Offences Against the Person Act 1837

The Act 7 Will. 4 & 1 Vict. c. 85, sometimes called the Offences against the Person Act 1837, was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. It amended the law relating to offences against the person. It was one of the Acts for the Mitigation of the Criminal Law (chapters 84 to 91) passed during the session 7 Will. 4 & 1 Vict. The Legal Observer said that this Act materially lessened the severity of the punishment of offences against the person.

This Act was adopted in New South Wales by section 1 of the Act 2 Victoria No 10.

This Act was repealed as to New Zealand by section 2 of, and Schedule A to, the Indictable Offences Acts Repeal Act 1867 (31 Vict No 8), and by section 3 of, and the First Part of the Schedule to, the Repeals Act 1878 (42 Vict. No 28).

It repealed a number of offences under the act 9 Geo. 4. c. 31, sometimes called the Offences against the Person Act 1828, and under the corresponding Irish Act, the Offences Against the Person (Ireland) Act 1829 (10 Geo. 4. c. 34), and re-enacted those offences in different terms.

The Act has been wholly replaced by the Offences against the Person Act 1861.

The 7th Earl of Cardigan was tried in the House of Lords on an indictment for offences under this Act in 1841.

Section 4
This section replaced section 12 of the Act 9 Geo. 4. c. 31 (1828) and abolished the death penalty for shooting, stabbing, cutting or wounding with intent.

Section 6
This section replaced section 13 of the Act 9 Geo. 4. c. 31 (1828) and abolished the death penalty for post-quickening abortions. Unlike the previous Act, this provision made no distinction between pre- and post- quickening abortions.

Section 11
This section was repealed by section 10 of the Criminal Procedure Act 1851 (14 & 15 Vict. c. 100).