Statute of Rhuddlan

Page from Peniarth MS 41, a 15th-century manuscript of the Statute of Rhuddlan in Welsh

The Statute of Rhuddlan[n 1] (Welsh: Statud Rhuddlan), also known as the Statutes of Wales (Latin: Statuta Walliae[2] or Valliae) or as the Statute of Wales (Latin: Statutum Walliae[3] or Valliae), was a royal ordinance by Edward I of England, which gave the constitutional basis for the government of the Principality of Wales from 1284 until 1536.

The statute followed the Conquest of Wales by Edward I and the killing of the last Welsh prince to rule the whole Principality, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd in 1282. The statute introduced English common law to Wales, but also permitted the continuance of Welsh legal practices within the Principality. The statute also introduced the English shire system to the Principality of Wales. Prior to the statute, the Welsh principalities were ruled by Welsh law and the native Princes of Wales.

  1. ^ Compton, C. H. (1878). "The Ancient Laws and Statutes of Wales". Journal of the British Archaeological Association. British Archaeological Association.: 452.
  2. ^ https://archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk/search/archives/1d375401-7d6b-3707-a0c3-9f65c17863eb?component=3e89413f-4b4a-323c-81b6-65475cb47ce5
  3. ^ https://www.iwa.wales/agenda/2010/02/our-evolving-constitution/


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