Statute of Winchester

The Statute of Winchester of 1285 (13 Edw. I, St. 2; Law French: Statutum Wynton), also known as the Statute of Winton, was a statute in England by King Edward I of England that reformed the system of Watch and Ward (watchmen) of the Assize of Arms of 1252, and revived the jurisdiction of the local courts. It received royal assent on 8 October 1285.

It was the primary legislation enacted to regulate the policing of the country between the Norman Conquest and the Metropolitan Police Act 1829. Of particular note was the requirement to raise hue and cry, and that "the whole hundred … shall be answerable" for any theft or robbery, in effect a form of collective responsibility.