# Treason Act 1945 > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Treason_Act_1945 > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Treason_Act_1945.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treason_Act_1945 > Source revision: 1344328963 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom Treason Act 1945[a] Act of Parliament Parliament of the United Kingdom Long title An Act to assimilate the procedure in all cases of treason and misprision of treason to the procedure in cases of murder. Citation 8 & 9 Geo. 6. c. 44 Territorial extent United Kingdom[b] Dates Royal assent 15 June 1945 Commencement 15 June 1945[c] Repealed England and Wales: 1 January 1968 Northern Ireland: 1 September 1973 Scotland: 1 February 1981 Other legislation Amends Treason Act 1708 Treason Act 1800 Treason Act 1842 Repeals/revokes Jurors (Scotland) Act 1745 Treason Act 1766 Amended by Statute Law Revision Act 1953 Repealed by England and Wales: Criminal Law Act 1967 s.10(2) Northern Ireland: Criminal Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1967, s.15(2) Northern Ireland Constitution Act 1973, s.41(1) Scotland: Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980, s.83(3) Status: Repealed Text of statute as originally enacted The **Treason Act 1945** ([8 & 9 Geo. 6](/source/8_%26_9_Geo._6). c. 44) was an [act](/source/Act_of_Parliament_(United_Kingdom)) of the [Parliament of the United Kingdom](/source/Parliament_of_the_United_Kingdom). It was introduced into the House of Lords as a purely procedural statute, whose sole purpose was to abolish the old and highly technical procedure in cases of [treason](/source/Treason), and assimilate it to the procedure on trials for murder: Its provisions are absolutely confined to matters of procedure, and it does not make any change whatsoever in the law as to what constitutes treason.[1] It also abolished the rule that treason trials in Scotland had to be conducted according to the rules of English criminal law.[2] ## Provisions ### Section 1 Section 1 of the act applied the [Treason Act 1800](/source/Treason_Act_1800) ([39 & 40 Geo. 3](/source/39_%26_40_Geo._3) c. 93) to all cases of treason and misprision of treason, subject to five separate repeals of words, and to a saving clause in section 2(2): The Treason Act, 1800 (which assimilates the procedure in certain cases of treason and misprision of treason to the procedure in cases of murder) shall apply in all cases of treason and misprision of treason whether alleged to have been committed before or after the passing of this Act. ### Section 2 Section 2(1) of the act effected consequential repeals. The application of the Treason Act 1800 was subject to a saving clause in section 2(2). For the removal of doubt it is hereby declared that nothing in the Treason Act, 1800, shall be deemed to have repealed any of the provisions of the Treason Act, 1695, or of the Treason Act, 1708, except the provisions of those Acts specified in the third column of the Schedule to this Act. ### Section 3 Section 3(1) of the act provided that it may be cited as the "Treason Act, 1945". Section 3(2) of the act extended the [Treason Act 1800](/source/Treason_Act_1800) ([39 & 40 Geo. 3](/source/39_%26_40_Geo._3) c. 93), as applied by the act, to [Northern Ireland](/source/Northern_Ireland). Section 3(3) of the act provided that, for the purposes of section 6 of the [Government of Ireland Act 1920](/source/Government_of_Ireland_Act_1920) ([10 & 11 Geo. 5](/source/10_%26_11_Geo._5). c. 67), the act was to be deemed to be an act passed before the appointed day. ## Use of the act The procedure established by this act was used in four trials: those of [William Joyce](/source/William_Joyce), [John Amery](/source/John_Amery), [Thomas Haller Cooper](/source/Thomas_Haller_Cooper) and [Walter Purdy](/source/Walter_Purdy).[3][4] J. W. Hall[5] said that if the statutory requirement for corroboration had not been repealed by this act, William Joyce could not have been convicted on the basis of the evidence offered at his trial. One witness, Detective Inspector Hunt, connected him with the broadcasts *during the period before the expiration of the passport* (though other witnesses might have come forward). ## Repeal and replacement The whole act was repealed in [England and Wales](/source/England_and_Wales) by the [Criminal Law Act 1967](/source/Criminal_Law_Act_1967), and replaced by [section 12(6)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1967/58/section/12) of that act. The whole act was repealed in [Scotland](/source/Scotland) by the [Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980](/source/Criminal_Justice_(Scotland)_Act_1980). Today, equivalent provision is made in [section 289](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1995/46/section/289) of the [Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995](/source/Criminal_Procedure_(Scotland)_Act_1995). The whole act was repealed in Northern Ireland by the [Criminal Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1967](/source/Criminal_Law_Act_(Northern_Ireland)_1967), and replaced by [section 14(7)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/apni/1967/18/section/14) of that Act. ## See also - [High treason in the United Kingdom](/source/High_treason_in_the_United_Kingdom) - [Treason Act](/source/Treason_Act) ## Notes 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Section 3(1). