Act of Parliament | |
Long title | An Act for preserving the Privileges of Ambassadors and other publick Ministers of Foreign Princes and States. [2] |
---|---|
Citation | 7 Ann. c. 12 |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 21 April 1709 |
Other legislation | |
Repealed by | Diplomatic Privileges Act 1964 |
Status: Repealed |
The Diplomatic Privileges Act 1708 (7 Ann. c. 12) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. It is also known as the Act of Anne or the Statute of Anne. It should not be confused with the Copyright Act 1710, also known as the Statute of Anne.
The act was passed as result of an incident in 1708 when the Russian Ambassador, Andrey Matveyev, was arrested and imprisoned by London bailiffs acting on behalf of his creditors. Matveyev was freed on bail, then left the country without presenting his letters of recall. To appease Peter the Great, the act was passed, putting diplomatic immunity in Britain on a statutory basis for the first time.
The act provided for the nullity of all civil proceedings against ambassadors and their servants. It also provides that all those who institute such proceedings or attempt to enforce them shall "be deemed violators of the laws of nations" and be punished accordingly.
The act was said to be declaratory of the common law, although this has been doubted by later authorities.
Section 6, to "pleading and" was repealed by section 1 of, and the schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1887.
The whole act was repealed by section 8(4) of, and schedule 2 to, the Diplomatic Privileges Act 1964 (c. 81). It may be still in force in some Commonwealth jurisdictions.
The Treason Act 1351 is an Act of the Parliament of England wherethrough, according to William Blackstone, common law treason offences were enumerated and no new offences were, by statute, created. It is one of the earliest English statutes still in force, although it has been very significantly amended. It was extended to Ireland in 1495 and to Scotland in 1708. The Act was passed at Westminster in the Hilary term of 1351, in the 25th year of the reign of Edward III and was entitled "A Declaration which Offences shall be adjudged Treason". It was passed to clarify precisely what was treason, as the definition under common law had been expanded rapidly by the courts until its scope was controversially wide. The Act was last used to prosecute William Joyce in 1945 for collaborating with Germany in World War II.
The Treason Act 1695 is an Act of the Parliament of England which laid down rules of evidence and procedure in high treason trials. It was passed by the English Parliament but was extended to cover Scotland in 1708 and Ireland in 1821. Some of it is still in force today.
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The Fires Prevention Act 1785 or the Fires Prevention (Metropolis) Act 1785 was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain.
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The Commissions of Sewers Act 1708, sometimes called the Commissioners of Sewers Act 1708, was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain. It concerned the duties of boards of commissioners with responsibility for the maintenance of sea banks and other defences, which protected low-lying areas from inundation by the sea, and the removal of obstructions in streams and rivers caused by mills, weirs and gates. The word sewer had a much broader meaning than in modern usage, and referred generally to streams and watercourses.
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