Did you know the House of Commons was one of the earliest organisations to ban smoking in certain public areas in 1694?
As smoking is banned in public places across the UK this summer under the Health Act 2006, it may be interesting to know that on 23 March 1694 (1693 in old-style dating) the House of Commons passed two resolutions recorded in the Commons Journal as follows:
That no Member of the House do presume to take Tobacco in the Gallery of the House.
That no Member of the House do presume to take Tobacco at the Table, sitting at Committees.
Manuscript Journal of the House of Commons. Parliamentary Archives, HC/CL/JO/1/96.
A file in the Parliamentary Archives shows that the 1694 resolution was still being referred to in the 1960s. Other papers on smoking which are held in the Archives include an account book of the quantity and type of snuff supplied to the Commons between 1868-1904, and a petition to the Lords against juvenile smoking, with 1600 signatures, from 1879. One of the stranger items is a mid-19th century cigar case with cigar, which belonged to Thomas M Hinds, uncle of Sir Rowland Whitehead MP.
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