Every country and city has some pretty bizarre laws to its name.
Take Milan, for example, where it’s a legal requirement to smile in public at all times, unless you’re attending a funeral or in a hospital, or the Australian state of Victoria, were it’s illegal to change a light bulb unless you’re a registered electrician, and you can’t be going forgetting your wife’s birthday in Samoa, because that’s against the law too.
But did you know that there’s plenty of bizarre laws in England as well?
Of course, we wouldn’t manage to just fly under the radar when it comes to obscure and somewhat archaic laws, would we?
And there’s a good chance you could have broken on or two of them over your lifetime too, as the vast majority of the population aren’t even aware of their existence.
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So, believe it or not, here are eight laws that somehow still stand in England to this day.
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1. Walking Cows Down the Street in Daylight
Ever done this?
Let’s face it, this is a fairly niche law to break.
There’s a pretty good chance you haven’t tried walking a herd of cows down a public highway at any time of day, but just for future reference if you ever find yourself in this situation, it is actually against the law in England to do this during daylight hours.
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The Metropolitan Streets Act states that: “Cattle are not to be driven through streets within certain hours.”
As explained by Oxbridge, the law originated “back in 1867 [when] section seven of the act forbade cattle lovers and farmers alike to walk their prized livestock during the day. Unless given permission from the Commissioner of Police himself, if you were caught rallying your precious bovines down the street between 10am and 7pm, you would have been committing a crime.”
2. Using Your Phone to Pay at a Drive-Thru
Now, this is one that a good number of us will probably have to hold our hands up to.
You may not have walked cows down the street in daylight, but who’s remembering to turn off their car engine and engage the handbrake before paying for a Maccie’s with Apple Pay?
According to Oxbridge once again: “The law is incredibly strict about the using phones behind the wheel of a car. Even if you’re tapping a contactless pad with your phone at a drive-through to pay for a meal, if your engine is running and your handbrake is unlocked, you’re using your phone while managing a car and this is against the law.
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“The penalty for breaking this law is £200 and six points on your license.”
3. Entering the Houses of Parliament Wearing Armour
Yeah, if you were planning on doing this by any chance, don’t.
It’s illegal.
According to the 1313 Statute – which refers to forbidding bearing of armour – does in fact forbid Members of Parliament from entering the House of Commons while wearing a full suit of armour at any point.
This particular statute was put into place after a period of political turmoil.
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4. Misplacing a Postage Stamp is Treason
This is one many of us can admit to over our lifetimes and as harsh as it sounds, it’s true.
Placing a postage stamp which bears the monarch’s head upside down on an envelope is considered as act of treason.
Also, just to add to that, the defacing or destroying of anything that bears a likeness of the monarch is also illegal, so this means that burning paper money, bending coins or tearing a postage stamp could actually land you in big trouble if caught.
5. It’s Legal to Shoot a Scotsman
Now, we hope none of you have, or would have a reason to do this, but just in case you were wondering, it is actually legal to shoot a Scotsman under some circumstances.
Only in York though.
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According to The Fact Site, the law states that it is legal to shoot a Scotsman with a crossbow upon seeing one, except for on Sundays, however, any Scotsman caught drunk or with a weapon can still be shot on a Sunday, except with a bow and arrow.
Similarly, in Chester – a little bit closer to home – it is also legal to shoot a Welsh person with a crossbow, as long as it is within the city walls and is done after midnight.
6. You Can’t Shake Carpets in London
Another good reason not to live in London, right?
Not like us Mancunians are particularly well known for wanting to shake carpets, but if you ever find yourself needing to do so in the capital, you’ll have to find another way to dust it off, because it’s simply a criminal act.
Under the Metropolitan Police Act of 1839, it’s illegal to beat or shake a mat, carpet, or a rug in the streets of London.
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The only time you may beat them is before 8am.
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7. Handling Salmon in Suspicious Circumstances
This really is an odd one.
To make matters even crazier too, it’s actually a fairly recent law, but under the Salmon Act of 1986 – yes, we’re really not making this up – it is an offence to receive or dispose of salmon under “suspicious circumstances”.
Now, what circumstances are considered suspicious, we couldn’t tell you.
But believe it or not, police officers in England actually have a right to investigate you if they have reason to believe that the salmon has been illegally fished.
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8. Beard Tax
Not good news for the hipsters among us.
King Henry VIII imposed a beard tax that every man must pay to wear facial hair.
He introduced a beard tax that lined his pockets and filled his dinner table, what’s more is that the higher your social standing, the more you had to cough up.
What if you cannot pay? Shave it away.
This simply meant that beards became a symbol of status and money under his reign.
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Mix-up leaves tourists bound for Peak District on a day trip to… Rochdale
Daisy Jackson
Who needs rolling hills and country pubs when you could have *checks notes* roadworks and charity shops?
Well, that’s the situation two people ended up in recently after a mix-up rerouted their trip to the Peak District to Rochdale, of all places.
