Weird History
How The British Murder Act of 1751 Scared Criminals Straight
2023 • E118 Sep 28, 2023 11m
During the mid-18th century, murder was so rampant in Britain that Parliament needed to create an equally brutal law in response. Some said legislation as a fate worse than death. The British Murder Act of 1751 became law the following year, with the purpose of terrorizing the public into a reasonable facsimile of human decency.