Hunting Decree in the form of a writ, William
I,
(Made between 1070 and 1088.
Modern enacted statutes do not yet appear in England. Most of William's
writs were in Latin only. A few, like this one, were in Anglo-Saxon
or Old English, perhaps to emphasize that--although he had conquered England
and spoke French--he considered himself the legitimate heir of the Anglo-Saxon
kings)
Treason Act, 1351
(This act is still in force today
in England, and is apparently the oldest English statute still in force.
Note the broad definition of treason, which includes simply "imagining"
the king's death. The act as presented is in English translation and includes
only the part still in force; the original included many other acts, like
counterfeiting the coinage of the realm. As to the penalty, see the
movie Braveheart. I have added the original law French version.)
Statute of Pleading (1362)
(Required use of English in court
pleading, noting that French is much unknown in the realm. Nonetheless,
lawyers continued to use French intermittently for another three centuries)
Treason Act, 1495
(Around the time of Henry VII, statutes--like
this one enacted in the 11th year of his reign--appear in English rather
than Law French)
An Act agaynst wearing of costly Apparrell (1509)
An Acte for Lawes & Justice to be ministered
in Wales in like fourme as it is in this Realme (1535)
(Henry VIII benevolently extends to
Wales the laws of England, relieving the Welsh of their "senister usages
and customes", and noting that their "speche [is] ne consonant to the naturall
mother tonge used within this Realme")
An Ordinance
for the better observation of the Lords-Day (1644)
(A Puritan statute passed during the
Commonwealth. Besides requiring observance of the Sabbath, it forbade
maypoles, which the Puritans felt were heathen.)
An Act for
turning the Books of the Law, and all Proces and Proceedings in Courts
of Justice, into English (1650)
(Another Puritan statute; note that
it provided a reward to those who sued to enforce the law. It was
repealed after the monarchy was restored)
Statute of Frauds, 1677
(This famous statute requires that
various legal transactions be in writing or evidenced by a writing.
It contains several provisions relating to wills that are still in effect,
in virtually the same terms, today in the United States)
Welsh Language Act, 1993
(This act sets up a board
to promote the use of the Welsh language in public and requires public
bodies dealing with Welsh speakers to establish a scheme to put Welsh and
English on an equal footing. The act (beginning in section 22) allows
Welsh to be used in legal proceedings. The act repeals legislation
of Henry VIII in the sixteenth century that (re)incorporated Wales into
England and the English legal system)
AMERICAN STATUTES
Some state statutes requiring plain English in certain classes of consumer documents (including the original New York law)
Various American state statutes declaring English the official
language of the state.
(This file is a few years old and
might be a bit out of date. The Arizona statute was ruled unconstitutional
in the Ruiz case, posted elsewhere on this site)