Treason Act 1553


The Treason Act 1553 was an act of the Parliament of England. It should not be confused with another act about treason passed in the same year, Mary's second general Treason Act.
Section 1 of the act abolished all forms of treason that had been created since 1351, except the Treason Act 1351 itself. It also abolished all felonies created since the beginning of the reign of Henry VIII.

Repeal

Section 2 of the act was repealed on 28 July 1863 by section 1 of, and the schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1863.
The whole act was repealed by section 10 of, and part I of schedule 3 to, the Criminal Law Act 1967.

Other treason legislation

The , passed in the same year, made it high treason to counterfeit foreign coins, or forge the Queen's privy seal, signet ring or royal sign-manual. That act was repealed and replaced by section 31 of the Forgery Act 1830, which continued this form of treason until it was repealed in 1861 by the Coinage Offences Act 1861. That offence continued to exist as a felony after the Criminal Law Act 1967, until the Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981.

General references