And how?
I eat mince pies. And I eat them on Christmas Day.
I'm sure some of you will have known this, but did the rest of you have any idea that eating mince pies on Christmas Day is actually against the law? Thanks to Oliver Cromwell. that law was created in the 17th Century (now, you can't say you don't learn things from mitchenstein).
I love these old obscure laws. And have done ever since I learned that it's illegal to eat more than three sandwiches at a funeral in Norway (oops). Just what was going through people's minds when these laws were created?
1. It's illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament.
2. Placing a postage stamp upside down is an act of treason.
3. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament wearing a suit of armour.
4. A pregnant woman can legally relieve herself wherever she wants.
5. It is illegal not to tell the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing (?!).
6. If a dead whale washes up on the coast, the head automatically belongs to the king, while the tail belongs to the queen.
While the above laws are definitely true, the following ones are rumoured to be true, but the BBC was unable to verify them:
7. In Florida, it is illegal for an unmarried woman to use a parachute on a Sunday.
8. In Florida, it is also illegal to get fish drunk.
9. In Switzerland, it is illegal to flush the chain after 10pm.
(10. I have also heard that it is illegal for men to stand up to use the toilet after 10pm in Switzerland - Anna, I take back anything I've ever said about Switzerland, these people are clearly on the ball).
11. It is legal to shoot a Scotsman within the city walls of York, as long as a bow and arrow are used (I've heard the same thing about a Welshman in Chester, but for that it has to be after sunset).
Furthermore:
12. In the UK, it is technically illegal to fly a kite.
13. And to use a sledge on snow.
14. And don't even think about gambling in the reading room of a library.
Does anyone know of any others?
In other news:
I'm a bit of a fan of Wikipedia - I know it's not the most reliable source on the internet, but it's still pretty useful at times. However, ever since I read that Stacey's mum in Eastenders sang backing vocals on Madonna's latest album, I'm just not sure what to believe anymore.
8 comments:
I have never heard of this law, but today we got this fridge magent in the shop and since then it makes completely sense. It sais: Men, please sit down, for your shorter than you think! (it also sais something about Ladies, but thats not relevant :-) (maybe the above doesnt aply to 212 sexy men, who knows)
Apparently all taxi's should still carry hay in their boots from when horse and cart were used (the law was neva changed when the vehicles were....!) and the pregant lady was is true u can use a policeman's hat by law....! i like old laws they are soooo funny!
Engländer und ihre komischen gesetze ;-) Scherz. Die meisten sind echt voll lustig.
Das mit Phillips Blog wusste ich schon, aber dabke. Sag Patrick mal dass er seinen Blog erneuern soll.
Schöne Grüße aus Freiburg
I personally quite like this one:
'Women are allowed to bite off a man's nose if he kisses her against her will in a law that dates back to 1837...'
That seems fair enough.
I heard it is illegal to run/jump in the street....
also what did oliver cromwell do to ban mince pies on christmas day??
What did he do??
Well, I'm guessing he said 'No mince pies to be eaten on Christmas Day' - or something along those lines.
and here I thought it may have been something a little more interesting than that. I meant what happened to him to cause this law to come about??
I don't know Lisa, and the wealth of knowledge that is wikipedia isn't helping me out either... but I will make it my mission to find out and present that answer to you, one day!
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