Protestant dissenting deputies

In the 1820s and 1830s, the Protestant dissenting deputies (also known as the Deputies of the Three Congregations) were a group consisting of two representatives from each congregation of the dissenting denominations within twelve miles of London. (Presbyterian, Independent, Baptist).

Their main aim was protecting the civil rights of dissenters (i.e. fighting against disabilities, etc.). As such, they naturally found support in the Whig party. They had a selected committee of twenty-one who met regularly at the King's Head tavern in London. The group, though technically representative of the London congregations, was, de facto, the representatives for dissenting bodies across the nation. They presented addresses to the crown on behalf of all dissenters. They tended to support private influence over more public forms of protest.

Their support was a leading cause for the repeal of the Test and Corporations Act in 1828.