Editing Combination Act 1799 (section)

==Background==
The 1799 and 1800 acts were passed under the government of [[William Pitt the Younger]] as a response to [[Jacobinism|Jacobin]] activity and the fear of then-[[Home Secretary]] the [[William Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland|Duke of Portland]] that workers would strike during a conflict to force the government to accede to their demands. Collectively these acts were known as the '''Combination Acts'''.<ref>{{cite book |author1=Rodney Mace |title=British Trade Union Posters: An Illustrated History |date=1999 |publisher=[[Sutton Publishing]] |isbn=0750921587 |page=13}}</ref> Under these laws any combination of two or more masters, or two or more workmen, to lower or raise wages, or to increase or diminish the number of hours of work, or quantity of work to be done, was punishable at [[common law]] as a misdemeanour.<ref>{{cite book |title=The National Cyclopaedia of Useful Knowledge |volume=IV |date=1848 |publisher=Charles Knight |location=London |page=791}}</ref>