Aliens Act 1793
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| Long title | An Act for regulating immigration into Great Britain |
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| Citation | 33 Geo. 3 c. 4 |
| Introduced by | Lord Grenville |
| Dates | |
| Commencement | 8 January 1793 |
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Status: Repealed
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| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The Aliens Act 1793 (33 Geo 3 c 4) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain regulating immigration into the country. Introduced into the House of Lords by Lord Grenville on 19 December 1792, the act was given high priority during the parliamentary session. Despite concerns of Opposition party, the Act became law on 8 January 1793. The Act itself was only temporary, and was renewed and revised by a series of subsequent changes. At end of the war period, the act was revoked.
French Emigration (1789-1815) refers to the mass movement of citizens from France to neighboring countries in reaction to the bloodshed and upheaval caused by the French Revolution and Napoleonic rule. To escape political tensions and save their lives, a number of individuals emigrated from France and settled in the neighboring countries (chiefly Great Britain, Germany, Austria, and Prussia), however quite a few also went to the United States. The number of refugees fleeing into Britain reached its climax in autumn of 1792. In September alone, a total of nearly 4000 refugees landed in Britain. The country appealed to people because it had a channel separating them from the revolutionaries and because it was known for being tolerant. Emigrants primarily settled in London and Soho, the latter had grown into a thriving French cultural district, complete with French hotels and cuisine, although it had long been a haven for French exiles, housing many thousands of Frenchmen from the last mass migration which occurred in reaction to the 1685 revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and the ensuing Foreign Protestants Naturalization Act 1708.
The uncontrolled influx of foreigners created significant anxiety in government circles. Particularly, the British Government feared the presence of spies and Jacobin agents disguised as refugees in the country. J. W. Bruges, secretary of the Foreign Office, wrote to Lord Grenville on 14 September: "By what I can learn, the majority of these people are of a suspicious description, and very likely either to do mischief of their own accord, or to be fit tools of those who may be desirous of creating confusion". Additionally, the newspapers during the latter part of 1792 emphasized strong public suspicions of "Frenchmen in England" and demanded that high control and security measures be placed onto Britain.
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