Habeas Corpus Suspension Act 1798
Habeas Corpus Suspension Act 1798 was an Act of Parliament passed by the Parliament of Great Britain.
On 28 February 1798 five members of the leading Jacobin Societies were arrested at Margate while they were trying to travel to France. After interrogating them for evidence, arrests of other Jacobins occurred in Leicester, Manchester and London. Some of those arrested were released within a few days while others were held for nearly three years. To facilitate these arrests, the suspension of habeas corpus was passed, although only one of the Margate five was convicted. The Act expired on 1 February 1799, although Foxite MPs had wished for 1 November as the expiry date.
