Treason Act 1547 facts for kids
| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Act for the Repeal of certain Statutes concerning Treasons, Felonies, and Clergy. |
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| Citation | 1 Edw. 6. c. 12 |
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| Other legislation | |
| Repeals/revokes |
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| Repealed by | Statute Law Revision Act 1948 |
| Relates to | Treason Act 1351 |
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Status: Repealed
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| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
The Treason Act 1547 was an important law passed by the Parliament of England. It is famous for being the first law to say that you needed two witnesses to prove someone was guilty of treason. Treason means betraying your country or ruler. This rule is still part of the United States Constitution today!
Contents
What the Act Changed
Fewer Treason Laws!
Before this Act, during the time of King Henry VIII, many new laws were made about treason. It became very easy to be accused of treason.
When his son, Edward VI, became king, Parliament passed this new Act. It got rid of most of those new treason laws. Now, only a few things counted as treason:
- Things listed in this new Act.
- Things listed in the very first Treason Act from 1351.
- Making fake money or forging the king's official seals.
However, this Act did not help people who had already been accused of treason. It also removed many new "felonies" (serious crimes) that Henry VIII had created.
The "Two Witnesses" Rule
A very important part of the 1547 Act was Section 22. It said that to accuse or find someone guilty of high treason, petty treason, or hiding treason, you needed "two sufficient and lawful witnesses." This meant two reliable people had to see the crime happen.
How the Rule Changed Over Time
This rule was removed in 1554, but it came back later in other laws. It was included in the Treason Act 1695. Because the United States used to be part of the British Empire, this rule influenced their laws.
In 1787, a version of the two witnesses rule was put into Article III of the U.S. Constitution. This new version made it even stricter: both witnesses had to see the exact same act of treason.
The rule from the 1695 Act was used in Great Britain until 1945. At that time, it was removed by the Treason Act 1945.
In 1945, a government official named Sir Donald Somervell explained why the rule was being removed. He said that one witness might not be trustworthy. But if you had two different acts of treason, and one witness for each, it was thought to be enough proof. However, he noted that the rule had been criticized since it was first made.
New Treason Rules Created
Even though the Act got rid of many old treason laws, it also created three new ones:
- Saying the King was not the Supreme Head of the Church was a minor crime. Doing it a second time was a serious crime, and a third time was treason. If you wrote it down, it was treason right away.
- Trying to take away the King's title, or saying someone else should be king, was treason.
- Trying to change who would become king or queen, as set out by the Act of Succession 1543, was treason.
These new rules were later removed by the Treason Act 1553, which was the first law passed when Mary I became queen. However, the rule about trying to take away the King's title was brought back in 1554.
Other Important Rules
Section 19 of the Act said that if treason was only committed by "open preaching or words," the accusation had to be made within 30 days. This was to make sure old accusations didn't suddenly appear.
Section 20 made it a formal crime to hide treason. This was called "misprision of treason."
See also
- High treason in the United Kingdom
