, King of England.
Bruges Garter Book. The practice of giving royal assent originated in the early days of Parliament to signify that the king intended for something to be made law.
Norman French came to be used as the standard language of the educated classes and of the law, though
Latin continued to be used alongside it. The work of the
Parliament of England was conducted entirely in
French until the latter part of Edward III's reign (1327–1377) and
English was only rarely used before the reign of
Henry VI (1422–1461, 1470–1471). Royal assent was occasionally given in English, though more usually in the traditional Norman French fashion. During the period of
the Protectorate, when the
Lord Protector (
Oliver Cromwell and later his son
Richard Cromwell) governed the country, assent was given in English. The old practice of giving assent in Norman French was resumed following the
English Restoration in 1660 and has continued ever since. There has only been one attempt to abolish it, when the
House of Lords passed a bill in 1706 "for abolishing the use of the French tongue in all proceedings in Parliament and courts of justice". The bill failed to pass the
House of Commons. Although the use of French in courts was abolished in 1731, Parliamentary practice was unaffected. == References ==