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Dr James Peate

Today the government repealed the 1824 Vagrancy Act. The focus has been on rough sleeping but the government has also accidentality repealed one of the most anti-Romani pieces of legislation. I've been researching the act and here's why its interesting www.gov.uk/government/n... 1/5

Rough sleeping no longer a crime as Vagrancy Act repealedThe government will repeal the Vagrancy Act on Monday 29 June 2026, ending nearly two centuries of legislation that has criminalised rough sleeping and begging.www.gov.uk
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3 прямых ответов · 15 сообщений

Tim Hitchcock

The main thing about 1824 is that it moved from listing types of people (including Romani), to types of behaviour, and gave unprecendented authority to local policing officers. Its role in stop and search is indicative.

Ответ для Tim Hitchcock
OldSchoolJourno 🦘🏏🎶

So will stop and search be affected by the repeal?

Ответ для OldSchoolJourno 🦘🏏🎶
Tim Hitchcock

Apparently it is more Complicated. The role of 1824 in stop and search was replaced in 1981 by sus laws. And the new criminal justice act (2026) will replace what was left, with a law focused on specific types of begging - arguably going back to the 1744 pattern.

Ответ для Tim Hitchcock
OldSchoolJourno 🦘🏏🎶

Thanks for the info. Now that you mention it, I do remember sus in connection with Brixton.

Ответ для OldSchoolJourno 🦘🏏🎶
Spooky the Bugdog

So essentially don't get your hopes up for a humanitarian upswing in the UK: The vagrancy act has only been repealed because they got a new one to replace it that stomps even harder on the already downtrodden.

Ответ для Spooky the Bugdog
OldSchoolJourno 🦘🏏🎶

Might have known it. New New Labour seem determined to out-Tory Thatcher.

Dr James Peate

The act deliberately targeted British Romanies way of life & making a living proscribing ‘every Petty Chapman or Pedlar wandering abroad, and trading without being duly licensed’ & targeted ‘every Person pretending or professing to tell Fortunes' 2/5

Ответ для Dr James Peate
Dr James Peate

The act also moved to ban where British Romanies lived proscribing with’ every Person wandering abroad and lodging in any Barn or Outhouse, or in any deserted or unoccupied Building, or in the open Air, or under a Tent, or in any Cart or Waggon.’ 3/5

Ответ для Dr James Peate
Dr James Peate

Much as the repeal of this act is not being taken to make Romani lives better - in 1824 there was no movement to increase the discrimination towards them. Instead the wording that targeted Romani way of life was copied over from the previous 1744 Vagrancy Act 4/5

Ответ для Dr James Peate
Dr James Peate

The 1744 Vagrancy Act had been deployed to devastating effect to clear Romanies, especially off of common land during enclosure. As such with little thought by legislators discriminatory legislation was introduced, maintained & repeal without any thought of the Romani people it targeted 5/5

OldSchoolJourno 🦘🏏🎶

Interesting indeed! I'm not a historian but have always been fascinated by traveller communities, dating back 60 years to when my dad gave me "Lavengro" to read. We have Romani communities in Australia, but there's no reliable estimate of numbers as they understandably tend to fly under the radar.

Ответ для OldSchoolJourno 🦘🏏🎶
Dr James Peate

I'm interested to look into their history if I ever got chance. I know that Romanies are transported to America for being Romanies in the 17th & 18th centuries but I've not had chance to see if anything similar happens to Australia later in the 18th century & following this act in the 19th

Ответ для Dr James Peate
OldSchoolJourno 🦘🏏🎶

In the 18th, certainly, with convict shipments—unsure about later. Let me know if I can look out any local resources for you that aren't available online. I live close to Melbourne and am retired, so have plenty of time on my hands and it would be a labour of love.

Ответ для OldSchoolJourno 🦘🏏🎶
Dr James Peate

That's so kind thank you! I'll let you know if anything comes up

Ответ для Dr James Peate