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** The act is presumed to extend to the United Kingdom because the contrary is not specified 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** The [Acts of Parliament (Commencement) Act 1793](/source/Acts_of_Parliament_(Commencement)_Act_1793). ## References - [Hansard (House of Lords), 17 May 1945](https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1945/may/17/treason-bill-hl), vol. 136 col. 227 (first reading) - [Hansard (House of Lords), 30 May 1945](https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1945/may/30/treason-bill-hl), vol. 136, col. 265 - 276 (second reading) - [Hansard (House of Commons), 11 June 1945](https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1945/jun/11/treason-bill-lords), vol. 411, col. 1393 - 1398 (second reading) - [Hansard (House of Commons), 12 June 1945](https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1945/jun/12/treason-bill-lords), vol. 411, col. 1605 - 1606 (committee and third reading) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [The Earl of Munster](/source/Geoffrey_FitzClarence%2C_5th_Earl_of_Munster), [Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department](/source/Under-Secretary_of_State_for_the_Home_Department) (30 May 1945). ["Treason Bill. \[H.L.\]"](https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1945/may/30/treason-bill-hl). *[Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)](/source/Hansard)*. Vol. 136. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: House of Lords. col. 265.{{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_numeric_names:_authors_list)) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Repealing section 4 of the [Treason Act 1708](/source/Treason_Act_1708) ([7 Ann.](/source/7_Ann.) c. 21). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Treason during World War Two"](https://web.archive.org/web/20040608223625/http://stephen-stratford.com/treason.htm). Archived from [the original](http://www.stephen-stratford.com/treason.htm) on 8 June 2004. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [\[1\]](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000O714P4)[Rebecca West, The Meaning of Treason, Amazon Book review](https://www.amazon.com/review/R1N316U0O0ZJGR) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** *Famous Trials*, Penguin ## External links - [Text of the Treason Act 1945](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/id?title=Treason+Act+1945) as originally enacted or made within the United Kingdom, from [legislation.gov.uk](/source/Legislation.gov.uk). English [Wikisource](/source/Wikisource) has original text related to this article: **[Treason Act 1945](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/en:Treason_Act_1945)** v t e United Kingdom legislation Pre-parliamentary legislation List of English statutes Charter of Liberties Magna Carta Acts of parliaments of states preceding the Kingdom of Great Britain Parliament of England 1225–1267 1275–1307 1308–1325 Temp. incert. 1327–1376 1377–1397 1399–1411 1413–1421 1422–1460 1461 1463 1464 1467 1468 1472 1474 1477 1482 1483 1485 1487 1488 1491 1495 1496 1503 1509 1511 1512 1513 1514 1515 1523 1529 1530 1531 1532 1533 1534 1535 1536 1539 1540 1541 1542 1543 1545 1546 1547 1548 1549 1551 1553 1554 1555 1557 1558 1562 1566 1571 1572 1575 1580 1584 1586 1588 1592 1597 1601 1603 1605 1606 1609 1620 1623 1625 1627 Petition of Right 1640 Interregnum (1642–1660) 1660 1661 1662 1663 1664 1665 1666 1667 1670 1672 1675 1677 1678 1679 Habeas Corpus Act 1680 1685 1688 1689 Bill of Rights 1690 1691 1692 1693 1694 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(1·2) 57 (1·2) 58 (1·2·3·4) 59 (1) Church of England measures List Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919 Legislation of devolved institutions Parliament of Northern Ireland List Northern Ireland Assembly (1973) List Scottish Parliament 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Senedd Cymru 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Northern Ireland Assembly 2000 2001 2002 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2020 2021 2022 2023 2023 2024 2025 2026 Secondary legislation United Kingdom statutory instruments Order in Council List of Privy Council orders for Northern Ireland List Scottish statutory instruments Acts of Sederunt Acts of Adjournal Church of England instruments Welsh statutory instruments Authority control databases: People UK Parliament --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Treason Act 1945](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treason_Act_1945) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treason_Act_1945?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.