Treason Act 1551
The Treason Act 1551 (5 & 6 Edw 6 c 11) was an Act of the Parliament of England.
The Act was described as "purely procedural" by the House of Lords in R v Joyce, but in fact extended the definition of high treason. It became treason to seize one of the King's forts and then not surrender it within six days of being ordered to. This form of treason had originally been enacted in the Treasons Act 1534 and then abolished by the Treason Act 1547. It was soon abolished again by the Treason Act 1553, but would be restored again by the Rebellion Act 1572 (this time without the 6 day deadline).
It was also made treason to say that the king was a heretic or usurper, in writing or (for the third offence only) in speech.
The Act re-enacted some existing procedural rules in prosecutions for treason and misprision of treason. However the Act amended procedure by stating that a person accused of committing treason only by "open preaching or words" must be prosecuted within three months of the offence, instead of the 30 day limit previously established by the Treason Act 1547.
The Act also prohibited the widow of a man convicted of treason from claiming her dower, a rule not abolished until 1925.
Famous quotes containing the words treason and/or act:
“She who resists as though she would not win,
By her own treason falls an easy prey.”
—Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso)
“Mothers who are strong people, who can pursue a life of their own when it is time to let their children go, empower their children of either gender to feel free and whole. But weak women, women who feel and act like victims of something or other, may make their children feel responsible for taking care of them, and they can carry their children down with them.”
—Frank Pittman (20th century)