Law Category
Adoption of the Gregorian calendar
In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII decreed that all Catholic countries should swap over to a new calendar,…
Marriage
Until the Marriage Act of 1753, a marriage was a private matter of mutual consent that was…
Marie Stopes & family planning
If Marie Stopes (1880-1958) were alive today, one wonders what she would think of the hundreds of…
Discrimination in the Workplace
All British subjects possess what are called ‘protected characteristics’ in one way or another. These encompass gender,…
State Pensions
The Old-Age Pensions Act of 1908 was the first UK law on state pensions. Only the poorest…
Rights on becoming 17 years old
Reaching the age of 17 in the UK gives a few more legal rights on top of…
The Electoral Register
The Electoral Register contains all the names and addresses of adults living in the UK who are…
Animal Rights
The UK passed the world’s first animal welfare law in 1822, with the Cruel Treatment of Cattle…
Legal Aid
Since 1949 it has been possible to apply for financial help with legal costs under the Legal…
National Insurance Contributions (NICs)
To help fund the Welfare State, most people who are employed or self-employed in the UK must…
Shop opening hours and days
Until 1994, shops in the UK were generally not allowed to open on a Sunday, for religious…
The crime of forced marriage
In the UK, the legal joining of two loving partners in marriage is assumed to be a…