Lords Sitting of 27 June 1817

MILITARY AND NAVAL OFFICERS OATHS BILL.
Lord Melvillepresented a bill to regulate the administration of

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Oaths in certain cases to Officers in the Naval and Military Service. His lordship stated, that by different acts of parliament, certain oaths were to be administered to officers in the naval and military service, and by the practice which had prevailed, these oaths had invariably been administered to officers in the military service at some period after they had received their commissions; a similar practice had also of late years prevailed with regard to officers in the navy. A doubt, however, had arisen, whether by law these oaths were not required to be taken by the officers before they received their commissions; but there was no instance of the oaths having been so required to be taken. This being the case, and it being in every respect more desirable that the present practice should be continued, than that what was supposed to be the law—should be literally carried into effect, the object of this bill, was to legalize the present practice with regard to officers in the military service, and to assimilate to it the practice with regard to officers in the navy.—
The bill was read a first time.