Governors of Plantations Act 1698
Encyclopedia
The Governors of Plantations Act 1698 or "An Act to punish Governors of Plantations in this Kingdom for crimes by them committed in the Plantations" was an English
Act of Parliament
passed in the reign of William III of England
.
It is the earliest English or British
legislation by which Crown
servants, including diplomats and governors, could be punished under English law
for offences committed abroad. A notable prosecution under the Act was in the case of R v. Wall in which Joseph Wall, the former governor of Gorée
, was hanged for causing the death of a soldier following an illegal flogging 20 years previously.
The Act was repealed by section 1 of, and Part II of Schedule 1 to, the Statue Law (Repeals) Act 1995.
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
passed in the reign of William III of England
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
.
It is the earliest English or British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
legislation by which Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
servants, including diplomats and governors, could be punished under English law
English law
English law is the legal system of England and Wales, and is the basis of common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth countries and the United States except Louisiana...
for offences committed abroad. A notable prosecution under the Act was in the case of R v. Wall in which Joseph Wall, the former governor of Gorée
Gorée
Île de Gorée Île de Gorée Île de Gorée (i.e. "Gorée Island"; is one of the 19 communes d'arrondissement (i.e. "commune of arrondissement") of the city of Dakar, Senegal. It is a island located at sea from the main harbor of Dakar ....
, was hanged for causing the death of a soldier following an illegal flogging 20 years previously.
The Act was repealed by section 1 of, and Part II of Schedule 1 to, the Statue Law (Repeals) Act 1995.