The Corruption of Blood Act 1814 (54 Geo. 3. c. 145) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which abolished corruption of blood for all crimes except high treason, petty treason and murder. Corruption of blood had until then been an automatic consequence of attainder for treason and felony. (The Act did not apply to crimes committed before it was passed.) The act was the result of the efforts of the law reformer Sir Samuel Romilly MP, who had failed to pass a similar bill in 1813.
Petty treason was abolished by the Offences against the Person Act 1828. Attainder for felony and treason (and therefore corruption of blood for murder and high treason) was abolished by the Forfeiture Act 1870 (33 & 34 Vict. c. 23).
Provisions The act consisted of a single clause, which read:
Repeal The whole act was repealed by section 1(1) of, and the schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1960 (8 & 9 Eliz. 2. c. 56), which came into force on 29 July 1960.
Notes
References Halsbury's Statutes of England (2nd ed.) Volume 5, London: Butterowrth & Co., 1948. Hansard, 23 March 1814
External links