Profane Oaths Act 1745
| Act of Parliament | |
| Long title | An Act more effectually to prevent profane Cursing and Swearing. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 19 Geo. 2. c. 21 |
| Territorial extent | Great Britain |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 4 June 1746 |
| Commencement | 1 June 1746 |
| Repealed | 21 July 1967 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repeals/revokes | |
| Repealed by | Criminal Law Act 1967 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The Profane Oaths Act 1745 (19 Geo. 2. c. 21) was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain passed in 1746, in effect from 1 June 1746, and formally repealed in 1967. It established a system of fines payable for "profane cursing and swearing".
The preamble described the ubiquity of the "horrid, impious, and execrable vices of profane cursing and swearing" in the country, saying that this "may justly provoke the divine vengeance to increase the many calamities these nations now labour under", and that the existing laws designed to prevent this were ineffective. Many of the provisions in the act were essentially the same as those in the 1694 act which it replaced.