- Joined
- Aug 19, 2015
- Messages
- 10,199
- Trophies
- 1
- Location
- Glasgow
- Website
- www.rockstarnorth.com
- XP
- 16,192
- Country
1. Drunk and in charge of a cow in Scotland? That’s illegal. Under the Licensing Act 1872 which is still in force today, it is an offence to be drunk in charge of a cow If found guilty of this offence, perpetrators could find themselves jailed for up to 51 weeks or fined £200.
2. If a stranger knocks on your door and asks to use your toilet, you are legally obliged to let them. An extension of the old Scottish common law requiring hospitality to be shown to all guests, It harks back to the days when travellers on foot would cross the land of neighbouring clansman. It is widely accepted and remains commonly used by hill walkers and hikers across Scotland.
3. In Scotland, it is illegal for a boy under the age of ten to see a naked mannequin. This is an arcane but amusing derivative of laws preventing the corruption of youth, although it is unclear who is liable should it happen: the parents, shop, or perhaps the mannequin?
4. Its illegal to play a game of cards in a library. This problem was so great it warranted its own ‘library offences act’ in 1898. The act prohibits gambling or any card games at all in any public library and was extended to the use of obscene or abusive language. Fines for doing so can be as high as £700.
5. It is illegal to fish for salmon and sea trout on a Sunday in Scotland. Traditionally this rule included all fishing, as puritan beliefs banned any Sunday recreation on God’s day of rest, but was confirmed by the Salmon Fisheries (Scotland) Act of 1862 banning the practice in modern law. It is also illegal to ‘be found handling a salmon in suspicious circumstances’.
6. The head of any whale washed up on a Scottish beach will automatically become the possession of the king, and its tail the queen. Whales, technically, are classified as royal fish. In Scotland, the Queen has a right to whales too large to be pulled onto land by a ‘wain pulled by six oxen’; basically anything over 25 feet long. Although this law is more commonly applied when sturgeon are caught in Scottish waters, another royal fish. The Queen has never requested a sturgeon; but many have been caught and offered to her.
7. It is most definitely illegal to fire a cannon within 300 yards of a person’s residence, to the deliberate annoyance of that resident. In case you really don’t like your neighbour and think the best way to ruin their Sunday afternoon might be to devastate their peace with cannon fire… you have been warned. This is an offence under the section 55 Police Act 1839, although to date there have been no prosecutions. Perhaps try something a little more subtle?
8. Scotland is unique in that under Scots law you are effectively guilty until proven innocent. This is because of the presence of a third verdict at the end of a criminal trial – as well as ‘guilty’ and ‘not guilty’, there is also ‘not proven’. If found ‘not proven’ the jury believe you to be guilty, but didn’t have enough
evidence to convict. So you managed to get away with it. A bid to abolish the ‘not proven’ verdict was rejected by MSPs in 2016.
2. If a stranger knocks on your door and asks to use your toilet, you are legally obliged to let them. An extension of the old Scottish common law requiring hospitality to be shown to all guests, It harks back to the days when travellers on foot would cross the land of neighbouring clansman. It is widely accepted and remains commonly used by hill walkers and hikers across Scotland.
3. In Scotland, it is illegal for a boy under the age of ten to see a naked mannequin. This is an arcane but amusing derivative of laws preventing the corruption of youth, although it is unclear who is liable should it happen: the parents, shop, or perhaps the mannequin?
4. Its illegal to play a game of cards in a library. This problem was so great it warranted its own ‘library offences act’ in 1898. The act prohibits gambling or any card games at all in any public library and was extended to the use of obscene or abusive language. Fines for doing so can be as high as £700.
5. It is illegal to fish for salmon and sea trout on a Sunday in Scotland. Traditionally this rule included all fishing, as puritan beliefs banned any Sunday recreation on God’s day of rest, but was confirmed by the Salmon Fisheries (Scotland) Act of 1862 banning the practice in modern law. It is also illegal to ‘be found handling a salmon in suspicious circumstances’.
6. The head of any whale washed up on a Scottish beach will automatically become the possession of the king, and its tail the queen. Whales, technically, are classified as royal fish. In Scotland, the Queen has a right to whales too large to be pulled onto land by a ‘wain pulled by six oxen’; basically anything over 25 feet long. Although this law is more commonly applied when sturgeon are caught in Scottish waters, another royal fish. The Queen has never requested a sturgeon; but many have been caught and offered to her.
7. It is most definitely illegal to fire a cannon within 300 yards of a person’s residence, to the deliberate annoyance of that resident. In case you really don’t like your neighbour and think the best way to ruin their Sunday afternoon might be to devastate their peace with cannon fire… you have been warned. This is an offence under the section 55 Police Act 1839, although to date there have been no prosecutions. Perhaps try something a little more subtle?
8. Scotland is unique in that under Scots law you are effectively guilty until proven innocent. This is because of the presence of a third verdict at the end of a criminal trial – as well as ‘guilty’ and ‘not guilty’, there is also ‘not proven’. If found ‘not proven’ the jury believe you to be guilty, but didn’t have enough
evidence to convict. So you managed to get away with it. A bid to abolish the ‘not proven’ verdict was rejected by MSPs in 2016.
Last edited by AmandaRose,
