Penal Laws against Wales 1402

The Penal Laws against Wales were a set of laws, passed by the English Parliament in 1402. They were designed to establish English dominance in Wales during the Welsh War of Independence/Glyndŵr Rising (1400–1415), led by Owain Glyndŵr.

These laws banned the Welsh from obtaining senior public office, the bearing of arms or buying property in English towns.[1] All public assembly was forbidden, and education of Welsh children was restricted.[1] Englishmen who married Welsh women also came under these laws.

There were three acts passed by the English Parliament in 1402 : the Wales Act, the Wales and Welshmen Act & the Welshmen Act. The laws were not ended by the Laws in Wales Acts (1535 and 1542) – BUT were finally repealed by the last parliament called by James I ( The Happy Parliament ) in 1624 – 17 years after the English laws against the Scots had been repealed : Stats 4 & 5 James I, c.1; 21 James 1, cc. 10, 28 section 1 ; listed in Statutes of the Realm ( London 1819 ) vol iv, pp 1134 – 7, 1219, 1239 ( from note 10, page 6 : British Consciousness and Identity – The Making of Britain 1533–1707 – eds Brendan Bradshaw and Peter Roberts – Cambridge University Press 1998 – http://catdir.loc.gov/catdir/samples/cam034/97033420.pdf )