Animal Rights Quotes • Law • Humane Education • Historical Literature eBook Library: Free Full-Text eBooks • Primary Sources
Activists Against Cruelty to Animals: A » B » C » D » E » F » G » H » I » J » K » L » M » N » O » P » Q » R » S » T » U » V » W » X » Y » Z

Animal Rights History Timeline » [1450-1660] Renaisance » Animal Rights Law

Burning of Frames Act 1545

Great Britain Parliament

[37 Henry VII. c. 6.] An Act Against Burning of Frames

"Where divers and sundry malicious and envious Persons being Men of evil and perverse Dispositions, and seduced by the Instigation of the Devil…maliciously wilfull and unlawfully, cut out or cause to be cut out the Tongue or Toungues of any tame Beast or Beasts of any other person or Persons, the said Beast the being in Life"

[1545 ] "An Act Against Burning of Frames," in vol. 5 of A Collection of Statutes Connected with the General Administration of the Law (London, 1836; Google Books: Online Library of Free eBooks) 229-31, and in vol. 3 of The Statutes at Large, of England and of Great Britain (London, 1811; Google Books: Online Library of Free eBooks) 457-8.

[Several new and wicked devices tending to the damnifying of others.] 'Where divers and sundry malicious and envious persons, being men of evil and perverse dispositions, and seduced by the instigation of the devil, and minding the hurt, undoing and impoverishment of divers of the King's true and faithful subjects, as enemies to the commonwealth of this realm, and as no true or obedient subjects unto the King's majesty, of their malicious and wicked minds, have of late invented and practiced a new damnable kind of vice, displeasure and damnifying of the Kings's true subjects, and the commonwealth of this realm, as in secret burning of frames of timber prepared and made by the owners thereof, ready to be set up and edified for houses, cutting out of the heads and dams of pools, motes, stews, and several waters; cutting off conduit-heads or conduit-pipes; burning of wains and carts loaden with coals or other goods; burning of heaps of wood, cut, felled, and prepared for making of coals; cutting out of beasts tongues; cutting off the ears of the King's subjects; barking of apple-trees, pear-trees, and other fruit-trees; and divers other like kinds of miserable offences; to the great displeasure of Almighty God, and of the King's Majesty, and to the most evil and pernicious Example that hath been seen in this Realm;'

II. [It shall be felony, unlawfully and secretly to burn or cut a frame of timber prepared for making a house-Repealed by 1 Ed. 6 c. 12. 1 M. sess. 1. c.1]

III. [This felony doth not make the wife lose her dower, nor work corruption of blood in the heir.] [The offender's heir shall satisfy the party grieved.]

IV. [The penalty for cutting the head of any several waters. Altered by 5 Eliz. c. 21.] [Burning a cart loaden.] [Burning a heap of wood prepared for coals.] [Cutting out the tongue of a beast.] [Cutting off the ears of another.] And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That if any Person of Persons, after the said first Day of May, maliciously willfully and unlawfully cut or cause to be cut out the Head or Heads, Dam or Dams of any Ponds pools Motes Stews or other several Waters, or the Head or Heads, Pipe or Pipes of any Conduit or Conduits of any other Person or Persons; or maliciously willingly and unlawfully, after the said first or maliciously, unlawfully and willingly, after the said first day of May, cut or cause to be cut out the tongue or tongues of any tame beast or beasts o any other person or persons, the said beast then being in life; or maliciously, willingly or unlawfull, after the said first day of May cut or cause to be cut off the ear or ears of any of the Kings's subject, otherwise than by authority of the law, chance-medley, sudden affray or adventure; [Barking of fruit trees.] or after that said day, maliciously, willingly, or unlawfully bark any apple trees pear trees, or other fruit trees or any other person or persons; that then every such offender and offenders shall not only lose and forfeit unto the party grieved treble damages for such offence or offences, the same to be recovered by action of tresspass to be taken at the common law, but also shall lose and forfeit to the King's Majesty, and his heirs, for every such offence ten pounds sterling in the name of a fine.