One of the signs of a well balanced person is the ability to laugh at themselves and the idiosyncracies of their own country (an ability that seems sadly lacking by some people on this site!). When I found these I nearly fell off my chair!
* Under the reign of Elizabeth I, any person found guilty of harboring a Catholic priest would be tortured or even hanged. Any priest of the Catholic faith that was caught would be hanged, drawn, and quartered.
* With the exception of carrots, most goods may not be sold on Sunday.
* All English males over the age 14 are to carry out 2 or so hours of longbow practice a week supervised by the local clergy.
o Why does this law exist?
* London Hackney Carriages (taxis/cabs) must carry a bale of hay and a sack of oats. (Repealed 1976)
o Why does this law exist?
* The severest Penaltys will be suffered by any commoner who doth permit his animal to have carnal knowledge of a pet of the Royal House (enacted by George I)
* It is illegal to be drunk on Licensed Premises (in a pub or bar).
* It is illegal for two adult men to have sex in the same house as a third person.
o Why does this law exist?
* Any person found breaking a boiled egg at the sharp end will be sentenced to 24 hours in the village stocks (enacted by Edward VI).
* It is illegal to stand within one hundred yards of the reigning monarch when not wearing socks (enacted by Edward VI)
* Chelsea Pensioners may not be impersonated.
o Why does this law exist?
* A bed may not be hung out of a window.
* It is illegal for a lady to eat chocolates on a public conveyance.
* During his reign, Oliver Cromwell banned the eating of mince pies on Christmas day, as they were insufficiently Puritan.
o Get the full text of this law.
o Why does this law exist?
* Any boy under the age of 10 may not see a naked manequin.
* It is illegal to leave baggage unattended.
o Why does this law exist?
* Picking up abandoned baggage is an act of terrorism.
o Why does this law exist?
* Those wishing to purchase a television must also buy a license.
o Why does this law exist?
* It is illegal for a Member of Parliament to enter the House of Commons wearing a full suit of armour.
o Why does this law exist?
* Destroying or defacing money is illegal.
* If a steam locomotive is driven on roads, a man must walk in front of the vehicle with a red flag during the day and a red lantern at night to warn passersby.
* All steam locomotives are limited to 4mph on roads.
* Anal sex is prohibited.
* You may not make out in public.
* It is legal for a male to urinate in public, as long it is on the rear wheel of his motor vehicle and his right hand is on the vehicle.
o Why does this law exist?
* Committing suicide is classified as a capital crime.
* Interfering with the mail or sleeping with the consort of the Queen is classed as treason, and as such, carries a maximum penalty of death.
* Placing a postage stamp that bears the Queen (or King) upside down is considered treason.
* One may not lemish the peace.
* A license is required to keep a lunatic.
* Damaging the grass is illegal.
* Jesuits, Seminary Priests and other suchlike disobedient Persons must be banished.
o Get the full text of this law.
* Since 1313, MPs are not allowed to don armor in Parliament.
o Get the full text of this law.
Chester
* You can only shoot a Welsh person with a bow and arrow inside the city walls and after midnight.
Hereford
* You may not shoot a Welsh person on Sunday with a longbow in the Cathedral Close.
Liverpool
* It is illegal for a woman to be topless in public except as a clerk in a tropical fish store.
London
* Companies may vote in local elections.
* No cows may be driven down the roadway between 10 AM and 7 PM unless there is prior approval from the Commissioner of Police.
o Get the full text of this law.
York
* Excluding Sundays, it is perfectly legal to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow.
Isle of Man
* Crossbows are banned
o Get the full text of this law.
Isle of Sark
* All land must be left to the eldest son.
o Get the full text of this law.
* Divorces are outlawed.
Originally posted by ianpickeringI don't have time to read the entire post, but I imagine that law would have been in place to ensure the people would be ready to fight in times of war. Those French knights had an unfortunate taste for full frontal charges.
* All English males over the age 14 are to carry out 2 or so hours of longbow practice a week supervised by the local clergy.
o Why does this law exist?
there was once a town clerk who wrote up laws once they had been passed in the 18th or 19th century. back in those days, it was near-impossible to get a divorce. so, in one of the laws he was copying out, he simply added the line "and hereby, the marraige of the town clerk and his wife is dissovled". or words to this effect.
when he died, there was great debade as to whether the next town clerk would have to be divorced too...
😕
there are a great many more of these. Most of them have been revolked (like gay sex being illegal, suicide being a capital offence...) but many hang on because no one can be bothered to spend the time to revolk them. I think the one about being allowed to kill any Frenchman in a British harbour is no longer active.
Most have some reason why they existed, sometimes sound sometimes less so, that can be found with a little imagination. Like hackney carrages having to carry abale of hay, because otherwise what would you feed the horse drawing it...?
Originally posted by stephenwaleMe too. That's what they get for sacking the city 😉
I'm pretty certain that it is still legal to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow from the city walls in York.
With regard to:
* All English males over the age 14 are to carry out 2 or so hours of longbow practice a week supervised by the local clergy.
o Why does this law exist?
I would have thought it was obvious. Agincourt wasn't won by a load of untrained peasants. They were well-trained peasants!
I remember as a student at Glasgow Uni (founded 14-something), there were lots of daft old laws.
There was a story about a student who, in an exam, demanded a flagon of ale, and cited some centuries old bye-law, which said that a student required to sit an exam on a saturday may have such a refreshment. The tutor checked with the authorities, and the student was duly brought a beer.
The authorities got their revenge when, a couple of weeks later, the same student was 'arrested' and order to appear before the university court. He was charged with failing to wear his sword in the quadrangles and fined the price of a pint.
As I understand it, universities in the UK can still execute students, as separation legislation was needed to repeal capital punishment for university campusses, and this was never enacted.
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York university (which is built on the largest man made lake in Europe) has a law protecting the ducks which live there. Any student found killing ducks will be expelled from the uni. This was from the time a foreign exchange student from the far east was found with three dead ones hanging up in his wardrobe! They are a delicacy and he thought they were wandering around the lake for any students with the munchies! I would love to have been a fly on the wall when he tried explaining himself to the Campus Provost!😵