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'''The Bill of Rights'''<ref>The Act is cited as ''The Bill of Rights'' in the [[United Kingdom]], as authorised by section 1 of, and the First Schedule to, the [[Short Titles Act 1896]]. Owing to the repeal of those provisions, it is now authorised by section 19(2) of the [[Interpretation Act 1978]]. In the [[Republic of Ireland]], it is cited as '''The Bill of Rights 1688''', as authorised by section 1 of, and the First Schedule to, the [[Short Titles Act 1896]] (as amended by [http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2007/en/act/pub/0028/sec0005.html#sec5 section 5(a)] of the [[Statute Law Revision Act 2007]]). The short title of this Act was previously "The Bill of Rights".</ref> is an [[Act of Parliament|Act]] of the [[Parliament of England]] passed on 16 December 1689.<ref>{{cite book | title=The library of original sources | first=Oliver Joseph (ed.) | publisher=University Research Extension | year=1907 | page=10 | last=Thatcher | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=V67Qe8kAh8oC&pg=PA10&dq=Bill+of+Rights+1689+%22december+16%22#v=onepage&q=Bill%20of%20Rights%201689%20%22december%2016%22&f=false}}</ref> It was a restatement in [[Statute|statutory form]] of the Declaration of Right presented by the [[Convention Parliament (1689)|Convention Parliament]] to [[William and Mary]] in March 1689 (or 1688 by [[Old Style and New Style dates|Old Style dating]]), inviting them to become joint sovereigns of England. It lays down limits on the powers of the crown and sets out the rights of Parliament and rules for freedom of speech in Parliament, the requirement for regular elections to Parliament and the right to petition the monarch without fear of retribution. It reestablished the liberty of [[Protestantism|Protestants]] to have arms for their defence within the rule of law, and condemned [[James II]] of England for "causing several good subjects being Protestants to be disarmed at the same time when [[papist]]s were both armed and employed contrary to law".
'''The Bill of Rights'''<ref>The Act is cited as ''The Bill of Rights'' in the [[United Kingdom]], as authorised by section 1 of, and the First Schedule to, the [[Short Titles Act 1896]]. Owing to the repeal of those provisions, it is now authorised by section 19(2) of the [[Interpretation Act 1978]]. In the [[Republic of Ireland]], it is cited as '''The Bill of Rights 1688''', as authorised by section 1 of, and the First Schedule to, the [[Short Titles Act 1896]] (as amended by [http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2007/en/act/pub/0028/sec0005.html#sec5 section 5(a)] of the [[Statute Law Revision Act 2007]]). The short title of this Act was previously "The Bill of Rights".</ref> is an [[Act of Parliament|Act]] of the [[Parliament of England]] passed on 16 December 1689.<ref>{{cite book | title=The library of original sources | first=Oliver Joseph (ed.) | publisher=University Research Extension | year=1907 | page=10 | last=Thatcher | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=V67Qe8kAh8oC&pg=PA10&dq=Bill+of+Rights+1689+%22december+16%22#v=onepage&q=Bill%20of%20Rights%201689%20%22december%2016%22&f=false}}</ref> It was a restatement in [[Statute|statutory form]] of the Declaration of Right presented by the [[Convention Parliament (1689)|Convention Parliament]] to [[William and Mary]] in March 1689 (or 1688 by [[Old Style and New Style dates|Old Style dancing]]), inviting them to become joint sovereigns of England. It lays down limits on the powers of the crown and sets out the rights of Parliament and rules for freedom of speech in Parliament, the requirement for regular elections to Parliament and the right to petition the monarch without fear of retribution. It reestablished the liberty of [[Protestantism|Protestants]] to have arms for their defence within the rule of law, and condemned [[James II]] of England for "causing several good subjects being Protestants to be disarmed at the same time when [[papist]]s were both armed and employed contrary to law".


