The Bill of Rights 1689

The Bill is written on a vellum scroll of nine skins. This is a picture of the top of skin 1 The Royal Assent is just visible.

Whereas the Lords Spiritual and
Temporal and Commons assembled at Westminster
lawfully, fully and freely representing all the Estates
of the people of this realm did upon the thirteenth
day of February in the year of our Lord one
thousand six hundred eighty-eight present unto
their Majesties then called and known by the
names and style of William and Mary, Prince
and Princess of Orange, being present in their
proper persons a certain Declaration in
writing made by the said Lords and Commons
in the words following, viz.: Whereas the
late King James the Second, by the assistance
of divers evil counsellors, judges and ministers
employed by him, did endeavour to subvert and
extirpate the Protestant religion and the laws
and liberties of this kingdom; By assuming
and exercising a power of dispensing with
and suspending of laws and the execution of
laws without consent of Parliament; By
committing and prosecuting divers worthy
prelates for humbly petitioning to be excused from
concurring to the said assumed power; By issuing
and causing to be executed a commission under
the great seal for erecting a court called the
Court of Commissioners for Ecclesiastical Causes
By levying money for and to the use of the Crown
by pretence of prerogative for other time and in
other manner than the same was granted by
Parliament By raising and keeping a standing
army within this kingdom in time of peace
without consent of Parliament, and quartering
soldiers contrary to law By causing several
good subjects being Protestants to be disarmed
at the same time when papists were both armed
and employed contrary to law By violating the
freedom of election of members to serve in

This Enlargement shows the Royal Assent of 16th December 1689

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Parliament By prosecutions in the Court of
King’s Bench for matters and causes cognizable
only in Parliament and by divers other arbitrary
and illegal courses And whereas of late years
partial corrupt and unqualified persons have
been returned and served on juries in trials
and particularly divers jurors in trials for
high treason which were not freeholders And
excessive bail hath been required of persons
committed in criminal cases to elude the benefit
of the laws made for the liberty of the subjects
And excessive fines have been imposed And
illegal and cruel punishments inflicted And
several grants and promises made of fines
and forfeitures before any conviction or judgement
against the persons upon whom the same were
to be levied All which are utterly and directly
contrary to the known laws and statutes and
freedom of this realm And whereas the
said late King James the Second having
abdicated the government and the throne
being thereby vacant, his Highness the prince
of Orange (whom it hath pleased Almighty God
to make the glorious instrument of delivering
this kingdom from popery and arbitrary power)
did (by the advice of the Lords Spiritual and
Temporal and divers principal persons of
the Commons) cause letters to be written to
the Lords Spiritual and Temporal being
Protestants, and other letters to the several
Counties Cities Universities Boroughs and Cinque
Ports, for the choosing of such persons to represent
them as were of right to be sent to Parliament
to meet and sit at Westminster upon the two
and twentieth day of January in this year
one thousand six hundred eighty and eight
in order to such an establishment as that their

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religion, laws and liberties might not again
be in danger of being subverted, upon which
letters elections having been accordingly
made And thereupon the said Lords Spiritual
and Temporal and Commons, pursuant to their
respective letters and elections, being now
assembled in a full and free representative of
this nation, taking into their most serious
consideration the best means for attaining
the ends aforesaid, do in the first place (as
their ancestors in like case have usually done)
for the vindicating and asserting their ancient
rights and liberties declare That the pretended
power of suspending of laws or the execution of
laws by regal authority without consent of
Parliament is illegal That the pretended
power of dispensing with laws or the execution of
laws by regal authority, as it hath been
assumed and exercised of late, is illegal That
the commission for erecting the late Court of
Commissioners for Ecclesiastical Causes and all
other commissions and courts of like nature
are illegal and pernicious That levying money
for or to the use of the Crown by pretence of
prerogative without grant of Parliament for
longer time or in other manner than the same
is or shall be granted is illegal That it is
the right of the subjects to petition the king
and all commitments and prosecutions for such
petitioning are illegal That the raising or
keeping a standing army within the kingdom
in time of peace, unless it be with consent of
Parliament, is against law That the subjects
which are Protestants may have arms for their
defence suitable to their conditions and as
allowed by law That election of members of
Parliament ought to be free That the freedom

