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10 UK laws that are just weird.

It is always good to refresh ourselves of the laws we need to know. Sometimes unwittingly we could fall foul of them and end up in hot water … or in one case not letting a Scotsman in for a bathroom break. Puzzled? Read on for the top ten odd laws in the UK.

  1. Dying is illegal in the Houses of Parliament.
  2. In York it is legal to shoot a Scotsman with a crossbow if you see one, except on a Sunday. However if he is caught drunk with a weapon he can be shot on Sunday but not with a bow and arrow. Similarly in Chester it is legal to shoot a Welsh person with a crossbow but only within the city walls and after midnight.
  3. Placing a postage stamp bearing the Monarch’s head upside down on an envelope is considered an act of treason. Also destroying or defacing with an image of the Monarch is illegal including burning paper money, bending coins or tearing stamps apart.
  4. The Library Offences Act of 1898 makes it illegal to gamble in a library. The law also prohibits abusive or obscene language.
  5. Here’s now you should know, except the slight caveat. Trespassing is illegal except by “Huers and Baulkers”. An Act from 1603 comes from an ancient custom in Cornwall. These “hues & caulkers” would stand on cliff edges shouting at fishing boats guiding them towards shoals of fish. That act gave them the right to get to cliff edges.
  6. Beating or shaking carpets, mats or rugs is illegal. Doormats may be beaten but not after 8 in the morning. You have been warned. Thank God for hoovers.
  7. The Licensing Act of 1872 explains that operating a cow, horse or steam engine while intoxicated carries either a prison sentence or a fine.
  8. By law it is legal fro a pregnant woman to relives herself anywhere she wants. Even apparently in a policeman’s hat.
  9. It is an executable offence to allow your dog to mate with a pet of the Royal House without permission.
  10. Apparently it is also illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas Day. To be strictly correct during the time Cromwell ran the roost he disapproved of the excesses people went to at Christmas so he proposed such a law but it was never enacted.

So there you go 10 minutes distraction done, your work day can continue.