Treason Act 1415 facts for kids
| Act of Parliament | |
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| Citation | 3 Hen. 5. c. 6 |
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| Other legislation | |
| Repealed by | Treason Act 1553 |
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Status: Repealed
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| Coin Act 1572 | |
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| Act of Parliament | |
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| Citation | 14 Eliz. 1. c. 3 |
| Coin Act 1575 | |
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| Act of Parliament | |
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| Citation | 18 Eliz. 1. c. 1 |
The Treason Act 1415 was an important law made by the Parliament of England. This law made it a very serious crime, called high treason, to "clip" coins. Clipping meant shaving off small bits of metal from coins. People did this to steal the precious metal.
Before this Act, it was already treason to make fake coins (counterfeit). The 1415 Act added coin clipping to the list of treasonous acts. This crime could lead to the death penalty. The law was later cancelled by the Treason Act 1553. However, it was brought back in 1562.
Contents
Protecting Money: The Treason Act 1415
The Treason Act 1415 first protected only English coins. But in 1575, the law was updated. It then covered foreign coins that were used as money in England. This helped keep all money in the country safe.
Coin Act 1572: Foreign Coins and Misprision
Before the 1575 update, another law was passed in 1572. This was the Coin Act 1572. It made it a lesser crime, called misprision of treason, to clip foreign coins. This applied even if those coins were not commonly used in England. Misprision of treason meant knowing about treason but not reporting it.
Expanding Justice: The 1415 Act's Reach
Another law from 1415, known as 4 Hen. 5. Stat. 1. c. 7, also helped. It allowed more judges to hear cases about coin clipping. Before this, only a few special judges, called the King's justices, could handle such cases. This change made it easier to bring criminals to justice.
Coin Act 1575: Changing Penalties
The Coin Act 1575 also brought a big change. For the crime of coin clipping, it removed some harsh punishments. These included "corruption of blood" and "forfeiture of goods and lands."
- Corruption of blood meant that a traitor's family could not inherit property.
- Forfeiture of goods and lands meant the government took all of the criminal's property.
Removing these penalties made the punishment for coin clipping less severe than for other types of treason.
See also
- Coin Act 1696
- High treason in the United Kingdom
- Treason Act
