Wild Creatures and Forest Laws Act 1971 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Wild Creatures and Forest Laws Act 1971

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to abolish certain rights of Her Majesty to wild creatures and certain related rights and franchises; to abrogate the forest law (subject to exceptions); and to repeal enactments relating to those rights and franchises and to forests and the forest law; and for connected purposes.
Citation	1971 c. 47
Territorial extent	Does not extend to Scotland, except for the partial repeal of section 2 of the Night Poaching Act 1828.
Dates
Royal assent	1 July 1971
Commencement	1 July 1971
Other legislation
Repeals/revokes	Charter of the Forest 1217 Ordinance of the Forest 1305 Ordinance of the Forest 1306 Customs and Assise of the Forest 27 Hen. 8. c. 7 Delimitation of Forests Act 1640 Dean Forest Act 1667 New Forest Act 1697 New Forest Act 1800 41 Geo. 3. (U.K.) c. 108 50 Geo. 3. c. 116 50 Geo. 3. c. ccxviii 52 Geo. 3. c. 71 52 Geo. 3. c. 72 53 Geo. 3. c. 158 55 Geo. 3. c. 122 55 Geo. 3. c. 138 55 Geo. 3. c. 190 56 Geo. 3. c. 132 58 Geo. 3. c. 99 58 Geo. 3. c. 100 5 Geo. 4. c. 99 6 Geo. 4. c. 132 Crown Lands Act 1829 6 & 7 Will. 4. c. 3 Dean Forest (Encroachments) Act 1838 Dean Forest Act 1842 7 & 8 Vict. c. 13 12 & 13 Vict. c. 81 14 & 15 Vict. c. 43 New Forest Act 1851 Whichwood Disafforesting Act 1853 Whittlewood Disafforesting Act 1853 16 & 17 Vict. c. 42 17 & 18 Vict. c. 49 18 & 19 Vict. c. 46 Whichwood Disafforesting Amendment Act 1856 Hainault Forest (Allotment of Commons) Act 1858 29 & 30 Vict. c. 70 Abbot’s Wood (Dean Forest) Act 1870 Epping Forest Act 1871 Epping Forest Amendment Act 1872 Epping Forest Act 1873 Epping Forest Act 1875 New Forest Highways Act 1883 East and West Dean (Highways) Act 1883 New Forest (Sale of Lands for Public Purposes) Act 1902
Relates to	Night Poaching Act 1828
Status: Amended
Revised text of statute as amended

The Wild Creatures and Forest Laws Act 1971 is a law passed by the Parliament of the United Kingdom. This Act helped update and simplify many old laws about wild animals and forests in England. It was created based on suggestions from the Law Commission, a group that helps make laws clearer and more modern.

What Did the Act Change?

This Act made some big changes to very old rules. It got rid of many ancient rights that the King or Queen used to have over wild animals and certain lands.

Ending Old Royal Rights

Section 1(1) of the Act removed a very old law called the Charter of the Forest 1217. This Charter was one of the oldest laws in England. The 1971 Act ended the special right of the monarch (King or Queen) to own most wild animals. It also stopped their right to set aside land or water just for breeding or catching wild creatures.

What About Royal Fish and Swans?

Even though many old rights were removed, the Act kept some special rules. The Crown (the monarch) still owns certain "royal fish," which are whales and sturgeons found in British waters. They also still own mute swans that are not marked by a private owner. These are special exceptions to the general rule.

Forest Laws and Franchises

The Act also ended old "franchises" related to forests. These were special rights given to people to control hunting or fishing in certain areas, like "free chase," "park," or "free warren." These old rules, known as "forest law," were mostly removed, making things simpler.

Why Was This Act Needed?

Over hundreds of years, many laws about forests and wild animals had been created. Some were very old and no longer made sense in modern times. The Wild Creatures and Forest Laws Act 1971 helped to clear away these outdated laws. It made the legal system easier to understand and follow.

See also

• English land law
• UK environmental law
• Charter of the Forest 1217