Fun Facts of England
You can’t kill a Scot in York
Believe it or not, but there is still a law in England that permits a citizen to kill a Scot entering the city of York if the Scot is holding an arrow above his head.
This law dates back to the time of King Edward Longshanks era, and for some reason has no been changed since.
1. Jumping a queue can be illegal
Queuing is very important in British culture. You rarely see someone jumping a queue. It is rude to jump a queue, but at the London’s Transport ticket machine’s it is actually illegal. If you jump the queue to buy your ticket you can be fined up to £1000.
2. England is home to the strangest sport on earth
Ever heard of cheese rolling? We neither. However, every year during the spring in Gloucestershire (west of England) this strange sport takes place. In this competition an 8 pound round of Double Gloucester cheese is rolled from the top of the Cooper hill. Participants of the competition chase after it down to the bottom. They are supposed to catch the cheese. An impossible task so who crosses the finish line first wins the cheese.
We’re sure, if we had hills in the Netherlands it would definitely be a Dutch competition.
3. Champagne comes from England
Sorry France! But the technique used by Dom Perignon already existed in England. The first Champagne is not from 1697. Thirthy years earlier an English scientist discovered sparkling wine.
4. The queen owns the swans in the Thames
True story. All the swans swimming in the Thames are owned by the queen. Counting the swans, also known as ‘swan upping’, is done every year by the ‘Keeper Of The Queen’s Swans’. It is an actual job.
5. Don’t stick a postage upside down
According to the Treason Felony Act of 1848 posting the stamp upside down is treason as most British postage stamps comprise the Queen’s head. It is also illegal to die in the House of Commons btw.
Oh and the postage stamp was invented in Birmingham, England, in 1839. The first design ever featured Queen Victoria.
6. You can never be more than 115 km from the sea in England
England is an island nation and no matter where you go, the furthest you can be away from the ocean is 115 km. Maybe this is what makes England historically a sea-faring nation.
7. It’s illegal to get drunk in a pub
There is a law in England that prohibits drunkenness in pubs, theoretically the one place where you’re supposed to be drunk. So, the only place in England to get legally drunk is at private property.
MY posts
England might as well be our second home. Of course because of Yuri’s family living there (he’s half British) but also because we just love England. The pubs, the nature, the humor, the cute village, fish & chips. Need to say more?
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