These ideas about rights reflected those of the political thinker [[John Locke]] and they quickly became popular in England. It also sets out—or, in the view of its drafters, restates—certain constitutional requirements of [[the Crown]] to seek the consent of the people, as represented in Parliament.
These ideas about rights reflected those of the political thinker [[John Locke]] and they quickly became popular in England. It also sets out—or, in the view of its drafters, restates—certain constitutional requirements of [[the Crown]] to seek the consent of the people, as represented in Parliament.

Revision as of 16:05, 21 August 2014

Bill of Rights 1689
Long titleAn Act Declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject and Settling the Succession of the Crown.
Citation1 William & Mary Sess 2 c 2
Status: Amended
Revised text of statute as amended
The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights (1688 or 1689)
Created1689
RatifiedDecember 16, 1689
LocationThe National Archives
Author(s)Parliament of England
PurposeEnsure certain freedoms and ensure a Protestant political supremacy.
Full text
Bill of Rights 1689 at Wikisource

The Bill of Rights[1] is an Act of the Parliament of England passed on 16 December 1689.[2] It was a restatement in statutory form of the Declaration of Right presented by the Convention Parliament to William and Mary in March 1689 (or 1688 by Old Style dancing), inviting them to become joint sovereigns of England. It lays down limits on the powers of the crown and sets out the rights of Parliament and rules for freedom of speech in Parliament, the requirement for regular elections to Parliament and the right to petition the monarch without fear of retribution. It reestablished the liberty of Protestants to have arms for their defence within the rule of law, and condemned James II of England for "causing several good subjects being Protestants to be disarmed at the same time when papists were both armed and employed contrary to law".

These ideas about rights reflected those of the political thinker John Locke and they quickly became popular in England. It also sets out—or, in the view of its drafters, restates—certain constitutional requirements of the Crown to seek the consent of the people, as represented in Parliament.

In the United Kingdom, the Bill of Rights is further accompanied by the Magna Carta, the Petition of Right, the Habeas Corpus Act 1679 and the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949 as some of the basic documents of the uncodified British constitution. A separate but similar document, the Claim of Right Act, applies in Scotland. The Bill of Rights (1688 or 1689) was one of the inspirations for the United States Bill of Rights.[3]

Along with the Act of Settlement 1701, the Bill of Rights is still in effect in all Commonwealth realms.[4]

Provisions of the Act

The Bill of Rights laid out certain basic rights for all Englishmen. The Act stated that there should be:

  • no royal interference with the law. Though the sovereign remains the fount of justice, he or she cannot unilaterally establish new courts or act as a judge.
  • no taxation by Royal Prerogative. The agreement of the parliament became necessary for the implementation of any new taxes
  • freedom to petition the monarch without fear of retribution
  • no standing army may be maintained during a time of peace without the consent of parliament.[5]
  • no royal interference in the freedom of the people to have arms for their own defence as suitable to their class and as allowed by law (simultaneously restoring rights previously taken from Protestants by James II)
  • no royal interference in the election of members of Parliament
  • the freedom of speech and debates or proceedings in Parliament ought not to be impeached or questioned in any court or place out of Parliament
  • "grants and promises of fines or forfeitures" before conviction are void.
  • no excessive bail or "cruel and unusual" punishments may be imposed.

Certain acts of James II were also specifically named and declared illegal by the Bill of Rights, while James' flight from England in the wake of the Glorious Revolution was also declared to be an abdication of the throne.

Also, in a prelude to the Act of Settlement to come twelve years later, the Bill of Rights barred Roman Catholics from the throne of England as "it hath been found by experience that it is inconsistent with the safety and welfare of this Protestant kingdom to be governed by a papist prince"; thus William III and Mary II were named as the successors of James VII and II and that the throne would pass from them first to Mary's heirs, then to her sister, Princess Anne of Denmark and her heirs and, further, to any heirs of William by a later marriage. The monarch was further required to swear a coronation oath to maintain the Protestant religion.

Augmentation and effect

The Bill of Rights was later supplemented by the Act of Settlement 1701 (while the Claim of Right Act in Scotland was supplemented by the Act of Union, 1707). Both the Bill of Rights and the Claim of Right contributed a great deal to the establishment of the concept of parliamentary sovereignty and the curtailment of the powers of the monarch. Leading, ultimately, to the establishment of constitutional monarchy, while also (along with the Penal Laws) settling the political and religious turmoil that had convulsed Scotland, England and Ireland in the 17th century.

