Introduction
The Licensing Order of 1643 is an important piece of legislation in the history of journalism, passed by the English Parliament in the midst of the English Civil War to curtail the freedom of the press by imposing censorship, licensing, and penalties on printers. Though intended to suppress dissent, it sparked some of the most popular defences of press freedom, most notably Milton’s Areopagitica.
Basic Overview
- Official name – The Ordinance for Regulating of Printing.
- Passed on 14 June 1643 by the English Parliament during the turbulent years of the English Civil War (1642–1651).
- Issued to impose pre-publication censorship on rapidly increasing publications after the abolition of the Star Chamber (Royal Court) in 1641, which had earlier controlled the press in favour of the monarch.
- The primary intention of Parliament in passing the law was to suppress royalist propaganda and allegedly seditious content being published to undermine public trust in Parliament.
Need of Licensing Order, 1643?
- After the fall of the Star Chamber in 1641, the press in Britain became virtually free. This resulted in an explosion of print culture and the free exchange of ideas, with thousands of unlicensed pamphlets circulating and fuelling religious, political, and propaganda materials.
- During the English Civil War (1642–1651), both the King and Parliament sought public support. Parliament feared that the uncontrolled spread of misinformation and propaganda could undermine its authority.
Main Provisions of the Licensing Order
- Pre-censorship: Every book, pamphlet, or news-sheet had to be reviewed and approved by an official licenser before it could be printed. Licensers often included clergymen and trusted officials.
- Necessary registration: All works had to be registered with the Stationers’ Company, the London guild of printers and booksellers.
- Censorship of “offensive” material: Anything deemed heretical, libellous, or critical of Parliament could be banned.
- Punishment of unlicensed publishing: Printers caught publishing unlicensed material faced serious penalties such as fines and imprisonment.
- Search and seizure powers: Authorities were empowered to search any press premises and seize unlicensed material, or even shut down the press altogether.
Reactions and Aftermath of the Licensing Order
- The law faced immediate backlash, as printers, sectarian groups, and radical Puritans felt their voices were being stifled by Parliament. They turned to clandestine presses (underground printing) to publish unlicensed pamphlets, marking the law’s failure in practice.
- The most famous opposition came from John Milton, who published Areopagitica in 1644, a passionate pamphlet arguing for “freedom of the press” and promoting the “marketplace of ideas.”
- However, the law remained in force until 1695, when Parliament finally allowed the Licensing Act to lapse. By then, the freedom established by the Declaration of Rights (1689) had created a more open society, leading to another explosion of print culture.
Significance of the Licensing Order of 1643
- Although the act intended to suppress dissent, it sparked the most influential debates on press freedom vs. state censorship, championed by thinkers and political writers like Milton.
- The law also highlighted Parliament’s double standards: having opposed royal censorship under Charles I, it was now employing the same methods to silence its critics.
Conclusion
The Licensing Order of 1643 was a draconian law passed by the English Parliament to curb the freedom of the rapidly growing printing industry and subject it to pre-publication censorship during the English Civil War (1642–1651). Despite the order, unlicensed pamphlets, corantos, and newsbooks continued to circulate throughout England. This resulted in some of the most famous defences of the freedom of speech and of the press, most notably Milton’s Areopagitica.
