Hoeslaughter Act, 1652

AN Act to define the punishment and definition of the felony of hoeslaughter and to protect the innocent Hoes from unneeded pains of Death and suffering at the hands of subjects of his Majesty's crown, whom, have no reason to kill, slaughter or deliver such bodily harm to said Hoes.


WE, your Majesty’s most loyal and duteous subjects, Lords Spiritual and Temporal and House of Commons, here assembled in this Parliament of the Kingdom of Nortainland, do seek to make defined clearly and well, the crime of hoeslaughter. We, therefore, in the interest of the public good of subjects of your Majesty in the Unioned Kingdom of Nortain and Hoebrideland, do beseech that your Majesty do enact and be it enacted by the King's most excellent majesty, with the consent of Lords Spiritual and Temporal and House of Commons, here assembled in this Parliament of the Kingdom of Nortain and Hoebrideland, and by the Authority of the same, that if a person or persons whatsoever a day after the passing of this act, shall, without the authority conferred under law, compass, cause, imagine, invent, devise, or intend the death or destruction of a free Hoe in any of the lands and territories of your Majesty, and in foreign lands, being legally convicted, upon the oath of one lawful and credible witness, upon Trial in the Court of Magistrates with two or three magistrates, as permits, then said person or persons, as aforesaid offending of such crime, shall be deemed, declares and adjudged to have committed the crime of hoeslaughter, and therefore shall suffer the pains of Death through the standard means of hanging.

II. AND be it further enacted that this not be the case, should any person or persons present a willing need to have a Hoe slaughtered, and that said killed Hoe was, proved in the aforementioned Trial, not of a good character, then said person accused of the crime of hoeslaughter not be charged and at once relieved of the crime upon his head, and to reduce and limit the suffering associated and connected with such accusations.

III. BE further enacted that if any person or persons see a Hoe, whom is wearing and is attired in his traditional garments, clothing or costumes, coming into said person's or persons' village or town, but never his or their commune, city, hamlet or house, then it is permissible to shoot six or fewer arrows in the direction of his coming with the intent and purpose to scare, frighten or startle said Hoe away from one's aforementioned village or town without the intent or will to commit hoeslaughter. However, if said persons aforesaid do kill or cause the death of a Hoe whilst he is attempting, trying and acting to scare, frighten or startle said Hoe away from his village or town, it shall be declared and adjudged at the aforementioned court as the crime of hoeslaughter, and therefore shall be punished in the manner as above.

IV. PROVIDED also, and be it clarified, that a person or persons does have the right to compass, cause, imaging, invent, devise or intend the death or destruction of a free Hoe if said person has a legal right to kill such people, in a manner that takes all previous laws into account, and that takes the Common Law of the land, domain and empire of your Majesty into due consideration.