Unlawful Games Act 1541 facts for kids
| Act of Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Acte for Mayntenance of Artyllarie and debarringe of unlawful Games. |
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| Citation | 33 Hen. 8. c. 9 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by |
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| Repealed by | Betting and Gaming Act 1960 |
| Relates to | 11 Hen. 4. c. 4 |
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Status: Repealed
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The Unlawful Games Act 1541 was a law made by the Parliament of England. Its main goal was to stop certain new games that were causing people to stop practicing archery. Back then, archery was very important for England's defense.
This law made sure that men of different ages had bows and arrows. For example, all men under 60 years old had to own bows and arrows for shooting. Boys between 7 and 17 years old needed a bow and two arrows. Men aged 17 and older had to keep a bow and four arrows. If someone didn't follow these rules, they could be fined 6 shillings and 8 pence.
Contents
Why Archery Was Important
Archery was a key skill for English soldiers. It helped King Henry V win the famous 1415 Battle of Agincourt. Because of its importance, laws about archery had been around for a long time.
For instance, laws from 1388 and 1409 already required workers and servants to practice archery. There were also other laws, like the "Act concerning shooting in Long Bows" and the "Act for Maintenance of Archery." These laws showed how serious the government was about keeping archery skills strong.
Games That Caused Problems
The Unlawful Games Act 1541 aimed to stop games that were distracting people from archery. These "unlawful games" included things like dice games and card games. People spent too much time on these new games and not enough time practicing with their bows.
One example of a game that was not allowed was Le Tenyse, which was a type of ball game. There was a case where a man named John Warleman was found to have people playing this game in his house. This shows how the authorities tried to enforce the law.
How the Act Changed Over Time
Over the years, parts of the Unlawful Games Act 1541 were changed or removed.
- The Gaming Act 1845 removed many parts of the 1541 law.
- Later, the Statute Law Revision Act 1948 got rid of more sections. It also removed the old words that said archery was "sore decayed" because of these games. By this time, games like cricket, dicing, and carding were much more popular than archery.
- Finally, the entire Unlawful Games Act 1541 was completely removed by the Betting and Gaming Act 1960.
Christmas Day Football
Before 1960, the Unlawful Games Act 1541 had an interesting rule: it banned all sports on Christmas Day, except for archery practice. This meant that footballers who played matches on Christmas Day (which was common in the Football League back then) were technically breaking the law! This rule only ended when the Act was fully repealed in 1960.
See also
- History of gambling in the United Kingdom
- List of Acts of the Parliament of England, 1485–1601
