Law

Gin Act 1751

Gin Act 1751

The Gin Act 1751 is a reminder that drunkenness on the streets is nothing new. London has always been a magnet for people wanting to improve their chances in life.  The early 18th century rural economy was already beginning to creak and groan under the yoke of enclosure and agricultural revolution. More people were seeking…

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Edward Coke 1552 – 1634

Edward Coke and British Government and Democracy

Edward Coke, supreme barrister and politician of the C16th and C17th, whose belief and work in Common Law became part of the English and US Constitution whose name should be known by every child in the UK.

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Anatomy Act 1832

Anatomy Act 1832
This entry is part 4 of 9 in the series Statutes of Law

Body Snatching could make your body worth more dead than alive and the Anatomy Act was one way of starting toa ddress this dreadful and workhouse Regime fuelled fear by legislating to protect the corpses of the poor, this act lasts into the 20th Century so it was certainly significant well-beyond it’s original foundation,,,

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Copyhold Tenure what does it mean?

Copyhold document
This entry is part 1 of 1 in the series Property Law

If you were a Serf, you had no rights of appeal to a court outside that of your Manor, where your elied upon the biased and often harsh law of your particular lord, who might only be goverened by local custom. Copyhold tenure lifted you out of such servitude and established increased legal rights which were only abolished in 1926. Whilst the Land Registry was established in 1862, it did not record all transactions, find out how you can explore copyholders relevant to you and your history project for connections and insights that date back well before the 1837 BMD Registers…

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Edward VI and Vagrancy Act 1547 Poor Laws

VAGRANCY ACT

The Vagrancy Act 1547 was an uncaring response to a complicated social and economic situation after the death of King Henry VIII. The poor were penalized for a series of poor decisions by the Privy Council.

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Punishment of Vagabonds and Beggars 1536 Henry VIII

This entry is part 8 of 8 in the series Law - Poor Law

1536 Anne Boelyn executed. Dissolution of the Monasteries commences following Henry VIII’s declaration of Supremacy over the Church… Doesn’t bode well for the poor and idle if that is how you treat the people you love…Trace what happens next in the plight of the poor and the evolution of the wlefare state. It all goes back a lot further than you might think….

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Statute Punishment of Beggars and Vagabonds 1531

This entry is part 4 of 8 in the series Law - Poor Law

Was Henry VIII and his rule kind to Beggars? How does this act reflect the longer timeline of legislative events that lead to our current day Welfare State and how far back do the roots go, a snippet in a series of linked posts, designed to piece together the evidence that led to the British Welfare State. With great relevance and resonance with our current and hard pressed economic climate…

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