Statute of Marlborough
English statute of 1267
The Statute of Marlborough (52 Hen. 3.) is a set of laws passed by the Parliament of England during the reign of Henry III in 1267. The laws comprised 29 chapters, of which four are still in force. Those four chapters constitute the oldest piece of statute law in the United Kingdom still in force as of 2026.
Nomenclature and dating
The statute is so named as it was passed at Marlborough in Wiltshire, where a Parliament was being held. The preamble dates it as "the two and fiftieth year of the reign of King Henry, son of King John, in the utas of Saint Martin", which would give a date of 18 November 1267; "utas" is an archaic term to denote the eighth day (in inclusive counting, so seventh day in normal English usage) after an event, in this case the feast day of Saint Martin.
The full title of the act passed that day was Provisiones fact[a]e ap[u]d Marleberg[em], p[rae]sent[e] D[omi]no Rege H[enrico] & R[icardo] Rege Ale[manoru]m, & D[omi]no Edwardo fil[io] ejusde[m] H[enrico] R[ege] Primogen[u]it, & D[omi]no Octobono tunc legato in Angli[a]} in Latin, yielding an English Provisions made at Marlborough in the Presence of our lord King Henry, and Richard King of the Romans, and the Lord Edward eldest son of the said King Henry, and the Lord Ottobon, at that Time Legate in England.
Background
The preamble claimed that its purpose was peace, justice and the removal of dissent from the realm; and by taking up and reintroducing many of the previously repudiated Provisions of Oxford, went far to meet the demands of the baronial opposition.
Extant chapters
The four extant chapters of the statute are now cited as two acts: the Distress Act 1267 and the Waste Act 1267.
1, 4, and 15 (Distress Act 1267)
Chapters 1, 4, and 15, which seek to govern the recovery of damages ("distresses") and make it illegal to obtain such distresses outside the legal system, are collectively referred to as the Distress Act 1267.
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