The repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts on 9 May 1828 was a significant moment in the religious history of Britain. Following the restoration of Charles II in 1660, the ascendant royalists had introduced a body of legislation designed to strengthen the power of the Church of England and severely curtail the civic rights of those who dissented from the Anglican establishment. The Corporation Act of 1661 stipulated that those who were elected to a Corporation or who served in public office were required to take communion according to the rites of the Church of England. The Test Act of 1673 required the same of those who assumed any kind of civic or military office.
Since the late 1780s Protestant Dissenters had campaigned vociferously for repeal, but it was not until 9 May 1828 that this was finally achieved. With the support of Robert Peel, Lord John Russell introduced the Sacramental Test Bill on 26 February and persuaded the bishops in the House of Lords not to vote against it. The passage of the bill immediately led to calls for Catholic emancipation, which occurred the following year on 4 April 1829.