Barry Yelverton Introduces the Bill That Will Become Yelverton's Act

Barry Yelverton, 1st Viscount Avonmore, PC (Ire) KC (28 May 1736 – 19 August 1805), was an Irish judge and politician, who gave his name to Yelverton’s Act 1782, which effectively repealed Poynings’ Law and thus restored the independence of the Parliament of Ireland.

He introduced a bill in the Parliament of Ireland in 1782 that would later become known as Yelverton’s Act, the bill is an amendment of Poyning’s Act and states that only bills passed by both Irish houses of Parliament would be forwarded to England for assent.

Yelverton’s Act was officially titled “An Act for the Better Securement of the Dependency of Ireland upon the Crown of Great Britain.” The purpose of this legislation was to clarify the constitutional relationship between Ireland and Great Britain and assert Ireland’s legislative independence while still recognizing the sovereignty of the British Crown.

Yelverton’s Act, which passed in 1782, played a role in the broader context of constitutional developments between Ireland and Britain during the late 18th century. It was part of the series of legislative changes that eventually led to the Constitution of 1782, also known as the Irish Constitution of 1782, which granted more autonomy to the Irish Parliament.

Barry Yelverton’s contributions to this legislation were significant in the context of the evolving relationship between Ireland and Great Britain during this period.