The Proclamations of the Tudor Kings

Book excerpt: Royal proclamations were an important instrument of Tudor government and their legislative function has long been a subject of historical controversy, but the actual use of them by the Tudor monarchs has not been adequately studied. The main purpose of this book is to provide a systematic analysis of the use, authority and enforcement of proclamations in early Tudor England. Professor Heinze first attempts to establish a more accurate account of the proclamations issued; and then describes their formulation and promulgation. He also investigates the authority of proclamations as defined by Parliament and the role and power attributed to them by Tudor judges and legal writers. The main body of the study traces the actual use of proclamations and their relationship to statutory and common law. Separate chapters are devoted to the controversial Statute of Proclamations and the long neglected subject of enforcement.