Thievn’s Den

Bizarre Laws

Bizarre Laws

Real laws that sound made up, and made-up laws that sound real. Each page says whether it is still on the books, repealed, or a myth, and shows its sources.

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  • Repealed

    The Witchcraft Act 1735

    Britain made it a crime to claim you could do magic. A medium was jailed under it in 1944.

  • Repealed

    The Caps Act 1571

    In Elizabethan England, you were required to wear a wool cap on Sundays and holidays.

  • Still on the books

    Handling Salmon in Suspicious Circumstances

    It is an offense to handle a salmon in suspicious circumstances. It is a real law, and it is less silly than it sounds.

  • Repealed

    The Red Flag Act

    A man had to walk ahead of the vehicle with a red flag. The law was about steam traction engines, not cars.

  • Myth

    “Legal to Shoot a Scotsman in York”

    You will often see it said that it is legal to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow in York, except on Sundays. It is not.