RELIGIOUS WORSHIP BILL— RECOMMITTAL. (Hansard, 16 July 1855)

§ THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY,
in moving the recommittal of this Bill, said, 884 it had been discovered since it passed through Committee, that there already existed on the Statute-book an Act, the I 42nd Geo. III., passed in 1812, allowing places of religious worship to be registered, not as Dissenting, but as Protestant, places of worship. As, therefore, there already existed an Act securing to members of the Church of England seven-tenths of that which by the measure he had introduced he wished to procure for them, all that remained was to claim for private dwelling-houses the privilege of being protected for the purposes of worship, in accordance with the provisions of that Act, for more than twenty persons. He had met the most rev. Prelate (the Archbishop of Canterbury), who, on the part of the right rev. Bench, admitting the present law to be as he had stated it, had declared that he had no desire to interfere with the passing of the Bill, which had been altered in such a way as to meet the objections entertained by the right rev. Prelates. He (the Earl of Shaftesbury) hoped that the Bill might now meet with their Lordships' favour, and that thereby the heat that had been excited would be allayed, and the members of the Church of England go on as before in harmony and charity.

THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY
said, he had conscientiously felt it his duty to oppose the Bill as originally introduced by his noble Friend; but his noble Friend now proposed to recommit the Bill, with the view of obviating the objections which had been raised against it. He had considered the alterations which the noble Earl proposed to introduce, and he would take the liberty of stating that it was not his intention to object to the measure as now amended.

§ LORD REDESDALE
suggested that the Bill be referred back to the same Select Committee as inquired into the former measure.

§ THE EARL OF DERBY
supported the suggestion of the noble Lord (Redesdale), and further recommended that his noble Friend (the Earl of Shaftesbury) and the most rev. Prelate be added to the Committee.

§ THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURY
had no objection to that course, which he believed was in accordance with precedent.

§ THE EARL OF DERBY
said, he believed 885 that the Bill, as now proposed by the noble Earl, had been considerably shortened, while it would still have the effect of relieving from any penalty persons who worshipped in a private house. It would be in the recollection of their Lordships that when, by the direction of the Committee, he introduced a Bill on this subject, he stated that he was not indisposed to accept an Amendment of the law upon this point. He would not object to the Bill being sent to the Select Committee, and proposed that the most rev. Prelate (the Archbishop of Canterbury), and the noble Earl (the Earl of Shaftesbury) should be added to that Committee.