No armour in Parliament, never handle salmon 'suspiciously' and being drunk in a pub is ILLEGAL: The bizarre Medieval laws that still stand in Britain today
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| Photo by Scott Warman on Unsplash |
Have you ever been drunk in a pub or shaken a rug out of your window to rid it of dust?
If so, you've broken the law - one of the many obscure decrees first introduced as far back as the 1300s which still stand in Britain today.
Under the Metropolitan Police Act 1839, for example, it is illegal for the 'keeper of a public house to permit drunkenness on premises', yet any pub-goer could swear they see that particular law being broken by millions of people each week.
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| photo credit Alex Proimos |
As of 1313, for example, it has been illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armour - which surely hasn't been a likelihood in centuries.
And since 1939, it has been against the law to carry a plank along a pavement.
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| photo credit Luca Cerabona |
As recently as 1986, it has been illegal to 'handle a salmon in suspicious circumstances' - which leaves a lot of room for interpretation.
Steve Blackburn, General Manager of The London Dungeon, said: '800 years ago the Magna Carta enshrined the principles of common law, and since then, thousands of laws have been passed for the greater good.
'But some, which may have been brought in for a really good reason, seem totally bonkers these days. It is understandable that being drunk and disorderly should be an offence, but being penalised for purely being drunk in a pub seems harsh.'
'Some of these laws are truly archaic, but we're using their existence to celebrate the history of our much envied legal system, with a liberal dose of humour and fun.'
As of 1322, it has been illegal for a dead whale found on a British coast to be removed - since it automatically becomes the property of the ruling monarch.
Similarly, it is an offense to let your dog mate with any dog belonging to the royal family - Queen Elizabeth II's corgis thus included.
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| photo credit Huso |
Since 1839, it has been against the law for anyone to fly a kite or slide on ice in the street - perhaps a reasonable safety measure, if a little draconian.
Under the same laws, you are not allowed to erect a washing line across any street either.
Other forbidden acts which would once have been perfectly rational include riding a bus while (knowingly) suffering from the plague.
It is also illegal to keep a pigsty in front of your house, unless 'duly hidden', and to be intoxicated in charge of a horse or cow.
As of 1839, it has also been against the law to beat or shake any carpet or rug in the street. You can shake your doormat, however, but only before 8am in the morning.
It is also illegal to sing any profane or obscene song or ballad in any street, or to 'willfully and wantonly' disturb people by ringing their doorbells or knocking at their doors - although good luck enforcing that on Halloween!
In Scotland, on the other hand, it is apparently still illegal to turn someone away if they knock on your door and ask to use your loo.
More recent surprising laws include the official banning of jumping the queue in a Tube ticket hall.
And perhaps our favourite: the Polish potato ban.
As of 2004, 'no person shall import into England potatoes which he knows to be or has reasonable cause to suspect to be Polish potatoes'.