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of speech and debates or proceedings in Parliament
ought not to be impeached or questioned in any
court or place out of Parliament That excessive
bail ought not to be required, nor excessive
fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments
inflicted That jurors ought to be duly impanelled
and returned, and jurors which pass upon men in
trials for high treason ought to be freeholders
That all grants and promises of fines and
forfeitures of particular persons before conviction
are illegal and void And that for redress of
all grievances, and for the amending, strengthening
and preserving of the laws, Parliaments ought to be
held frequently And they do claim, demand
and insist upon all and singular the premises
as their undoubted rights and liberties and
that no declarations, judgements, doings or
proceedings to the prejudice of the people in any
of the said premises ought in any wise to be
drawn hereafter into consequence or example
to which demand of their rights they are
particularly encouraged by the declaration of
his Highness the prince of Orange as being
the only means for obtaining a full redress
and remedy therein. Having therefore an entire
confidence that his said Highness the prince
of Orange will perfect the deliverance so
far advanced by him, and will still preserve
them from the violation of their rights
which they have here asserted, and from all
other attempts upon their religion, rights and
liberties, the said Lords Spiritual and Temporal
and Commons assembled at Westminster do
resolve that William and Mary prince and
princess of Orange be and be declared king and
Queen of England France and Ireland and the
dominions thereunto belonging, to hold the
crown and royal dignity of the said kingdoms

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and dominions to them the said prince and
princess, during their lives and the life of
the survivor of them, and that the sole and
full exercise of the regal power be only in
and executed by the said prince of Orange
in the names of the said prince and princess
during their joint lives, and after their
deceases the said crown and royal dignity
of the said kingdoms and dominions to be
to the heirs of the body of the said princess
and for default of such issue to the Princess
Anne of Denmark and the heirs of her
body and for default of such issue to the
heirs of the body of the said prince of
Orange. And the Lords Spiritual and Temporal
and Commons do pray the said prince and
and princess to accept the same accordingly
And that the oaths hereafter mentioned be
taken by all persons of whom the oaths of
allegiance and supremacy might be required
by law, instead of them; and that the said
oaths of allegiance and supremacy be
abrogated. I, A.B., do sincerely promise
and swear that I will be faithful and bear
true allegiance to their Majesties King
William and Queen Mary. So help me God.
I, A.B., do swear that I do from my heart
abhor, detest and abjure as impious and
heretical this damnable doctrine and position
that princes excommunicated or deprived
by the Pope or any authority of the see of
Rome may be deposed or murdered by their
subjects or any other whatsoever. And I do
declare that no foreign prince, person
prelate, state or potentate hath or ought to
have any jurisdiction, power, superiority
preeminence or authority, ecclesiastical or

This Picture shows an original error discovered by the author whilst reviewing the Bill.

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spiritual, within this realm. So help me God.
Upon which their said Majesties did accept
the crown and royal dignity of the
kingdoms of England, France and Ireland
and the dominions thereunto belonging, according
to the resolution and desire of the said Lords
and Commons contained in the said declaration
And thereupon their Majesties were pleased
that the said Lords Spiritual and Temporal
and Commons, being the two Houses of
Parliament, should continue to sit, and with
their Majesties’ royal concurrence make
effectual provision for the settlement of the
religion, laws and liberties of this kingdom
so that the same for the future might not be
in danger again of being subverted, to which
the said Lords Spiritual and Temporal and
Commons did agree, and proceed to act
accordingly. Now in pursuance of the premises
the said Lords Spiritual and Temporal and
Commons in Parliament assembled, for the
ratifying, confirming and establishing the
said declaration and the articles clauses matters
and things therein contained by the force of a
law made in due form by authority of
Parliament, do pray that it may be declared
and enacted that all and singular the rights
and liberties asserted and claimed in the said
declaration are the true, ancient and indubitable
rights and liberties of the people of this
kingdom and so shall be esteemed, allowed
adjudged, deemed and taken to be; and that all
and every the particulars aforesaid shall be
firmly and strictly holden and observed as they
are expressed in the said declaration, and all
officers and ministers whatsoever shall serve
their Majesties and their successors according to