Thankfully seeing the funny side, Canadian TikTok creator Mackenzie shared a video of the day trip they got stuck with.
The pair of mates had been planning a trip to the honeypot town of Castleton in the Peak District, but accidentally ended up heading over to Castleton in Rochdale instead.
In the light-hearted clip, she says: “This is just a reminder to read the small print when you want to do a spontaneous trip. Because Margarita and I thought we were going to the Peaks, and this is where we are…” while panning to the sight of some roadworks.
She continued: “We thought we were going to see gorgeous green hills. Nope.
“Anyways, come with us on our Castleton Manchester, not Peak District adventure.”
They visited Springfield Park, went to a pub to eat onion rings (with a random giant dog staring at them), erm… went to a charity shop, and looked at some houses.
Okay so not quite the Peak District paradise they were picturing.
One person commented: “Absolutely howling. Come all the way from America to end up in Rochdale” (Mackenzie stressed in her reply that she lives in Manchester and also, is Canadian).
Another said: “It’s the Springfield park for me”
Someone else suggested: “Rochdale should rename all of its areas to encourage more tourists. Hahah”
Dying to know if these girls ever made it to Castleton, Derbyshire.
Travel warning issued as Manchester braces for busiest day of the year so far
Daisy Jackson
A ‘plan ahead’ travel warning has been issued for this weekend as the Manchester Marathon brings the busiest day of the year so far on the tram network.
Tens of thousands of people will hit the streets to take part in the race itself, with thousands more cheering them on from the sidelines.
This year’s Manchester Marathon route takes 36,000 runners through Sale, Stretford and Timperley before finishing up at a new finish line on Oxford Road – and there’ll be some big changes to your usual travel routes to accommodate this.
TfGM has said that Bee Network trams will be very busy before, during and after the 26.2 mile race, especially in Manchester and Trafford, with a number of road closures in place too.
Taking place on Sunday 27 April, the Manchester Marathon will coincide with Manchester’s popular St George’s Day parade which starts and ends across town around Oldham Road and Great Ancoats Street.
People are being encouraged to plan their journeys carefully this weekend, as it’s expected to be the busiest day of the year on the Bee Network trams.
The Manchester Marathon last year set a new personal best for the tram network, with 175,000 tram journeys racked up – the highest ever recorded on a single Sunday.
Trams will be the best choice to get around the Manchester Marathon course with key stops along the route including Sale, Timperley and Chorlton.
Many road closures will also be in place but at different times of day, so make sure you check HERE for the latest.
This will impact bus services, which will be on diversion from 8am until the end of service on Sunday, with traffic and congestion expected on surrounding roads.
Runners heading to the start line will only be able to access the athletes’ village from Old Trafford and Trafford Bar tram stops up until 9am. Participants arriving after 9am should get off at Wharfside or Exchange Quay instead.
Metrolink is promising to deploy as many double trams as possible across the network, with additional services between Piccadilly and Timperley.
As for other modes of transport, those who wish to drive should make us of Park and Ride facilities where possible; and those on the train should note that Salford Central remains closed with bus replacements in place.
Danny Vaughan, Chief Network Director at TfGM said: “The Manchester Marathon is a highlight of the Manchester city centre calendar and our job is to make sure everyone can get to and from the event as smoothly as possible.
“We want everyone to have a great day – whether they are taking on the run themselves or cheering on a friend or loved one – and would urge people to plan their journey in advance, leave plenty of time and check the Bee Network app or website for the most up-to-date information.
“The start and finish lines will be especially busy so if you are coming to watch you may be better off catching the tram to Sale, Timperley or Chorlton, grabbing a coffee and claiming afront row seat to cheer runners on.
“Using public transport is the best way to avoid congestion and delays – and with Tap and Go contactless payments it’s never been easier or more seamless to get around Greater Manchester by bus and tram.”
Passengers can now travel seamlessly between bus and tram and pay for their journey by tapping on when boarding a bus without the need for a ticket, making it the quickest and easiest way to pay for travel.
People travelling on Bee Network buses on Marathon Day can simply tap in and pay £5 for the day on as many buses as they need and just £4.90 on the tram. You can use all Bee Network buses as much as you want all day from just £5.40*.
Kirsty Wilde, Operations Director, from Manchester Marathon organisers A.S.O. UK, said: “The TfGM tram service is an invaluable part of our event, which allows thousands of participants and supporters to navigate around the city. With a record-breaking 36,000 participants set to take part on Sunday 27th April – and more exciting activities taking place over the weekend as a whole – we’re anticipating a rise in tram journeys, which will subsequently bring economic benefits to local vendors, the hospitality sector, and retail businesses.
“We’d like to thank Transport for Greater Manchester for its continued hard work helping to facilitate what will be the largest event yet, and would also like to say a big thank you to the residents and businesses across Greater Manchester for their understanding and support.”