Escape of Traitors Act 1572

The Escape of Traitors Act 1572 (14 Eliz. I c.2), full title An Act against such as shall conspire or practice the enlargement of any prisoner committed for high treason, was an Act of Parliament of the Parliament of England enacted during the reign of Elizabeth I.

The Act provided that it was henceforth a crime to conspire to "set at liberty" any person imprisoned on the Queen's orders for treason (or suspicion of treason) against the Queen's person. If the conspiracy to release the prisoner was made before the prisoner had been indicted, the conspirator was guilty of misprision of treason and would be imprisoned; if the prisoner was between indictment and conviction, the conspirator was guilty of felony and liable to be executed by hanging; and if the prisoner had already been convicted, the conspirator was guilty of high treason and would be hanged, drawn and quartered (if male) or burned at the stake (if female).

The Act came into force from the end of that session of Parliament (July 1572) and remained in force until the death of Elizabeth, when it expired. It was formally repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1863.

References

Select statutes and other constitutional documents illustrative of the reigns of Elizabeth and James I, ed. by G. W. Prothero. Oxford University Press, 1913. Fourth edition.
Chronological table of the statutes; HMSO, London. 1993.

United Kingdom legislation

Pre-Parliamentary legislation	List of English statutes Charter of Liberties Magna Carta

Acts of Parliament by states preceding the Kingdom of Great Britain	Acts of the Parliament of England to 1483 1485–1601 1603–1641 Interregnum (1642–1660) 1660–1699 1700–1706 Acts of the Parliament of Scotland Acts of the Parliament of Ireland to 1700 1701–1800

Acts of Parliament of the Kingdom of Great Britain	1707–1719 1720–1739 1740–1759 1760–1779 1780–1800

Acts of Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland	1801–1819 1820–1839 1840–1859 1860–1879 1880–1899 1900–1919 1920–1939 1940–1959 1960–1979 1980–1999 2000 to date Halsbury's Statutes UK Statute Law Database Short titles

Church of England measures	List Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919

Legislation of devolved institutions	Acts of the Scottish Parliament Acts and Measures of the National Assembly for Wales Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly Acts of the Parliament of Northern Ireland Orders in Council for Northern Ireland

Orders-in-Council	Order in Council

Secondary legislation	United Kingdom Statutory Instruments Scottish Statutory Instruments Act of Sederunt, Act of Adjournal

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Escape of Traitors Act 1572

See also

References