“It is illegal to wear a full suit of armour in Parliament”
The Statute forbidding Bearing of Armour decrees that no person may come to Parliament or any other Assembly in the Realm of England wearing any "Force and Armour." The statute applies to all members and visitors to Parliament and makes wearing a full suit of armor an offense.
Armed nobles defy King Edward II
Following a tumultuous period in English history during the reign of Edward II, Parliament was threatened by armed nobles and magnates who attended sessions with full retinues. The catalyst came when the King's favorite, Piers Gaveston, returned from exile and infuriated the kingdom's senior nobles with contempt and crude nicknames. When the barons refused to attend parliaments, Edward attempted to placate them but they responded by raising armed retinues and appearing fully armored before the king in open defiance.
Statute enacted to restore order
The 1313 statute was Edward II's response to maintain parliamentary order and prevent violence between factions. It followed an earlier period where nobles had imposed the Ordinances of 1311 on the king to restrict his power. The statute represented an attempt to establish Parliament as a peaceful deliberative body where matters of state could be discussed without the threat of armed confrontation.
A visible reminder still marks Parliament
Notably, Parliament has red lines (literally) in its chamber -- two sword-lengths apart on the carpet -- which serve as a visual reminder of this historical prohibition.
Where the story gets it wrong
Many assume the statute only bans wearing armour inside Parliament's chamber, but it actually covers all parliaments, treaties, and assemblies across England, and prohibits weapons generally, not just suits of armour. The Crown Prosecution Service confirms the law remains in force, though it is unaware of any modern prosecutions under it.
The Statute forbidding Bearing of Armour 1313 (7 Edw. 2, St. 1), also known as the Coming Armed to Parliament Act 1313, decrees "that in all Parliaments, Treatises and other Assemblies, which should be made in the Realm of England for ever, that every Man shall come without all Force and Armour, well and peaceably."
- Current status
- Never Enforced
- Enacted
- January 1, 1313
- Penalty
- Historically considered high treason; modern enforcement penalty unknown due to complete absence of recent prosecutions.