Statute of Merton
Dates | |
---|---|
Royal assent | 1235 by Henry III of England |
Other legislation | |
Relates to | Magna Carta |
Status: Repealed |
The Statute of Merton or Provisions of Merton (
Amongst its provisions, the statute allowed a
Having long been disused, it was revived under
The Statute also dealt with illegitimacy[3] – stating that "He is a bastard that is born before the marriage of his parents". It also dealt with women's rights – dowries ("A woman shall recover damages in a writ of dower"), and widows' right to bequeath land ("Widows may bequeath the crop of their lands").[4]
Chapter 4 of this statute was the Commons Act 1236.
Chapters 1 and 2 and 9 were repealed for the Republic of Ireland by section 8 of, and Part I of Schedule 2 to, the
Dating and nomenclature
The statute was passed in 1235 and is named after Merton, where it was passed. It is considered the first English statute.[5] Magna Carta was initially enacted in 1215 and is counted as a statute by some sources as early as 1225;[5] however, The Statutes of the Realm does not consider it as a statute prior to a 1297 confirmation.[5] The Charter of the Forest had been passed in 1217 but is not considered a statute.
See also
Notes
- ^ The division of Parliament into the House of Lords and the House of Commons would not occur until 1341; Parliament met as a unitary body at the time of the passage of the Statute of Merton.
References
- ^ Merton's New Religious House Consecrated
- ^ Journals of the House of Commons (1803 reprint) Volume 27, page 574, originally published 1756
- ^ 1788 – Before European Settlement
- ^ "Archives of Maryland, Volume 0143, Page 0262 - Kilty's English Statutes, 1811".
- ^ a b c Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
External links
- List of repeals in the Republic of Ireland from the Irish Statute Book.