English Bill of
Rights 1689
An Act Declaring the
Rights and Liberties of the Subject and Settling the Succession of the Crown
Whereas the Lords Spiritual and
Temporal and Commons assembled at
Westminster, lawfully, fully and
freely representing all the estates of the people of this realm, did upon the
thirteenth day of February in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred eighty-eight [old style date]
present unto their Majesties, then called and
known by the names and style of
William and Mary, prince and princess of Orange, being present in their
proper persons, a certain declaration in writing made by the said Lords and Commons in the words following, viz.:
Whereas the late King James the Second, by the assistance of
divers evil counsellors, judges and ministers employed by him, did endeavour to subvert and
extirpate the Protestant religion and
the laws and liberties of this kingdom;
- By
assuming and exercising a power
of dispensing with and
suspending of laws and the
execution of laws without consent of Parliament;
- By
committing and prosecuting
divers worthy prelates for humbly petitioning to be excused from
concurring to the said assumed power;
- By
issuing and causing to be
executed a commission under the great seal for erecting a court called the
Court of Commissioners for Ecclesiastical Causes;
- By
levying money for and to the
use of the Crown by pretence of prerogative for other time and in other manner than the same was granted
by Parliament;
- By
raising and keeping a standing army within this kingdom in time of
peace without consent of Parliament, and
quartering soldiers contrary to law;
- By
causing several good subjects being Protestants to be disarmed at the same
time when papists were both armed and
employed contrary to law;
- By
violating the freedom of election of members to serve in Parliament;
- By
prosecutions in the Court of King's Bench for matters and causes cognizable only in Parliament, and by divers other arbitrary and illegal courses;
- And
whereas of late years partial corrupt and
unqualified persons have been returned and
served on juries in trials, and
particularly divers jurors in trials for high treason which were not
freeholders;
- And
excessive bail hath been required of persons committed in criminal cases
to elude the benefit of the laws made for the liberty of the subjects;
- And
excessive fines have been imposed;
- And
illegal and cruel punishments
inflicted;
- And
several grants and promises
made of fines and forfeitures
before any conviction or judgment against the persons upon whom the same
were to be levied;
- All
which are utterly and directly
contrary to the known laws and
statutes and freedom of this realm;
- And
whereas the said late King James the Second having abdicated the
government and the throne being
thereby vacant, his Highness the prince of Orange (whom it hath pleased
Almighty God to make the glorious instrument of delivering this kingdom
from popery and arbitrary
power) did (by the advice of the Lords Spiritual and
Temporal and divers principal
persons of the Commons) cause letters to be written to the Lords Spiritual
and Temporal being Protestants,
and other letters to the
several counties, cities, universities, boroughs and
cinque ports, for the choosing of such persons
to represent them as were of right to be sent to Parliament, to meet and sit at Westminster upon the two and twentieth day of January in this year one
thousand six hundred eighty and eight [old style date], in order to such an
establishment as that their religion, laws and
liberties might not again be in danger of being subverted, upon which
letters elections having been accordingly made;
- And
thereupon the said Lords Spiritual and
Temporal and Commons, pursuant
to their respective letters and
elections, being now assembled in a full and
free representative of this nation, taking into their most serious
consideration the best means for attaining the ends aforesaid, do in the
first place (as their ancestors in like case have usually done) for the
vindicating and asserting their
ancient rights and liberties
declare
- That
the pretended power of suspending the laws or the execution of laws by regal
authority without consent of Parliament is illegal;
- That
the pretended power of dispensing with laws or the execution of laws by
regal authority, as it hath been assumed and
exercised of late, is illegal;
- That
the commission for erecting the late Court of Commissioners for
Ecclesiastical Causes, and all
other commissions and courts of
like nature, are illegal and
pernicious;
- That
levying money for or to the use of the Crown by pretence of prerogative,
without grant of Parliament, for longer time, or in other manner than the
same is or shall be granted, is illegal;
- That
it is the right of the subjects to petition the king, and all commitments and
prosecutions for such petitioning are illegal;
- That
the raising or keeping a standing
army within the kingdom in time of peace, unless it be with consent of
Parliament, is against law;
- That
the subjects which are Protestants may have arms for their defence suitable to their conditions and as allowed by law;
- That
election of members of Parliament ought to be free;
- That
the freedom of speech and
debates or proceedings in Parliament ought not to be impeached or
questioned in any court or place out of Parliament;
- That
excessive bail ought not to be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor
cruel and unusual punishments
inflicted;
- That
jurors ought to be duly impanelled and returned, and
jurors which pass upon men in trials for high treason ought to be
freeholders;
- That
all grants and promises of
fines and forfeitures of
particular persons before conviction are illegal and
void;
- And
that for redress of all grievances, and
for the amending, strengthening and
preserving of the laws, Parliaments ought to be held frequently.
- And
they do claim, demand and insist upon all and
singular the premises as their undoubted rights and
liberties, and that no
declarations, judgments, doings or proceedings to the prejudice of the
people in any of the said premises ought in any wise to be drawn hereafter
into consequence or example; to which demand
of their rights they are particularly encouraged by the declaration of his
Highness the prince of Orange as being the only means for obtaining a full
redress and remedy therein.
Having therefore an entire confidence that his said Highness the prince of
Orange will perfect the deliverance so far advanced by him, and will still preserve them from the violation
of their rights which they have here asserted, and
from all other attempts upon their religion, rights and
liberties, the said Lords Spiritual and
Temporal and Commons assembled
at Westminster do resolve that William and
Mary, prince and princess of
Orange, be and be declared king
and queen of England, France and
Ireland and
the dominions thereunto belonging, to hold the crown and royal dignity of the said kingdoms and dominions to them, the said prince and princess, during their lives and the life of the survivor to them, and that the sole and
full exercise of the regal power be only in and
executed by the said prince of Orange in the names of the said prince and princess during their joint lives, and after their deceases the said crown and royal dignity of the same kingdoms and dominions to be to the heirs of the body of
the said princess, and for
default of such issue to the Princess Anne of Denmark and the heirs of her body, and for default of such issue to the heirs of
the body of the said prince of Orange. And the Lords Spiritual and Temporal and
Commons do pray the said prince and
princess to accept the same accordingly.