test act

noun

1. any law requiring a person to belong to the established church of a country as a condition for holding public office.
2. (initial capital letters) English History. the statute (1673) requiring all military officers and public officials to take an oath of allegiance to the Crown, receive the sacraments of the Church of England, and reject the doctrine of transubstantiation: repealed in 1828.

Test Act

noun

1. a law passed in 1673 in England to exclude Catholics from public life by requiring all persons holding offices under the Crown, such as army officers, to take the Anglican Communion and perform other acts forbidden to a Catholic: repealed in 1828

Word History and Origins

Origin of test act¹

First recorded in 1700–10

Example Sentences

He that did not conform was deprived of more civil privileges than a nonconformist is deprived of by the Test Act in England.

From Project Gutenberg

James dispensed with the law by prerogative and appointed Romanists to offices in defiance of the Test Act.

From Project Gutenberg

On the passing of the Test Act in 1681 he refused to take the required oath except with a reservation.

From Project Gutenberg

I thought, therefore, that your theory pointed directly to a renewal of the Test Act.

From Project Gutenberg

Few measures have ever brought about more startling results than the Test Act.

From Project Gutenberg