The Burying in Woollen Acts 1666–80 were

Acts The Acts of the Apostles ( grc-koi, Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; la, Actūs Apostolōrum) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of its message ...

of the Parliament of England (citation ''18 & 19 Cha. II c. 4'' (1666), ''30 Cha. II c. 3'' (1678) and ''32 Cha. II c. 1'' (1680) ) which required the dead, except plague victims and the destitute, to be buried in pure English woollen shrouds to the exclusion of any foreign textiles.

Enforcement

It was a requirement that an affidavit be sworn in front of a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

(usually by a relative of the deceased), confirming burial in wool, with the punishment of a £5 fee for noncompliance. Burial entries in parish registers were marked with the word "affidavit" or its equivalent to confirm that affidavit had been sworn; it would be marked "naked" for those too poor to afford the woollen shroud. The legislation was in force until 1814, but was generally ignored after 1770. The 1666 Act was repealed by the Statute Law Revision Act 1863.

Use in genealogy

Burial records so annotated can be a source of genealogical information, providing evidence of economic status and relationships that may be otherwise unavailable or ambiguous.Burial In Woollen Act 1666–1680
from traceyourpast.co.uk

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burying In Woollen Acts Acts of the Parliament of England Burials in England Legal aspects of death Woolen clothing 1666 in law 1678 in law 1680 in law 1666 in England 1678 in England 1680 in England