Parliamentary Act. Reign of George III | The Quartering Act of 1774

Parliamentary Act. Reign of George III

An Act for the better providing suitable Quarters for Officers and Soldiers in His Majesty’s Service in North America. London: Printed by Charles Eyre and William Strahan, 1774

Folio (324 x 203 mm). Woodcut arms of Great Britain, woodcut headpiece and initial, text in black letter, side notes in roman type. Disbound.

The Quartering Act of 1774. Known as one of the "Intolerable Acts" in conjunction with the Massachusetts Government Act, the Administration of Justice Act and the Boston Port Act. On 2 June 1774, the British Parliament renewed the Quartering Act (see lots 176–178).

This last act applied not only to Massachusetts, but to all the American colonies, and was only slightly different from the 1765 act. The new act allowed royal governors, rather than colonial legislatures, to find homes and buildings to quarter or house British soldiers.

It sought to clarify and expand the British ability to quarter troops in American cities. It stated that "doubts have been entertained whether troops can be quartered otherwise than in barracks" and that the Royal governor had the right to use "uninhabited houses, outhouses, barns, or other buildings" to quarter soldiers. While "other buildings" could be open to broad interpretation, the 1774 act (like the 1765 act) did not mandate that British soldiers stay in occupied private homes. In fact, it specifically prohibited it. 

REFERENCE:

ESTC N57479