It wasn't there...

[sstormwatch]

The book I mentioned before, where I thought I had finally found that was supposed to include Henry VIII's sumptuary laws... well I finally sat down and was reading through the sections as I had run across the proper dates to look under

Comments

[ciorstan]

Then I would start by googling 24 Henry VIII c 13 as Cromwell, being trained by Wolsey (both excellent lawyers before becoming chancellor) would have included language detailing the three preceding statutes modified in the 1533 law.

::snerk::

It included a 'get out of jail free' card:

Over this it is enacted by the authority aforesaid that all other Acts made for reformation of excess in apparel or array at any time before this present Parliament, and all and singular articles provisions forfeitures and penalties mentioned in the said former Acts or any of them, be from
henceforth utterly repelled extinct and of none effect And all
transgressions offences sums of money penalties and forfeitures for anything done contrary to the said former Acts or any of them before this time made for the Reformation of excess in apparel clearly remitted, pardoned and released, and the offenders in that behalf and every of them be thereof discharged and acquitted for ever.

Anyway, I found this paper:

http://works.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1005&context=noel_cox

which speaks of the difficulty of finding the full statute... but I thought you'd find the paper itself of interest as it does quote what looks to be a lot of the statute.

Noel Cox. 2008. "The application of Tudor sumptuary laws to academic dress: Doctors in scarlet?"

He is arguing with a very specific goal in mind, hence his cherry-picking of the statute's language rather than a full quotation.

[sstormwatch]

Thanks again. And it is interesting to see that in this new paper also states that the full statute is noted as being the same I thought it was, Statutes of the Realm vol 3.

And doing the google search you suggested what leads I could find between portions of Lost and V seem to again lead to Statutes, and that the few that almost lead there required either going to Parliament in person, or a special access site.

I really appreciate the time you've spent on gathering this info for me. Thank you.

[ciorstan]

De nada. I love digging around like this.

I am fascinated by the personalities of the 16th century and the trivia of their lives. And since I am a legal secretary myself-- which would correspond to, probably, one of Cromwell's clarks (but not analogous in the 16th century since I am actually but a weak and feeble woman) I find their legal process and practice fascinating, too.

One of my bosses lent me a copy of 'Wolf Hall.' She read it as literature, knowing very little other than popular history of the century. I read it as entertainment, knowing all the characters as, pretty much, old friends. Her undergrad degree in literature is from Stanford and she went to Harvard Law; she said she'd found the myriad of characters confusing and loved the occasional turn of phrase. Over the past month we've sort of discussed it in bits snatched here and there while working in a very busy practice... and it's been a deeply enjoyable continuing discussion.

So... her eyes got a little big one day when I casually mentioned that the Chancellor's job, in a nutshell, was the composition of statutory law at the direction of the king and seeing that it passed through Parliament.

I love my job.