Top of page

Archive: October 2011 (2 Posts)

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Weird Laws, or Urban Legends?

Posted by: Clare Feikert-Ahalt

As mentioned in my previous post, during my day-to-day work at my cool job, I never know what I’m going to stumble upon.  It so happened that, as I was gathering information for my post on sumptuary laws, I came across a page of ‘legal curiosities’ compiled by the UK’s Law Commission and published by …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Sumptuous Sumptuary Laws

Posted by: Clare Feikert-Ahalt

When doing my cool job, I never know what will cross my path.  Recently, I happened to discover some items covering early sumptuary laws in England.  These laws were prohibitions against what the Monarch at the time considered to be “extravagance,” typically in the form of food or clothing.  They were reportedly aimed to preserve the class system …