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02 July 2021 / William Gibson
Issue: 7939 / Categories: Features , Public
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From the dungeons of Dartmoor…

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William Gibson explores the unlikely origins of the law of parliamentary privilege

When Dominic Cummings launched his diatribe against Boris Johnson in a parliamentary committee in May, he did so secure in the knowledge that he was safe from reparation, because of the law of parliamentary privilege. Did he know that law dates back nearly 500 years, and emanated from the depths of a dingy dungeon in a Dartmoor castle?

Starter for tin

Dartmoor attracted the attention of the Normans soon after the conquest, who declared it a royal forest and a private hunting ground for the favoured few, protecting the landscape and wildlife with forestry law which, under William Rufus, included a list of offences punishable by death.

The other attraction of Dartmoor for the Normans was tin. Moorland tin had been picked off the surface or dug out of riverbanks probably since Roman times. By the start of the 12th century, improved techniques and increased use of water-powered machinery led to greatly increased production and a bountiful source

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