Statute of Winchester

The Statute of Winchester of 1285 (13 Edw. 1. St. 2; Latin: Statutum Wynton̄), also known as the Statute of Winton, was a statute enacted by King Edward I of England that reformed the system of Watch and Ward (watchmen) of the Assize of Arms of 1252, and revived the jurisdiction of the local courts.^[1][2] It received royal assent on 8 October 1285.

Statute of Winchester

Act of Parliament
Parliament of England
Long title	Statutum Wynton̄
Citation	13 Edw. 1. St. 2
Territorial extent	England
Dates
Royal assent	8 October 1285
Commencement	8 October 1285
Repealed	1 January 1970
Other legislation
Amended by	Criminal Statutes Repeal Act 1827 Criminal Statutes (Ireland) Repeal Act 1828 Criminal Law (India) Act 1828 Statute Law Revision Act 1863 Statute Law Revision (Ireland) Act 1872
Repealed by	Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1969
Status: Repealed

It was the primary legislation enacted to regulate the policing of the country between the Norman Conquest and the Metropolitan Police Act 1829.^[3] Of particular note was the requirement to raise hue and cry, and that "the whole hundred … shall be answerable" for any theft or robbery, in effect a form of collective responsibility.

Chapters

The Statute of Winchester is composed of six chapters:

Chapter	Title
1	Fresh Suit shall be made after Felons and Robbers from Town to Town, &c.
2	Inquiry of Felons and Robbers, and the County shall answer if they be not taken.
3	This Act shall be respited until Easter next.
4	At what Times the Gates of great Towns shall be shut, and when the Night Watch shall begin and end.
5	Breadth of Highways leading from one Market-Town to another.
6	That View of Arms be made. Hue and Cry shall be followed. Fairs or Markets shall not be kept in Church-yards.

See also

• History of law enforcement in the United Kingdom

References

1. Stubbs, William (1870). Select Charters and Other Illustrations of English Constitutional History from the Earliest Times to the Reign of Edward the First. Clarendon Press. p. 459.
2. Tout, Thomas Frederick (1905). The Political History of England: The History of England from the Accession of Henry III to the Death of Edward III, 1216-1377. AMS Press. p. 154.
3. Critchley, Thomas Alan (1978). A History of Police in England and Wales. The Statute of Winchester was the only general public measure of any consequence enacted to regulate the policing of the country between the Norman Conquest and the Metropolitan Police Act, 1829…

External links

• Tomlins, Thomas Edlyne; Raithby, John (1810). Statute of Winchester 1285 [13 Edw. I. - A.D. 1285 Chapter IV]. The Statutes of the Realm: Printed by Command of His Majesty King George the Third; in pursuance of an Address of the House of Commons of Great Britain. Vol. I. London, Great Britain: Dawson of Pall Mall. pp. 96–98. OCLC 426777557. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)