The Strange Laws Of Old England

Did you know that: It's against the law to check into a hotel in London under assumed names for the purpose of lovemaking? Under a statute of Edwards II all whales washed up on the shore belong to the monarch? Under a Tudor law Welshmen are not allowed into the city of Chester after dark?

In THE STRANGE LAWS OF OLD ENGLAND, Nigel Cawthorne unearths an extraordinary collection of the most bizarre and arcane laws that have been enacted over the centuries. Some of the laws, incredibly, are still in force. It is still illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armour. . . This elegant and amusing book is perfect for everyone fascinated by the eccentric history of these islands.

“Because of doubts about their moral character, there is an ordinance in Great Yarmouth in Norfolk banning the naming of streets after Shakespeare, Chaucer Byron or any other great poet ; at St Peter's . . . a law forbids ladies showing their ankles in public on pain of being put in the stocks . . . This light-hearted trawl through statute books, both past and present , unearths dozens of similar laws, some of which, bizarrely, are still in force . . . Who said the law was dull?-- This England”

Because of doubts about their moral character, there is an ordinance in Great Yarmouth in Norfolk banning the naming of streets after Shakespeare, Chaucer Byron or any other great poet; at St Peter's . . . a law forbids ladies showing their ankles in public on pain of being put in the stocks . . . This light-hearted trawl through statute books, both past and present, unearths dozens of similar laws, some of which, bizarrely, are still in force . . . Who said the law was dull?--This England

Nigel Cawthorne has been a writer for nearly 30 years, writing a number of successful popular history books. He lives in London.

Did you know that the law requiring a London taxi driver to carry a bale of hay on top of his cab to feed the horse was in force until 1976? That Welshmen are not allowed into the city of Chester after dark? Or that (under a statute of EdwardII) all whales washed up on the shore belong to the monarch? In The Strange Laws of Old England , Nigel Cawthorne takes the reader on an entertaining tour of the wilder shores of the British legal system; he has unearthed an extraordinary (and sometimes plain dotty) collection of the most bizarre and arcane laws that have been enacted over the centuries. Some of the laws, incredibly, are still in force. It is still illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armour... This elegant and amusing book is perfect for anyone fascinated by our remarkable legal heritage.

Did you know that: It's against the law to check into a hotel in London under assumed names for the purpose of lovemaking? Under a statute of Edwards II all whales washed up on the shore belong to the monarch? Under a Tudor law Welshmen are not allowed into the city of Chester after dark?In THE STRANGE LAWS OF OLD ENGLAND, Nigel Cawthorne unearths an extraordinary collection of the most bizarre and arcane laws that have been enacted over the centuries. Some of the laws, incredibly, are still in force. It is still illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armour. . . This elegant and amusing book is perfect for everyone fascinated by the eccentric history of these islands.

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