Hello, this is my first post, have only just discovered this subreddit so apologies in advance if this post is against the rules (I have read them, and questions about historical method seem to be ok, but apologies if I have misinterpreted anything).
Anyway, after that long opening caveat, I have a simple question:
Is there an online archive of historical acts of parliament for the United Kingdom?
Most online archives of law seem to include acts from the last fifty years or so, or if they do provide older acts that are still in force, then they provide amended versions. This is useless for the historical research that I am undertaking.
Archive.org has a few things that I need, but I thought that there would be something more comprehensive out there that someone who has worked on the history of jurisprudence may be able to refer me to.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga
It gives acts back to 1801, but the text of acts only goes back to 1988. Apparently it does technically include some acts going back to the 13th century, because they've been amended since 1988. If you want the text or records of older acts, you have to contact the Parliamentary Records Office yourself.
To add to /u/The_Manchurian's answer:
If you have or can get access to WestLaw or Lexis library, you should be able to get the full texts of legislation.