Civil List Act 1727

Civil List Act 1727

Act of Parliament
Parliament of Great Britain
Long title	An Act for the better Support of His Majesty's Household, and of the Honour and Dignity of the Crown of Great Britain.
Citation	1 Geo. 2. St. 1. c. 1
Dates
Royal assent	17 July 1727
Other legislation
Repealed by	Statute Law Revision Act 1867
Status: Repealed

The Civil List Act 1727 (1 Geo. 2. St. 1. c. 1) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain passed upon the accession of George II.

The Act granted the Crown the Civil List revenues (mainly customs and excise), estimated to give the King an annual income of £800,000. If these revenues yielded less than £800,000 then Parliament would make up the shortfall. If on the other hand they were worth more than £800,000, the King could retain the surplus as well.^[1] The Act differed from previous Civil List arrangements in that under the terms of the Act the income of the Crown would increase with the wealth of the nation. In the early years of George II's reign, the revenues fell below the stipulated amount of £800,000 but by the end of his reign he was receiving £876,988.^[2]

Notes

1. E. A. Reitan, 'The Civil List in Eighteenth-Century British Politics: Parliamentary Supremacy versus the Independence of the Crown', The Historical Journal Vol. 9, No. 3 (1966), p. 320.
2. Reitan, p. 320.