MalissaHardaway at 17:12, 25 February 2026

2026-02-25T17:12:03Z

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{{Short description|Legal jurisdiction in the United Kingdom}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2022}}
{{More citations needed |date=June 2022}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = England and Wales
| native_name = {{native name|cy|Cymru a Lloegr}}
| native_name_lang = cy
| other_name = "England" (1746–1967)
| settlement_type = Legal jurisdiction
| image_skyline =
| image_caption =
| image_map = England and Wales within the UK and Europe.svg
| map_caption = Map of England and Wales in the [[United Kingdom]]
| subdivision_type = Sovereign state
| subdivision_name = United Kingdom
| established_title = Formed
| established_date = 1535–1542
| named_for = [[England]] and [[Wales]]
| governing_body = [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]
| area_footnotes = <ref name="popstats">{{UK subdivision statistics citation}}</ref>
| area_land_km2 = {{UK subdivision area|GSS=K04000001}}
| population_footnotes = <ref name="popstats" />
| population_as_of = {{UK subdivision statistics year}}
| population_total = {{UK subdivision population|GSS=K04000001}}
| population_density_km2 = {{UK subdivision density|GSS=K04000001}}
| timezone1 = [[Greenwich Mean Time|GMT]]
| utc_offset1 = +0
| timezone1_DST = [[British Summer Time|BST]]
| utc_offset1_DST = +1|
| iso_code =
| blank1_name = [[GSS coding system|GSS code]]
| blank1_info = K04000001
}}
'''England and Wales''' ({{Langx|cy|Cymru a Lloegr}}) is one of the [[Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions|three legal jurisdictions]] of the [[United Kingdom]]. It covers the two constituent countries of [[England]] and [[Wales]], and was formed by the [[Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542]]. The substantive law of the jurisdiction is [[English law]].

The [[Welsh devolution|devolved]] [[Senedd]] (Welsh Parliament; {{langx|cy|Senedd Cymru}}) – previously named the National Assembly for Wales – was created in 1999 under the [[Government of Wales Act 1998]] and provides a degree of [[Self-governance|self-government]] in Wales. The powers of the legislature were expanded by the [[Government of Wales Act 2006]], which allows it to pass [[Welsh law|its own laws]], and the Act also formally separated the [[Welsh Government]] from the Senedd. There is currently no [[Devolved English parliament|equivalent body for England]], which is directly governed by the parliament and [[government of the United Kingdom]].

==History of jurisdiction==
[[File:Brittain 410.jpg|thumb|The Roman province of [[Roman Britain|Britannia]] in 410]]

During the [[Roman occupation of Britain]], the area of present-day England and Wales was administered as a single unit, except for the land to the north of [[Hadrian's Wall]] – though the Roman-occupied area varied in extent, and for a time extended to the [[Antonine Wall|Antonine/Severan Wall]]. It is thought that at that time most of the native inhabitants of [[Roman Britain]] spoke [[Brythonic languages]], but they were all regarded as [[Britons (historical)|Britons]], divided into numerous tribes. After the conquest, the Romans administered this region as a single unit, the [[Roman province|province]] of [[Roman Britain|Britain]].

Long after the departure of the Romans, the Britons in what became Wales developed their [[Cyfraith Hywel|own system of law]], first codified by [[Hywel Dda]] (Hywel the Good; reigned 942–950) when he was king of most of present-day Wales (compare [[King of Wales]]); in England [[Anglo-Saxon law]] was initially codified by [[Alfred the Great#Legal reform|Alfred the Great]] in his [[Doom book|Legal Code]], {{circa|893}}. However, after the [[Norman invasion of Wales]] in the 11th century, [[English law]] came to apply in the parts of Wales conquered by the [[Normans]] (the [[Welsh Marches]]). In 1283, the English, led by [[Edward I of England|Edward I]], with the biggest army brought together in England since the 11th century, [[Conquest of Wales by Edward I of England|conquered the remainder of Wales]], then organised as the [[Principality of Wales]]. This was then united with the English crown by the [[Statute of Rhuddlan]] of 1284. This aimed to replace Welsh criminal law with English law.

