Legislation

Legislation

Militia Ordinance

Act of Parliament passed in 1642 allowing parliament to appoint military commanders without the king’s approval.

Legislation

Act of Uniformity 1558

One of the Acts of Parliament collectively known as the Elizabethan Religious Settlement. It introduced a Common Book of Prayer, and obliged everyone to attend their parish church every Sunday and on holy days. Those who refused were known as recusants.

Legislation

Keeping of dogs to hunt, etc. 1390

Law passed during the reign of King Richard II to restrict the hunting of game to the wealthier members of society by forbidding the ownership of hunting dogs, ferrets etc. to anyone earning less than forty shillings a year.

Legislation

Combination Acts

Acts of Parliament passed by the Tory government of William Pitt the Younger in response to its fear of unrest or revolution among the working classes. They banned workers from combining to form trade unions and prevented them from striking, calling for shorter hours or increased pay.

Legislation, Transport

Locomotive Acts

The Locomotive Acts of 1861, 1865 and 1878 set the United Kingdom’s first speed limits for road-going vehicles; powered passenger vehicles were at the time known as light locomotives, as they were invariably powered by steam.

Legislation

Punishment of Incest Act 1908

Act of Parliament making it illegal for the first time in England and Wales for a man to engage in sexual intercourse with any female he knew to be his grand-daughter, daughter, sister, half-sister, or mother.

Legislation

Cat and Mouse Act 1913

Act of Parliament intended to deal with the public outcry resulting from the treatment of suffragettes who went on hunger strike while in prison.

Legislation

Benefit of Clergy Act 1575

Act of Parliament that removed the right of those charged with rape or burglary to claim benefit of clergy, and so to be tried in an ecclesiastical court.

Scroll to Top