Before it was repealed, in England and Wales and Scotland, this section read: All meetings and assemblies of persons for the purpose of training or drilling themselves, or of being trained or drilled to the use of arms, or for the purpose of practising military exercise, movements, or evolutions, without any lawful authority from his Majesty, or [a Secretary of State, or any officer deputed by him for the purpose],..., by commission or otherwise, for so doing, shall be and the same are hereby prohibited as dangerous to the peace and security of his Majesty’s liege subjects and of his government; and every person who shall be present at or attend any such meeting or assembly for the purpose of training and drilling any other person or persons to the use of arms or the practise of military exercise, movements, or evolutions, or who shall train or drill any other person or persons to the use of arms, or the practise of military exercise, movements, or evolutions, or who shall aid or assist therein, being legally convicted thereof, shall be liable to [imprisonment] for any term not exceeding seven years,...; and every person who shall attend or be present at any such meeting or assembly as aforesaid, for the purpose of being, or who shall at any such meeting or assembly be trained or drilled to the use of arms, or the practice of military exercise, movements, or evolutions, being legally convicted thereof, shall be liable to be punished by fine and imprisonment not exceeding two years, at the discretion of the court in which such conviction shall be had.On 1 November 1995: The words "a Secretary of State, or any officer deputed by him for the purpose" were substituted for England and Wales and Scotland by section 1(2) of, and paragraph 1(a) of Schedule 2 to, the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1995.

The words "a Secretary of State" were substituted for Northern Ireland by section 1(2) of, and paragraph 1(b) of Schedule 2 to, the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1995.

The word "imprisonment" was substituted for the United Kingdom by section 1(2) of, and paragraph 1(c) of Schedule 2 to, the Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1995.

[3] See the following cases: Before it was repealed, this section read: ... it shall be lawful for any justice of the peace or for any constable or peace officer ... to disperse any such unlawful meeting or assembly as aforesaid, and to arrest and detain any person present at or aiding, assisting, or abetting any such assembly or meeting as aforesaid; ...The words of enactment at the start were repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1888.

So much of this section as conferred a power of arrest without warrant upon a constable, or persons in general (as distinct from persons of any description specified in or for the purposes of the enactment) was repealed, for England and Wales, to the extent that it was not already spent, by section 111 of, and paragraph 38 of Part 2 of Schedule 7 to, the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005.

The functions of Burgh magistrates now exercisable by a Justice of the Peace, by section 1(2) of the District Courts (Scotland) Act 1975.