Welsh law continued to be used for civil cases until the annexation of Wales to England in the 16th century by the Welsh [[House of Tudor]]. The [[Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542]] then consolidated the administration of all the Welsh territories and incorporated them fully into the legal system of the [[Kingdom of England]].<ref name="Principality">{{cite book |last=Cannon |first=John |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TYnfhTq2M7EC |title=A Dictionary of British History |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-19-955037-1 |page=661 |author-link=John Cannon (historian) |access-date=15 October 2010}}</ref> This was in part to update outdated Welsh laws, but also to control Wales alongside England; through these acts, the Welsh could be seen as equals to the English.<ref>Owen, Gwilym, et al. "The Acts of Union 1536–43—Not Quite the End of the Road for Welsh Law?" ''Proceedings of the Harvard Celtic Colloquium'', vol. 37, Department of Celtic Languages & Literatures, [[Harvard University]], 2017, pp. 217–250, {{JSTOR|45048897}}.</ref> This was reflected on both [[Henry VIII]] and [[Elizabeth I]]'s coat of arms where the dragon represented Wales and the lion represented England.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/41617/41617-h/41617-h.htm|publisher=[[Project Gutenberg]]|authorlink=Arthur Charles Fox-Davies|author=Fox-Davies, Arthur Charles|date=1909|title=A Complete Guide to Heraldry}}</ref> When the Tudor dynasty ended with the death of [[Elizabeth I]] the [[Welsh Dragon|red dragon of Wales]] was replaced with the [[National symbols of Scotland|unicorn]] of Scotland with the succession of [[James VI and I|King James I]] who demoted Wales' status on the coat of arms and on the first adaptation of the [[Flag of Great Britain]].<ref name=BBC_20060410>{{cite news|last1=Duffy |first1=Jonathan |title=Union recognition |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4895076.stm |work=BBC News |date=10 April 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130134900/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/4895076.stm |archive-date=30 November 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/magazine_enl_1144679591/html/1.stm|publisher=[[BBC]]|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410134721/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/06/magazine_enl_1144679591/html/1.stm|archivedate=April 10, 2021|date=2021|title=BBC News}}</ref>

Prior to 1746, it was not clear whether a reference to "England" in legislation included Wales, and so in 1746, Parliament passed the [[Wales and Berwick Act 1746]]. This specified that in all prior and future laws, references to "England" would by default include Wales (and [[Berwick-upon-Tweed]]). The Wales and Berwick Act was repealed by the [[Welsh Language Act 1967]], although the statutory definition of "England" created by that Act still applies for laws passed before 1967. In new legislation since then, what was referred to as "England" is now "England and Wales", while subsequent references to "England" and "Wales" refer to those political divisions.{{citation needed|date=August 2025}}

=== Wales jurisdiction ===
{{Main|Proposed Wales criminal justice system|Welsh devolution}}
There have been multiple calls from both Welsh academics and politicians for a [[Proposed Wales criminal justice system|Wales criminal justice system]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Written Statement: Update on the development of the justice system and the legal sector in Wales (30 September 2021) |url=https://gov.wales/written-statement-update-development-justice-system-and-legal-sector-wales |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=GOV.WALES |date=30 September 2021 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-11-29 |title=Plaid Cymru call for devolution of justice to Wales - 'we can't be treated as an appendage to England' |url=https://nation.cymru/news/plaid-cymru-devolution-justice/ |access-date=2022-11-29 |website=Nation.Cymru |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=Devolution a 'necessary step' towards a better Welsh criminal justice system, academics argue |url=https://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/2678710-devolution-a-necessary-step-towards-a-better-welsh-criminal-justice-system,-academics-argue |access-date=2023-02-22 |website=Cardiff University |language=en}}</ref>

==Law==
[[File:Royal courts of justice.jpg|thumb|The [[Royal Courts of Justice]] of England and Wales]]

England and Wales are treated as a single unit for some purposes, because the two form the constitutional successor to the former Kingdom of England. The continuance of [[Scots law]] was guaranteed under the 1706 [[Treaty of Union]] that led to the [[Acts of Union 1707]], and as a consequence English law{{mdash}}and after [[Acts of Union 1800|1801]], [[Parliament of Ireland|Irish law]]{{mdash}}continued to be separate. Following the two Acts of Union, Parliament can restrict the effect of its laws to part of the realm, and generally the effect of laws, where restricted, was originally applied to one or more of the former kingdoms.{{clarify|date=October 2018}} Thus, most laws applicable to England also applied to Wales. However, Parliament now passes laws applicable to Wales and not to England (and vice versa), a practice which was rare before the middle of the 20th century. Examples are the [[Welsh language|Welsh Language]] Acts [[Welsh Language Act 1967|1967]] and [[Welsh Language Act 1993|1993]] and the [[Government of Wales Act 1998]]. Measures and [[Act of Senedd Cymru|Acts of the Senedd]] apply in Wales, but not in England.

