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Legislative attempt at reducing slavery in Britain From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Colliers and Salters (Scotland) Act 1775 is an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain (15 Geo. 3. c. 28) which changed the working conditions of miners in Scotland.
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act for altering, explaining, and amending, several Acts of the Parliament of Scotland, respecting Colliers, Coal-bearers, and Salters. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 15 Geo. 3. c. 28 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 22 May 1775 |
| Repealed | 21 August 1871 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1871 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Colliers and Salters Act 1606 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | Act Anent Coilyearis and Saltaris. |
| Citation | c. 10 [12mo ed: c. 11] |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by | Statute Law Revision Act 1888 |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision (Scotland) Act 1906 |
Status: Repealed | |
The Colliers and Salters Act 1606 (c. 10) had placed Scottish "coalyers, coal-bearers and salters" in a condition of permanent bondage to their employer.[1] Any such worker who absented from that employer and sought to work elsewhere was to be punished as a thief.[2] The act also included provision whereby vagabonds could be placed unwillingly into the same compulsory labour.
OUR SOVERAIGNE LORD, and Estates of this present Parliament, statutes and ordeins, that na person within this realme hereafter shall hyre or conduce any Salters, Coalyears or a coal-bearers, without a sufficient testimoniall of their Maister whom they last served, subscryved with his hand, or at least sufficient attestation of ane reasonable cause of their removing, made in presence of ane Baillie, of ane Magistrat of the part where they came fra. And in case any recesue, fee, hyre, supplie or intertaine any of the saids Coalyears, Salters or a Coal-bearers, without ane sufficient testimonie, as said is. The maisters whom fra they came, challenging their servants within yeare and day, that the partie from fra they are challenged, shall delyver them back againe within twentie foure houres, under the paine of ane hundreth pounds, to be payed to that persons whom fra they passed, and that for ilk person; and ilk tyme that they or any of them shall happen to be challenged, and not delyvered, and said is. And the said Coalyears, Coal-bearers and Salters to be esteemed, reput and halded as theives, and punished in their bodies, Viz. Sa many of them as shall receaue forewages and fees. And the saids Estates of this present Parliament, giues power and commission to all maisters and awners of Coal-heughs and pannes, to apprehend all vagabounds and sturdie beggers to be put to labour.
— Anent Coilyearis and Saltaris
Erskine May notes that these workers were thereafter treated "a distinct class, not entitled to the same liberties as their fellow-subjects".[3]
The 1775 act noted that the Scottish coal workers existed in "a state of slavery or bondage"[4] and sought to address this. The main focus of the legislation was to remove the condition of servitude on new entrants to these industries, thus opening them to greater expansion. Although the act noted "the reproach of allowing such a State of Servitude to exist in a Free Country", it sought not to do "any injury to the present Masters", so created only gradual conditions whereby those already in servitude in the mines could seek to be liberated from it after a period of seven or ten years depending on age.[5]: 55 The act also included a provision for extending that term by two years if a miner acted in combination with others.[5]: 56
| Colliers (Scotland) Act 1799 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An act to explain and amend the laws relative to colliers in that part of Great Britain called Scotland. |
| Citation | 39 Geo. 3. c. 56 |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 13 June 1799 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1948 |
Status: Repealed | |
As Erskine May noted, "these poor ignorant slaves, generally in debt to their masters, were rarely in a condition to press their claims to freedom"[3] so the later conditions were largely ineffective. It took a further act, the Colliers (Scotland) Act 1799 (39 Geo. 3. c. 56), to liberate the remaining mine workers from the conditions created by the 1606 act,[6] while also extending provisions against organised labour.[5]: 57–58
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