The Statutes of the Realm facts for kids
"The Statutes of the Realm" is a very old and important collection of laws. These laws were made by the Parliament of England from the earliest times until 1707. After that, it included laws from the Parliament of Great Britain up to 1714, when Queen Anne died.
This big collection was published between 1810 and 1825. It was put together by a group called the Record Commission. There are 9 main books, plus two more books that help you find things: an Alphabetical Index and a Chronological Index.
This collection has all the laws that were printed before. But it also includes many laws and translations that had never been printed! Unlike older collections, "The Statutes of the Realm" prints the full text of every law. It doesn't matter if the law was still used or not when the books were published. However, for laws made for specific people or places (called Private Acts) after 1539, only their titles are printed.
The text of each law usually comes from old official records. These records were called the Statute Rolls. Later, laws were recorded in a place called Chancery. If any text was missing, it was added from the original laws kept in the Records of Parliament or other places.
The first book of the collection has a detailed introduction. It explains how and why "The Statutes of the Realm" was created. This first book also contains important old documents about people's rights. These documents are called "charters of liberties." They date from the time of King Henry I up to King Edward I.
This collection does not include laws from the old Parliament of Scotland or the old Parliament of Ireland. It also doesn't have laws or rules made in the mid-1600s when there was no king.
What's Inside the Books?
"The Statutes of the Realm" is made up of many volumes, or books. Each volume covers laws from different time periods and different kings and queens.
| Volume | Time Period Covered |
|---|---|
| I | From King Henry III to King Edward III |
| II | From King Richard II to King Henry VII |
| III | Laws from the time of King Henry VIII |
| IV (Part I) | From King Edward VI to the 27th year of Queen Elizabeth I's rule |
| IV (Part II) | From the 28th year of Queen Elizabeth I's rule to the 28th year of King James I's rule |
| V | From King Charles I to King Charles II |
| VI | From King James II to King William and Queen Mary |
| VII | Laws from the time of King William III |
| VIII | From the 1st year of Queen Anne's rule to her 6th year |
| IX (Part I) | From the 7th year of Queen Anne's rule to her 13th year |
| X | An Alphabetical Index to help you find laws by name |
| XI | A Chronological Index to help you find laws by date |
See also