Following the Government of Wales Act, effective since May 2007, the [[Senedd]] can legislate on matters devolved to it. Following a [[2011 Welsh devolution referendum|referendum on 3 March 2011]], the Senedd gained direct law-making powers, without the need to consult Westminster. This was the first time in almost 500 years that Wales had its own powers to legislate. Each piece of [[Welsh law|Welsh legislation]] is known as an [[Act of Senedd Cymru]].

===Company registration===
{{Main|Companies House}}

For a [[company]] to be [[Incorporation (business)|incorporated]] in the United Kingdom, its application for registration with [[Companies House]] must state "whether the company's registered office is to be situated in England and Wales (or in Wales), in Scotland or in Northern Ireland",<ref>Subsection 9(2) of the Companies Act 2006</ref> which will determine the law applicable to that business entity. A registered office must be specified as "in Wales" if the company wishes to use a name ending ''cyfyngedig'' or ''cyf'', rather than ''Limited'' or ''Ltd.'' or to avail itself of certain other privileges relating to the official use of the Welsh language.

==Other bodies==
Outside the legal system, the position is mixed. Some organisations combine as "England and Wales", others are separate.
* In sports, [[cricket]] has a [[England cricket team|combined international team]] (simply called "England") administered by the [[England and Wales Cricket Board]], who also govern the sport across both nations, and [[Glamorgan County Cricket Club]] participates in the English and Welsh [[county cricket]] system. In [[association football|football]], [[rugby union]], [[rugby league]], the [[Commonwealth Games]] and other sports have separate national representative teams for each country. A few [[Association football in Wales|Welsh association football clubs]], most notably [[Cardiff City F.C.]] and [[Swansea City A.F.C.]], play in the [[English football league system]], while [[The New Saints F.C.]], which represents places on both sides of the border, plays in the [[Welsh football league system]]. The [[Anglo-Welsh Cup]] was a rugby union competition contested by [[Welsh regional rugby|Welsh regions]] and [[Premiership Rugby|English Premiership]] clubs between 1971 and 2018.
* Some religious denominations organise on the basis of England and Wales, most notably the [[Catholic Church in England and Wales|Roman Catholic Church]], but also small denominations, e.g. the [[Evangelical Presbyterian Church in England and Wales|Evangelical Presbyterian Church]]. Prior to the [[Disestablishmentarianism|disestablishment]] of the [[Church in Wales]] in 1920, the [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] church in Britain operated under the jurisdiction of the [[Church of England]] throughout Wales and England.
* The [[Electoral Commission (United Kingdom)|Electoral Commission]] maintains a register of political parties, organised according to where the party operates (either ''England'', ''Wales'' or ''England and Wales''). The [[Green Party of England and Wales]] stands candidates only in English and Welsh constituencies; separate Green parties exist [[Scottish Greens|in Scotland]] and [[Green Party Northern Ireland|in Northern Ireland]].
* Some professional bodies represent England and Wales, for example the [[Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales]], the [[General Council of the Bar]], [[The Law Society]], the [[National Farmers Union (England and Wales)|National Farmers Union]] and the [[Police Federation of England and Wales]].
* Other examples include the [[Canal & River Trust]], the [[Charity Commission]], the [[General Register Office for England and Wales]], [[His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services]], [[HM Land Registry]], [[His Majesty's Prison Service]], [[Mountain rescue in England and Wales|Mountain Rescue England and Wales]], the [[Worshipful Company of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales|Worshipful Company of Chartered Accountants]] and the [[Youth Hostels Association (England & Wales)|Youth Hostels Association]].

==Order of precedence==
The [[order of precedence in England and Wales]] is distinct from those of Northern Ireland and [[order of precedence in Scotland|Scotland]], and from [[Commonwealth realm]]s.

==National parks==
The [[national park]]s of [[National parks of the United Kingdom#National parks in England|England]] and [[national parks of Wales|Wales]] have a distinctive legislative framework and history.

==See also==
* [[Courts of England and Wales]]
* [[Cultural relationship between the Welsh and the English]]
* [[Judiciary of England and Wales]]
* [[Proposed Wales justice system]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last1=Jones |first1=Robert |title=The Welsh Criminal Justice System |date=2022 |publisher=University of Wales Press |isbn=978-1-78683-945-9 |language=en}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:England And Wales}}
[[Category:England and Wales| ]]

England and Wales - Revision history

MalissaHardaway at 17:12, 25 February 2026