HL Deb 27 March 1835 vol 27 c308
Lord Brougham

presented a Petition from the Unitarians of Hull, on the subject of the claims of the Dissenters. He knew some of the names attached to this petition, and knew them to be most respectable. The petitioners stated, that they had often sought at their Lordships' hands, the extension of religious liberty in behalf of themselves and others, and they believed that the time was now rapidly arriving, when the Legislature would recognize, in the fullest manner, the rights of all classes of religion to civil equality. The petitioners stated the grievances of which they complained; among which were—an inequality of condition in civil respects—a subjection to the payment of Church-rates—and a bad system of registration, which, however, they admitted, was an evil that equally affected Churchmen and Dissenters. The lawyers all knew the truth of this complaint of the petitioners, and the difficulty consequent upon it in tracing titles; and all men acquainted with the subject, desired the evil to be remedied. The petitioners then complained of the Marriage-law; and urged that, in any change that was made, they should be put upon the same footing as Churchmen; so that, with regard to both, marriage should be a civil, or a civil and a religious contract. He hoped that no impolitic distinction would be allowed to prevail in this case. His opinion was, that every measure was to be rejected on principle—as contrary to justice to the Dissenters—as contrary to the policy of the law—as pernicious in itself—as pernicious with regard to all the relations of life—and as unjust both to the Churchman and the Dissenter—that should make any distinction in the marriage contract, declaring it to be of a nature civil only with respect to one class, and civil and religious with respect to another. He trusted that the wisdom of Parliament would remedy such an error, and make it purely civil, or civil and religious, as respected all denominations whatever. Petition laid on the Table.