Strange But True U.K Facts

[Kev]

Great Britain has a long and colourful history which has and still creates some amazing facts and trivia. We have listed some of the UK's weird and wonderful facts, amazing UK trivia and strange UK laws below. Please send us any strange or weird British facts or laws.

British Facts
 It is an executable offense to allow your pet to mate with a pet of the royal house without permission.   

 A pregnant woman may relieve herself wherever she wishes. 

 The phrase “rule of thumb” is derived from an old English law which stated that you couldn’t beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb. 

 Up until 1752 Britain used the Julian calendar and New Years day was on 25th March.
 It is an offence to impersonate a Chelsea Pensioner 

 No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple
 It is legal for a male to urinate in public, as long it is on the rear wheel of his motor vehicle and his right hand is on the vehicle
 William the Conqueror ordered that everyone should go to bed at eight o’clock.
 In Shakespeare’s time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. That’s where the phrase, “goodnight, sleep tight” came from.
 In Chester you can only shoot a Welsh person with a bow and arrow inside the city walls and after midnight
 The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.
 Berwick-upon-Tweed was officially at war with Russia for 110 years.
 If you find a Cab-driver in London not carrying a bale of hay overboard, he is breaking the law.
 Even though being the sovereign of The United Kingdom, Her Majesty the Queen is not allowed to enter the City of London with seeking the permission of its Lord Mayor.
 In England, all men over the age of 14 must carry out two hours of longbow practice a day
 There are over 30,000 John Smiths in Britain
 In York, excluding Sundays, it is perfectly legal to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow.


 In 1945, a flock of starlings landed on the minute hand of Big Ben and put the time back by five minutes.
 Britain is he only country in the world which doesn’t have the country’s name in its postage stamps.


 Nowhere in Britain is more than 74½ miles from the sea.
 Portugal is England’s oldest ally. The Anglo-Portuguese Treaty signed in 1373 is still in force
 Although the Great Fire of London destroyed much of the city, only six people were killed.
 The lance ceased to be an official battle weapon in the British Army in 1927
 There are more chickens than humans in England.
 Rudolf Hess was the last prisoner to be kept in the Tower of London.
 Dying is illegal in the Houses of Parliaments.
 Placing a postage stamp bearing the monarch’s head upside down on an envelope is considered as act of treason.
 A law passed in 1585, making it illegal for women to “cause a nuisance with abusive or argumentative language”. A woman guilty of scolding had to wear a scold’s bridle, or metal cage, enclosing her head. The Criminal Law Act of 1967 finally abolished the punishment, and women may now scold freely.
 The Licensing Act of 1872 explains that operating a cow or steam engine while intoxicated carries a prison sentence
 In 1647 the English Parliament abolished Christmas.

[JRD]

Haha Great stuff - here are some crazy laws.

1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament

2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside-down

3. In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless except as a clerk in a tropical fish store

4. Mince pies cannot be eaten on Christmas Day

5. In Scotland, if someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter

6. In the UK a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet

7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the King, and the tail of the Queen

8. It is illegal not to tell the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing

9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armour

10. In the city of York it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow

Others

In London, it is illegal to flag down a taxi if you have the plague.

In Chester, Welshmen are banned from entering the city before sunrise and from staying after sunset

In the UK, a man who feels compelled to urinate in public can do so only if he aims for his rear wheel and keeps his right hand on his vehicle.

In London, Freemen are allowed to take a flock of sheep across London Bridge without being charged a toll; they are also allowed to drive geese down Cheapside.

In England, all men over the age of 14 must carry out two hours of longbow practice a day.

Royal Navy ships that enter the Port of London must provide a barrel of rum to the Constable of the Tower of London

[Villan (Neil)]

Can anyone on here recommend a good tropical fish supplier in Liverpool ?  I could do with some new ones 

[nomad]

no but all this long bow practice is making my arm ache...........

[Villan (Neil)]

 

[rjm]

Here's some more.............


No cows may be driven down the roadway between 10 AM and 7 PM unless there is prior approval from the Commissioner of Police.

All land must be left to the eldest son.

Divorces are outlawed.

Since 1313, MPs are not allowed to don armor in Parliament.

Those wishing to purchase a television must also buy a license.

With the exception of carrots, most goods may not be sold on Sunday.

All English males over the age 14 are to carry out 2 or so hours of longbow practice a week supervised by the local clergy.

London Hackney Carriages (taxis/cabs) must carry a bale of hay and a sack of oats.

It is illegal to be drunk on Licensed Premises (in a pub or bar).

It is illegal for two adult men to have sex in the same house as a third person.

Any person found breaking a boiled egg at the sharp end will be sentenced to 24 hours in the village stocks (enacted by Edward VI).

Chelsea Pensioners may not be impersonated.

A bed may not be hung out of a window.

It is illegal for a lady to eat chocolates on a public conveyance.

Any boy under the age of 10 may not see a naked manequin.

It is illegal to leave baggage unattended.

Picking up abandoned baggage is an act of terrorism.

[rjm]

ooh how odd why would clergymen be watching young boys at archery practice ,dirty b#st#rds

asterisks not allowed. Mein Fuhrer will be along shortly to delete your post. 

[Chef Geoff]

Most of those are either old or non enforced but as someone who has held a liquor licence for the last 16 years one section of the licencing act that has always puzzled me is, it is an offence to serve alcohol to a working prostitute. Now in the past I must have served a "working girl" but I'll be damned if I knew if she was working or not, do they wear a sign saying "open for business" 

[nomad]

mmmmm its where they hang the sign......one of lifes puzzles

[tyna]

mmmmm its where they hang the sign......one of lifes puzzles

Keep working it out kiddo   

[rjm]

mmmmm its where they hang the sign......one of lifes puzzles

I know one of the signs is a red light!!