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the same in all times to come. And the
said Lords Spiritual and Temporal and
Commons, seriously considering how it hath
pleased Almighty God in his marvellous providence
and merciful goodness to this nation to provide
and preserve their said Majesties’ royal persons most
happily to reign over us upon the throne of
their ancestors for which they render unto
him from the bottom of their hearts their
humblest thanks and praises, do truly,
firmly, assuredly and in the sincerity of their
hearts think, and do hereby recognise,
acknowledge and declare, that King James the
Second having abdicated the government and
their Majesties having accepted the crown and
royal dignity as aforesaid, their said Majesties
did become, were, are and of right ought to be
by the laws of this realm our sovereign
Liege Lord and Lady king and queen of England
France and Ireland and the dominions
thereunto belonging, in and to whose princely
persons the royal state, crown and dignity
of the said realms with all honours, styles
titles, regalities, prerogatives, powers, jurisdictions
and authorities to the same belonging and
appertaining are most fully, rightfully and
entirely invested and incorporated, united and
annexed. And for preventing all questions and
divisions in this realm by reason of any
pretended titles to the crown, and for
preserving a certainty in the succession
thereof, in and upon which the unity, peace,
tranquillity and safety of this nation doth
under God wholly consist and depend the said
Lords Spirituall and Temporall and Commons
do beseech their Majesties that it may be
enacted, established and declared, that the crown
and regal government of the said kingdoms

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and dominions, with all and singular the premises
thereunto belonging and appertaining, shall be
and continue to their said Majesties and the
survivor of them during their lives and the
life of the survivor of them, and that the entire,
perfect and full exercise of the regal power
and government be only in and executed by
his Majesty in the names of both their
Majesties during their joint lives; and after
their deceases the said crown and premises
shall be and remain to the heirs of the
body of her Majesty, and for default of such
issue to her Royal Highness the Princess
Anne of Denmark and the heirs of her body,
and for default of such issue to the heirs of
the body of his said Majesty; and thereunto
the said Lords Spiritual and Temporal and
Commons do in the name of all the people
aforesaid most humbly and faithfully submit
themselves, their heirs and posterities for
ever, and do faithfully promise that they will
stand to, maintain and defend their said
Majesties, and also the limitation and
succession of the crown herein specified and
contained, to the utmost of their powers with
their lives and estates against all persons
whatsoever that shall attempt anything to
the contrary. And whereas it hath been found
by experience that it is inconsistent with the
safety and welfare of this Protestant kingdom
or by any King or Queen marrying a Papist
to be governed by a popish prince ^ the said
Lords Spirituall and Temporall and Commons
do further pray that it may be enacted
that all and every person and persons that
is, are or shall be reconciled to or shall hold
communion with the see or Church of Rome
or shall marry a papist
or shall profess the popish religion ^ shall
be excluded and be for ever incapable to
inherit, possess or enjoy the crown and

Here is a picture of this interlined text, notice it is in a different hand. The paper weights were necessary to hold this curly fragment unrolled/open.

You will have noticed the interline corrections in italic to the Bill. Where a word or two could be written directly between the lines they did so but greater corrections were on separate bits of vellum and stitched to the roll by the left hand edge. A system of reference is used to ensure the correct placement of the alterations, which are noted in the house journals , the predecessor of hansard.
This enables the correction to be traced back to the relevant debate.

The Picture below is from skin 8 at line 31 and shows an interlined correction.

safety and welfare of this Protestant kingdom
or by any King or Queen Marrying a Papist
to be governed by a popish prince ^ the said

The picture below shows the last of the interlines to the Bill. This was the method used to alter text where a change of the wording was required after the initial drafting.

This view from the picture above shows the additional words written on a small piece of vellum which is then attached by stitching to the roll. The reference for the interline, ensures its correct place. The reference reads :-
“9th skin 26th ::l: after (statute) add”

The reference to line 26 on skin 9 can just be made out in the background.