Septennial Act 1716 Septennial Act 1716 The Septennial Act 1716 (1 Geo 1 St 2 c 38), also known as the Septennial Act 1715, was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. It was passed in May 1716. It increased the maximum length of a parliament (and hence the maximum period between general elections) from three years to seven. This seven-year ceiling remained in law from 1716 until 1911. The previous limit of three years had been set by the Triennial Act 1694, enacted by the Parliament of England. The act's ostensible aim was to reduce the expense caused by frequent elections.
Septennial Act 1716 Parliament Act 1911 to reduce the maximum term of parliament to five years. The Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 repealed the Septennial Act in its entirety. The text of the act is very short. As originally in force, it stated: The act overturned the provisions of the Triennial Act 1694. The ostensible aim of the Septennial Act was, by reducing the frequency of elections, to reduce the cost during a given period of holding them. However, it may have had the effect of keeping the Whig party, which had won the 1715 general election, in power for a longer time. The