General Evening Post in London, Middlesex

Protesant Dissenters Bill Sparks Heated Commons Debate

Yesterday in the House of Commons the third reading of the relief for Protestant Dissenters provoked petitions from self-styled dissenters alarmed by possible penalties. Counsel Clarke argued for strict limits on religious tenets, warning against forgeries and vague tests. supporters pressed liberty by law, while opponents warned of threats to scripture and church. The debate featured signatures in marks, testimony from Exeter, and speeches by Houghton, Newdigate, Savile, Cavendish, Bagot, Dolben, Page, Townshend, and Conway, ending with the bill’s fate in balance.