Bizarre British Laws
Thu, Nov 8, 2007
Whilst at work today, several of us got into a discussion about some of the laws in Britain.
Most people knew, for instance, that the death penalty was last carried out in 1964 when Peter Anthony Allen and John Robson Walby were hanged simultaneously.
However, they didn’t realise that capital punishment effectively remained on the statute books until 1971 for arson in Royal dockyards and 1998 for Treason and piracy.
This led to a discussion about some of the bizarre laws that are still in place to this day.
Some of the stranger ones are -
It is illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas day- Dying in the Houses of Parliament is a criminal offence
- Sticking a postage stamp upside down is an act of treason if it bears the monarch’s image
- Being topless in Liverpool is illegal unless you are female and work in a tropical fish store
- In Scotland it is an offence to prevent someone entering your house if they ask to use the toilet
- In the UK, a pregnant woman can urinate anywhere she likes, including in a policeman’s helmet
- If a sturgeon is washed onto the beach it becomes the property of the King
- It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament whilst wearing armour
- Within the city of York you may legally murder a Scotsman if he carries a bow and arrows
Do you know any more weird British laws, or do you have anything like this in your country??
301 views
Let’s just say you may not want to go to China!!!
I will have to look into this a little for you, as I am sure that we have some good ones here in the States.
These are unconfirmed but are quite likely… Not really sure how to check!!!
In Baltimore, Maryland, it is not legal to take a lion to the movies.
In Carmel, New York, a man cannot be seen in public while wearing a jacket and pants that do not match.
In Zion, Illinois, it is illegal for anyone to give cats, dogs, or other domesticated animals a lighted cigar.
In Staten Island, New York, It is illegal for a father to call his son a “faggot” or “queer” in an effort to curb “girlie behavior.”
There are a lot of other good ones, but I can’t get too distracted right now!
jb
It sounds way too strict in China.. my girlfriend wouldn’t be able to live there for much longer than a night
The one about giving a lit cigar to animals made me laugh!!
And we thought the Southern US still had some weird laws on the books!
Hi Jason, good to see a ‘Zoomer’ commenting
Have you got any examples of weird laws in the Southern US that you can share?