The seat of Parliament, the home of the Abbey, and the last place in England where a common subject could walk to power's door and demand to be heard — protected, in theory, by the law itself.
BE IT KNOWN that the City and Liberty of Westminster, containing the Palace of Westminster, the Abbey, and the Courts of Law, constitutes a jurisdiction distinct from the City of London, wherein the Dean of Westminster and the Crown hold direct authority.
And whereas Westminster is the seat of Parliament and the Realm's highest courts, it shall offer singular protection to those who seek the law's redress — that the subject's voice may always reach the sovereign's ear.
Westminster is the only Liberty where common subjects may directly petition Parliament. This right was fiercely guarded against external interference — and was used, famously, by the early abolitionist movement in the 1780s and 1790s.
Clause 1. The Dean of Westminster shall hold court for all matters arising within the Close and the Sanctuary grounds.
Clause 2. No Sheriff of London or Middlesex shall execute warrant within the Liberty without the Dean's leave.
Clause 3. The Liberty protects all Members of Parliament from arrest while Parliament is in session, extending to their servants and petitioners within the Bounds.
Clause 1. Any subject of the Crown may enter the Liberty to present a Petition to Parliament, provided they do so peaceably and in proper form.
Clause 2. Petitioners shall be granted provisional protection for the duration of Parliamentary Session.
Clause 3. To obstruct a Petitioner is to commit Contempt of Parliament, punishable by the Serjeant-at-Arms without external warrant or delay.
Clause 1. Though formal Sanctuary was abolished in 1623, the Liberty retains the right to shelter those pursued for political offences — not common crimes, but matters of conscience and dissent.
Clause 2. Debtors seeking refuge in Westminster must register with the Court of Requests within three days.
Clause 3. Those who abuse the Petitioners' Right for frivolous or seditious causes shall be barred from future entry and delivered to the Serjeant.
Clause 1. A Petitioner in good standing may request a Writ of Transit to pass to another Royal Liberty — being the Tower, Havering, or the Savoy.
Clause 2. The Writ must bear the Parliamentary Mace Seal and the signature of the Clerk of the House.
Clause 3. Westminster Writs carry the highest authority — but may be ignored by the Tower Constable in times of martial law, when the sword speaks louder than the pen.
| Breach | Penalty | Enforced By |
|---|---|---|
| Obstructing Parliament | Imprisonment in Newgate | Serjeant-at-Arms |
| False Petition | Whipping and Banishment | Dean's Court |
| Arresting a Member of Parliament | Contempt of Parliament | House of Commons |
| Forged Parliamentary Seal | Traitor's Death | High Court |