It was a predecessor of the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, the United States Bill of Rights, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights. For example, as with the Bill of Rights, the US constitution prohibits excessive bail and "cruel and unusual punishments."

Similarly, "cruel, inhuman or degrading punishments" are banned under Article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The bill continues to constantly change and be cited in legal proceedings in the Commonwealth realms. For instance, on 21 July 1995 a libel case brought by Neil Hamilton (then a member of parliament) against The Guardian was stopped after Justice May ruled that the Bill of Rights' prohibition on the courts' ability to question parliamentary proceedings would prevent The Guardian from obtaining a fair hearing. Section 13 of the Defamation Act 1996, was subsequently enacted to permit MPs to waive their parliamentary privilege and thus cite their own speeches if relevant to litigation.

The Bill of Rights was also invoked in New Zealand in the 1976 case of Fitzgerald v. Muldoon and Others,[6] which centred on the purporting of newly appointed Prime Minister Robert Muldoon that he would advise the Governor-General to abolish a superannuation scheme established by the New Zealand Superannuation Act, 1974, without new legislation. Muldoon felt that the dissolution would be immediate and he would later introduce a bill in parliament to retroactively make the abolition legal. This claim was challenged in court and the Chief Justice declared that Muldoon's actions were illegal as they had violated Article 1 of the Bill of Rights, which provides "that the pretended power of dispensing with laws or the execution of laws by regal authority...is illegal."[7]

This Act was retained for the Republic of Ireland by section 2(2)(a) of, and Part 2 of Schedule 1 to, the Statute Law Revision Act 2007. Section 2(3) of that Act repealed:

  • all of the Preamble down to "Upon which Letters Elections haveing beene accordingly made"
  • the seventh paragraph after the words "for the Vindicating and Asserting their auntient Rights and Liberties, Declare"
  • all words from "And they doe Claime Demand and Insist" down to, but not including, section 2.

Historical recognition

Two special designs of the British commemorative two pound coins were issued in the United Kingdom in 1989 to celebrate the tercentenary of the Glorious Revolution. One referred to the Bill of Rights and the other to the Claim of Right. Both depict the Royal Cypher of William and Mary and the mace of the House of Commons, one also shows a representation of the St Edward's Crown and another the Crown of Scotland.

In May 2011, the Bill of Rights was inscribed in UNESCO's UK Memory of the World Register.[8][9]

See also

References

  1. ^ The Act is cited as The Bill of Rights in the United Kingdom, as authorised by section 1 of, and the First Schedule to, the Short Titles Act 1896. Owing to the repeal of those provisions, it is now authorised by section 19(2) of the Interpretation Act 1978. In the Republic of Ireland, it is cited as The Bill of Rights 1688, as authorised by section 1 of, and the First Schedule to, the Short Titles Act 1896 (as amended by section 5(a) of the Statute Law Revision Act 2007). The short title of this Act was previously "The Bill of Rights".
  2. ^ Thatcher, Oliver Joseph (ed.) (1907). The library of original sources. University Research Extension. p. 10. {{cite book}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ "Facts About the Bill of Rights on Its 220th Anniversary". History.com. 15 December 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
  4. ^ Toporoski, Richard (Summer 1996). "Monarchy Canada: The Invisible Crown".
  5. ^ Note: Arguably, this right is subject to continuing derogation in modern times; see, e.g. Armed Forces Act and discussion of the same in Military Covenant.
  6. ^ "The Constitutional Setting", States Services Commission, New Zealand
  7. ^ "The legitimacy of judicial review of executive decision-making", New Zealand Law Society
  8. ^ "2011 UK Memory of the World Register", United Kingdom National Commission for UNESCO, 2011. Accessed 4 June 2011.
  9. ^ "Life, death and everything in between", parliament.uk, 23 May 2011. Accessed 4 June 2011.