Treason Act 1415

Summary

The Treason Act 1415 (4 Hen. 5. Stat. 1. c. 6) was an Act of the Parliament of England which made clipping coins high treason, punishable by death. (It was already treason to counterfeit coins.[1]) The Act was repealed by the Treason Act 1553, and then revived again in 1562.[2] The Act originally only protected English coins, but was later extended in 1575 to cover foreign coins "current" within England.[3] By this time the Coin Act 1572 (14 Eliz. 1. c. 3) had already made it misprision of treason to clip foreign coins not current within the Realm.

Treason Act 1415
Act of Parliament
Long titleIt shall be treason to clip, wash, or file money.
Citation4 Hen. 5. Stat. 1. c. 6
Dates
Commencement16 March 1416
Other legislation
Repealed byTreason Act 1553
Status: Repealed
Forgery Act 1415
Act of Parliament
Citation4 Hen. 5. Stat. 1. c. 7
(Ruffhead: 4 Hen. 5. c. 7)
Dates
Royal assent18 November 1416
Commencement19 October 1416
Status: Repealed
Coin Act 1572
Act of Parliament
Long titleAn Act against the forging and counterfeiting of Foreign Coin, being not current within this Realm.
Citation14 Eliz. 1. c. 3
Dates
Royal assent30 June 1572
Coin Act 1575
Act of Parliament
Long titleAn Act against diminishing and impairing of the Queen's Majesty's Coins, and other Coins lawfully current within the Realm.
Citation18 Eliz. 1. c. 1
Dates
Royal assent15 March 1576

Another Act in 1415, 4 Hen. 5. Stat. 1. c. 7, extended the jurisdiction to try this category of treason to all justices in the realm, instead of just the select few known as the King's justices.

The Coin Act 1575 (18 Eliz. 1. c. 1) also abolished (for coin clipping only) the penalties of corruption of blood and forfeiture of goods and lands.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Treason Act 1351
  2. ^ 5 Eliz. 1. c. 11
  3. ^ Coin Act 1575 (18 Eliz. 1. c. 1)