) 24 LJ Ex 265.

Provisions

Section 2

Section 2 of the act, from "be it also" to "aforesaide", was repealed by section 1(1) of, and Part I of the Schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1888.

Section 3

Section 3 of the act was repealed by section 1 of, and Schedule 1 to the Statute Law Revision Act 1948.

Section 3 of the act was repealed for the Republic of Ireland by section 1 of, and Part III of the Schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1983.

Section 5

Section 5 of the act was repealed for England and Wales by section 1 of, and the schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1863 and for Ireland by the Statute Revision Act (Ireland) 1872. This section, in so far as it extended to Northern Ireland, was repealed by section 1(1) of, and schedule 1 to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1950.

Section 5 of the act was repealed for the Republic of Ireland by section 1 of, and Part III of the Schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1983.

Section 6

Section 6 of the act was repealed for England and Wales by section 1 of, and the Schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1863. This section, in so far as it extended to Northern Ireland, was repealed by section 1(1) of, and Schedule 1 to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1950.

Section 6 of the act was repealed for the Republic of Ireland by section 1 of, and Part III of the Schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1983.

See also

• Political corruption

Notes

1. The citation of this act by this short title was authorised by section 1 of, and the first schedule to, the Short Titles Act 1896. Due to the repeal of those provisions it is now authorised by section 19(2) of the Interpretation Act 1978.
2. These words are printed against this act in the second column of the first schedule to the Short Titles Act 1896, which is headed "Title".
3. Start of session.