Treason Act 1800

Text of the Treason Act 1800 as originally enacted

The following text of the Treason Act 1800, as originally enacted, has been transcribed from volume ... of the Statutes at Large, Cambridge University Press, 1801(?), edited by Danby Pickering, at page 540:

An Act for regulating Trials for High Treason and Misprision of High Treason, in certain Cases.

WHEREAS it is expedient that in cases of High Treason in compassing or imagining the Death of the King, and of Misprision of such Treason, where the Overt Act or Overt Acts of such Treason alleged in the Indictment shall be the Assassination or killing of the King, or any direct Attempt against his Life, or any direct Attempt against his Person, whereby his Life may be endangered, or his Person may suffer bodily Harm, the Trial for such Offence should not be different from Trials for Murder or wilful and malicious Shooting; Be it enacted by the King's Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That in all cases of High Treason in compassing or imagining the Death of the King, and of Misprision of such Treason, where the Overt Act or Overt Acts of such Treason which shall be alleged in the Indictment for such Offence shall be Assassination or killing of the King, or any direct Attempt against his Life, or any direct Attempt against his Person whereby his Life may be endangered or his Person may suffer bodily Harm, the Person or Persons charged with such Offence shall and may be indicted, arraigned, tried and attainted, in the same manner and according to the same course and order of Trial, in every respect, and upon the like Evidence, as if such Person or Persons stood charged with Murder; and none of the Provisions contained in the several Acts of the seventh Year of King William the Third and the seventh Year of Queen Anne respectively, touching Trials in cases of Treason and Misprision of Treason respectively, shall extend to any Indictment for High Treason in compassing and imagining the Death of the King or for Misprision of such Treason, where the Overt Act or Overt Acts of such Treason alleged in the Indictment shall be such as aforesaid; but upon Conviction on such Indictment, Judgement shall be nevertheless given and Execution done as in other cases of High Treason; any Law, Statute or Usage to the contrary notwithstanding.

Text of the Treason Act 1800 as amended by the Treason Act 1945

The Treason Act 1945

Section 2(1) of the Treason Act 1945 repealed the Treason Act 1800 to the extent specified in the third column of the Schedule to that Act. The relevant text of the Schedule to the Treason Act 1945, specifiying the extent of this repeal, is set out below and has been transcribed from page 724 of "The Public General Acts 1945", Her Majesty's Stationary Office:

In the title, the words "in certain cases"; the preamble; and the words "in compassing or imagining the death of the King"; the words from "where the overt act" to bodily harm"; and the words from "and none of the provisions" to the end of the Act.

Text of the Treason Act 1800 as amended by the Treason Act 1945

The following text of the Treason Act 1800, as amended by the Treason Act 1945, is based on that in volume II of The Statutes, Third Revised Edition, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1950, at page 313. Accretions have been ommitted. Capital letters, and some commas, which appear in the Statutes at Large (see above) have not been reproduced, presumably on grounds that punctuation included in printed copies is not part of an Act. A section number has been added. In this text, the symbol "..." indicates where words have been repealed:

An Act for regulating Trials for High Treason and Misprision of High Treason ... [28th July 1800]

. . .

[1.] In all cases of high treason ... and misprision of such treason ... the person or persons charged with such offence shall and may by indicted, arraigned, tried and attainted, in the same manner and according to the same course and order of trial, in every respect, and upon the like evidence, as if such person or persons stood charged with murder; ...