The Strange Laws Of Old England

Paperback / softback

Main Details

Title The Strange Laws Of Old England
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Nigel Cawthorne
Physical Properties
Format:Paperback / softback
Pages:272
Dimensions(mm): Height 126,Width 196
Category/GenreBritish and Irish History
Humour
ISBN/Barcode 9780749954154
ClassificationsDewey:349.42
Audience
General

Publishing Details

Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Imprint Piatkus Books
Publication Date 2 May 2013
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

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.

Author Biography

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

Reviews

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