Hogarth’s Act 1735

Act of the Parliament of Great Britain to give copyright protections to the producers of engravings.

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.

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.

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.

Mines and Collieries Act 1842


Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom prohibiting all females and boys under ten years of age from working underground in coal mines.

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.

De heretico comburendo

Law passed in 1401 during the reign of King Henry IV, allowing heretics to be burned alive.

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.

Brick tax

Tax on bricks introduced in Great Britain in 1784 to help pay for the American War of Independence.