The Treason Act 1351 is an Act of the English Parliament which attempted to codify all existing forms of Treason. It is one of the earliest English Statutes still in force, although it has been significantly amended. The Act was passed at Westminster in the Hilary term of 1351, in the 25th year of the reign of Edward III and was entitled "A Declaration which Offences shall be adjudged Treason". Wiktionary has a definition of: Act Act may refer to: in law, a written document that attests the legality of the transaction. ... A body now called the English Parliament first arose during the thirteenth century, referred to variously as colloquium and parliamentum. It shared most of the powers typical of representative institutions in medieval and early modern Europe, and was arranged from the fourteenth century in a bicameral manner, with a House... In law, treason is the crime of disloyalty to ones nation. ... A statute is a formal, written law of a country or state, written and enacted by its legislative authority, perhaps to then be ratified by the highest executive in the government, and finally published. ... Westminster is the name of a city that covers much of central London, located to the west of the ancient City of London, and which has been the principal seat of government in England for more than nine hundred years. ... Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377) was one of the most successful English kings of medieval times. ...

Description

The act distinguishes two varieties of treason: high treason and petty treason. The distinction being the consequences of being convicted: for a high treason, not only was the penalty death but the traitor's property would escheat to the Crown; in the case of a petty treason property escheated only to the traitor's immediate Lord. Under English, and later British law, high treason is the crime of disloyalty to the Sovereign. ... Petty treason is, in English common law, any betrayal of a superior by a subordinate. ... Escheat is an obstruction of the course of descent and the consequent reversion of property to the original grantor. ... Crown names several entities associated with monarchy: A crown (headgear), the headgear worn by a monarch. ... A lord is one who has power and authority. ...

Petty treason was the murder of one's lawful superior: that is if a servant kills his master, a wife her husband or anyone their prelate. A prelate is a member of the clergy having a special canonical jurisdiction over a territory or a group of people; usually, a prelate is a bishop. ...

A person was guilty of high treason under the act if they:

• compassed or imagined the death of the King, his wife or his eldest son and heir;
• violated the King's companion, the King's eldest daughter if she was unmarried or the wife of the King's eldest son and heir;
• levy war against the King in his Realm, or adhere to the King's enemies in his Realm, giving them aid and comfort;
• counterfeit the Great Seal, the Privy Seal or any of the King's money;
• import counterfeit Enlighs money;
• kill the Chancellor, Treasurer, one of the King's Justices (either of the King's Bench or the Common Pleas), a Justice in Eyre or an Assize judge, while they are performing their offices;

The Act contained a curious feature, in that it envisaged that further forms of treason would arise that would not be covered by the act, so it legislated for this possibility: The Great Seal might mean: Great Seal of Canada Great Seal of the Irish Free State Great Seal of the Realm (UK) Great Seal of the United States See also: Seal This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The Lord Privy Seal or Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal is one of the traditional sinecure offices in the British Cabinet. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and in former times Chancellor of England, is one of the most senior and important functionaries in the government of the United Kingdom. ... The Lord High Treasurer bears a white staff as his symbol of office. ... One of the ancient courts of England, the Kings Bench (or Queens Bench when the monarch is female) is now a division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales. ... In United States jurisprudence, Court of Common Pleas is a term referring to a court of certain jurisdiction. ... Justices in Eyre north of the Trent Thomas Darcy, 1st Baron Darcy, 18 June 1509 - June 1537 Thomas Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell, 30 Dec 1537 - June 1540 (created Earl of Essex 17 April 1540) Thomas Manners, 1st Earl of Rutland, 9 August 1540 - 20 September 1543 Sir Anthony Browne, 16... The Courts of Assize, or Assizes, were periodic criminal courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the Quarter Sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. ...

And because that many other like Cases of Treason may happen in Time to come, which a Man cannot think nor declare at this present Time; it is accorded, That if any other Case, supposed Treason, which is not above specified, doth happen before any Justices, the Justices shall tarry without any going to Judgement of the Treason till the Cause be shewed and declared before the King and his Parliament, whether it ought to be judged Treason or other Felony.

See Also

• Treason