The most fortified of all Liberties — where the Constable's word was law, the Mint struck the King's coin, and prisoners of state walked the Green under guard, attended by servants who were themselves residents of a hidden jurisdiction.
BE IT KNOWN that the Tower of London, with its Hamlets and Precincts, constitutes a Liberty apart from the City of London and the County of Middlesex, wherein the Constable of the Tower holds jurisdiction direct from the Crown.
And whereas the Tower serveth as Fortress, Prison, Mint, and Arsenal of the Realm, the Constable shall exercise powers commensurate with this manifold purpose — owing account to none but the Sovereign.
Clause 1. The Constable of the Tower shall be the sole magistrate within the Liberty, with power to arrest, try, and punish all offences committed within the Bounds.
Clause 2. No Sheriff of London, Sheriff of Middlesex, or other external officer shall enter the Liberty to execute process without the Constable's written warrant.
Clause 3. The Tower Guard shall patrol the Boundary Markers; any person crossing the Boundary under pursuit shall be detained for the Constable's judgment.
Clause 1. The Royal Mint and Armoury within the Liberty shall be exempt from all guild regulations of the City of London.
Clause 2. Minters and Armourers shall owe allegiance to the Crown alone; their disputes shall be settled by the Master of the Mint, not the City courts.
Clause 3. Secrets of the Mint and Armoury are the King's Secrets; to disclose them is treason, punishable within the Liberty by the Constable's court.
Clause 1. State Prisoners held within the Tower shall have the right to petition the Constable for relief from undue hardship.
Clause 2. Prisoners of high rank may walk the Tower Green under guard; their servants may reside in the Liberty to attend them.
Clause 3. No prisoner shall be removed from the Liberty to external prisons without a warrant signed by the Privy Council.
Clause 1. Residents and approved Petitioners may request a Writ of Transit to pass to another Royal Liberty — being Havering, the Savoy, or Westminster.
Clause 2. The Writ must bear the Tower Seal and the signature of the Constable or his Deputy.
Clause 3. Forgery of the Tower Seal is punishable by life imprisonment within the Tower itself — a sentence from which very few have ever walked free.
| Breach | Penalty | Enforced By |
|---|---|---|
| Unauthorised Entry | Detention and Inquiry | Tower Guard |
| Mint Secret Disclosure | Trial for Treason | Constable's Court |
| Aiding Prisoner Escape | Imprisonment | Constable |
| Forged Tower Seal | Life Imprisonment | Privy Council |