So this is a somewhat unusual episode, I am not an expert but I have a few thoughts on why the King (Henry VIII) is trying to punish Welshmen. In the main I suggest that this law is more towards the supremacy of English law over Welsh law.<...

So your in court in England in 1362 and the lawyers aren't speaking English and you don't speak French.  Why is this happening?This law is seen by some as the supremacy of English over French in the nobility in England, that is not...

So I finally got to the Sumptuary Laws, or at least the first 4.Sumptuary Laws were pretty common in Europe and tended to enforce  appearance or reduce overt spending. This is the first 4 in England which cover clothing that could ...

The year is 1650, the King is dead so it is time for the Rump Parliament to ban swearing. Due to the sheer detail of this law I cannot include the text here because there is too much, so I will include some of reading it out but not the...

What do you do when a terrorist cell nearly kills approximately 30,000 people in 1605? Well if your James the 1st you pass a law to remember it annually of course.ReferencesThe Law -

The year is 1651 and Charles the Second has just invaded England. The Puritans fearing a royalist uprising pass this law.Relevant Links An Act prohibiting Correspondence with Charles Stuart or his Party - 1651 -

So we have a new period to look at the laws of the Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell.How did we get from 59% of the land in Ireland being owned by Catholics in 1641 to 22% in 1660. This ordinance is certainly one of the reasons.Ac...

The year is 1313 your Edward the second, your best friend (Piers Gaveston)  has just been murdered by your barons in 1312 and the country is slipping towards civil war. So as a show of strength (I say sarcastically)  you pass a law to...

When is Bigamy not Bigamy, when it is Canonical Bigamy.The year is 1276 and Pope Gregory X has some ideas about how Canonical Bigamy should be treated in ecclesiastical court. Possibly the earliest example of a law from Europe being pas...

So let me put you in my situation, you have just researched and recorded an episode on the role of the Coroner in Medieval England without being able to find the primary source legislation. As you begin to research the next episode (the Statute...

The intention was a short episode, this was a failure. This is the first time I have not been able to find the actual legislation in question but just people's commentary on it. So buckle up and prepare for a discussion on the role of the Coron...

The year is 1266, Henry the 3rd has the remnants of the rebellion of the Second Barons War surrounded in Kenilworth Castle. You would assume he crushes them without mercy, but does he?The Dictum of Kenilworth -

Do you really need a law to deal with the ambiguity over how a leap year is counted, well in 1256 they did. This episode is my most tangent filled yet, with more side bars than  are usual in a 30 minute podcast. This provision ( or...

The Statute of Merton is called the oldest Statute in England dating from 1235. There is a law documented before this, but it is not a statute so I suppose this is technically correct, (the best kind of correct).Why was it passed, what ...

The Statute of Westminster of 1285 (13 Edw. I, St. 1), also known as the Statute of Westminster II, like the Statute of Westminster 1275, is a code in itself, and contains the famous clause De donis conditionalibus, one of the fundamental insti...

Edward the 1st is just back from Crusade and he has laws to pass.The Statute of Westminster  dates from 1275. Why was it passed, what was it's purpose and  what parts of it are still in force?These be the ...

The Statute of Marlborough is one of the oldest law in England that has not been repealed, it dates from 1267. Why was it passed, what was it's purpose and  what parts of it are still in force?In the Year of Grace, One...