The Pains and Penalties Bill 1820 was a bill introduced to the British Parliament in 1820, at the request of King George IV, which aimed to dissolve his marriage to Caroline of Brunswick, and deprive her of the title of Queen of the United Kingdom.
George and Caroline had married in 1795, when George was still Prince of Wales. After the birth of their only child, Princess Charlotte of Wales, they separated. Caroline eventually went to live abroad, where she appointed Bartolomeo Pergami to her household as a courier. He eventually rose to become the head servant of her household, and it was widely rumoured that they were lovers.
In 1820, George ascended the throne and Caroline travelled to Britain to assert her rights as queen consort of the United Kingdom. George despised her, and was adamant that he wanted a divorce. Under English law, however, divorce was illegal unless one of the parties was guilty of adultery. As neither he nor Caroline would admit adultery, George had a bill introduced to Parliament, which if passed would declare Caroline to have committed adultery, and grant the King a divorce. In essence, the reading of the bill was a public trial of the Queen, with the members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons acting as both jury and judges.
After a sensational trial, which was heavily reported in the press in salacious detail, the bill was narrowly passed by the House of Lords. However, because the margin was so slim and public unrest over the bill was significant, the government withdrew the bill before it was debated by the House of Commons as the likelihood of it ever passing was remote.
Read more about Pains And Penalties Bill 1820: Background, Bill, Trial, Prosecution Case, Defence Case, Passed But Withdrawn, Aftermath
Famous quotes containing the words pains and, pains, penalties and/or bill:
“Pedants make a great rout about criticism, as if it were a science of great depth, and required much pains and knowledge—criticism however is only the result of good sense, taste and judgment—three qualities that indeed seldom are found together, and extremely seldom in a pedant, which most critics are.”
—Horace Walpole (1717–1797)
“If she must teem,
Create her child of spleen, that it may live
And be a thwart disnatured torment to her!
Let it stamp wrinkles in her brow of youth,
With cadent tears fret channels in her cheeks,
Turn all her mother’s pains and benefits
To laughter and contempt, that she may feel
How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is
To have a thankless child!”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
“I’ve got to go. That’s one of the penalties of being a doctor. I never seem to finish a conversation.”
—Robert M. Fresco, and Jack Arnold. Dr. Matt Hastings (John Agar)
“The measure discriminates definitely against products which make up what has been universally considered a program of safe farming. The bill upholds as ideals of American farming the men who grow cotton, corn, rice, swine, tobacco, or wheat and nothing else. These are to be given special favors at the expense of the farmer who has toiled for years to build up a constructive farming enterprise to include a variety of crops and livestock.”
—Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)