Who signed the English Bill of Rights? A clear, sourced answer

Quick answer: who signed the Bill of Rights and why it matters

One-sentence answer: bill of rights signed

Short answer, in one sentence: public records show the Bill of Rights 1689 became law by royal assent given by William III and Mary II after approval by the Convention Parliament, with the Act taking statutory effect in December 1689 UK Parliament.

That concise form of the answer helps for quick reference, but the matter is often explained differently because Parliament first framed a Declaration of Right earlier in 1689 that the later Act formalised The National Archives. See Wikipedia for a concise overview.

Readers asking who “signed” should note that the practical equivalent of a modern signature in 1689 is the monarchs giving royal assent to a parliamentary bill, and the parliamentary record shows approval in both Houses prior to that assent legislation.gov.uk.

Why the question can be confusing

Many modern readers expect a list of individual signatories as in a contemporary contract. The 1689 process instead combined a parliamentary declaration and later royal assent, which is why short answers can vary in wording; sources sometimes use the Declaration of Right and the Bill of Rights almost interchangeably in summaries The National Archives.

What the Declaration of Right was and how it connects to the Bill of Rights

The February 1689 Declaration of Right

The Convention Parliament presented a Declaration of Right in February 1689 that listed grievances against the previous monarch and set out limits the new rulers should accept. That Declaration functioned as a parliamentary statement of principles before it became law The National Archives.

Understanding the Declaration is important because it shows why the later Act carried language that answered specific constitutional concerns raised during the Glorious Revolution British Library.

How Parliament used the Declaration as the basis for an Act

After the Declaration was presented, Parliament used its text as the foundation for legislation that would be enacted later in the year; the parliamentary process converted the Declaration’s principles into the statutory Bill of Rights that received royal assent in December 1689 UK Parliament.

In short, the Declaration laid out what Parliament expected, and the Bill of Rights recorded those expectations in law once both Houses had approved the measure and the monarchs assented legislation.gov.uk.

Who formally assented to the Bill of Rights – the monarchs and royal assent

Royal assent in 1689

Royal assent is the formal approval by the reigning monarch that converts a parliamentary measure into statute. For the Bill of Rights the formal assenting parties were William III and Mary II, who gave assent that made the Act law in December 1689 legislation.gov.uk.

The record of royal assent is the practical equivalent of ‘signing’ in modern legal terms because it is the moment when parliamentary declarations become legally binding as statute UK Parliament.

William III and Mary II were joint monarchs, and the public record lists them as the sovereigns through whose assent the Act took effect legislation.gov.uk.

William III and Mary II as joint monarchs

William of Orange and his wife Mary ruled jointly after the Glorious Revolution, and their joint assent is the named source of the Act’s legal force. Public legal codices and modern transcriptions record the Act as 1 Will. & Mary, chapter 2, dated to 1689 legislation.gov.uk.

Because royal assent carries the legal weight of creating statute, historians and legal writers refer to William III and Mary II as the formal assenting monarchs, which answers the question of who ‘signed’ in the period’s terms UK Parliament.

How Parliament approved the Bill of Rights – the Convention Parliament’s role

Passage through Commons and Lords

The Convention Parliament that met in 1689 drafted the Declaration of Right and later approved the Bill of Rights through the procedures of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Parliamentary summaries indicate both Houses agreed the measure before royal assent was given UK Parliament.

The Convention acted in a special capacity because it assembled after James II left the throne, and it conducted the initial framing of rights that Parliament then formalised in the Act that became law in December 1689 The National Archives.

Why this was a Convention Parliament rather than a regular Parliament

The assembly that met in 1689 is called a Convention because it convened without the formal summons used for ordinary Parliaments, reflecting the exceptional constitutional circumstances after William’s arrival in England in late 1688 British Library.

Because the Convention Parliament took initial decisions about succession and rights, its role in drafting the Declaration of Right is central to understanding how the Bill of Rights emerged from political events into law UK Parliament.

Timeline: landing, Declaration, and royal assent

William of Orange’s landing in November 1688

Key chronological anchors help readers follow how events led to the Act. William of Orange landed in England in November 1688, an event that triggered the political settlement known as the Glorious Revolution British Library. History.com’s article is also useful History.com.

The Convention Parliament then presented the Declaration of Right in February 1689, listing the principles Parliament expected the new rulers to accept; those principles were later recorded in the Bill of Rights when it received royal assent in December 1689 The National Archives.

February 1689 Declaration and December 1689 Act

The sequence is straightforward: landing in November 1688, Declaration in February 1689, and royal assent in December 1689. That sequence explains why sources sometimes discuss the Declaration and the Bill of Rights together but with different legal statuses legislation.gov.uk.

Having these dates in hand helps when verifying citations and when distinguishing a descriptive statement from the statutory text that forms the official Act UK Parliament.

Legal effect: how royal assent converted the Declaration into statute

What changed legally after December 1689

Modern constitutional commentary explains that royal assent is the turning point that makes parliamentary measures legally binding, a point emphasised in summaries of the Bill’s constitutional role Encyclopaedia Britannica.

How the Act limited royal prerogative

Scholars and explanatory sites note that the Bill of Rights restricted certain royal practices and affirmed parliamentary authority, which is why it is often treated as a landmark in the shift toward parliamentary supremacy Institute for Government.

Those interpretive claims are standard in modern accounts and are properly framed as interpretive summaries of the Act’s long-term effects rather than as immediate, absolute changes in every power of the crown Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Who ‘signed’ in practice: the named parties and the parliamentary record

Formal signatories and the record of assent

The concise verification answer is: William III and Mary II as the monarchs who gave royal assent, and both Houses of Parliament approved the measure before assent; the primary Act text records this status and date legislation.gov.uk.

Researchers should treat the monarchs’ royal assent as the historical equivalent of a modern signature for the purpose of identifying who ‘signed’ the Bill of Rights, and can confirm wording and dating in the official transcript UK Parliament.

Where to find the official Act text

The full text and formal citation (1 Will. & Mar. c. 2) are available on legislation.gov.uk, which is the recommended primary source for quoting or footnoting the statutory language legislation.gov.uk and see our full text guide.

For historical context and a readable summary, link or cite the UK Parliament’s overview and the National Archives teaching materials to give readers both statutory and narrative sources for the Act’s background UK Parliament and our 1689 Bill of Rights summary.

Why some sources conflate the Declaration of Right and the Bill of Rights

Differences in wording and timing

The Declaration of Right and the later statutory Bill of Rights share content but differ in form and date, which explains why shorthand references sometimes conflate them; close readers should check whether a source refers to the February Declaration or the December Act The National Archives.

Precision matters in citation because the Declaration is a parliamentary statement and the Bill of Rights is a statute that emerged after parliamentary approval and royal assent legislation.gov.uk.

How shorthand usage causes confusion

Writers and editors sometimes cite the Declaration when they mean the statutory Bill of Rights, or vice versa, which can lead to misleading dating or inaccurate claims about legal force; preferring the Act text avoids that mistake UK Parliament.

When accuracy is needed, include the date and specify whether you mean the Declaration (February 1689) or the statutory Act (December 1689) to prevent conflation in research notes and public writing The National Archives.

Common mistakes when answering who ‘signed’ the bill of rights signed

Mistake: calling the Declaration the same as the Act

A typical error is to treat February’s Declaration as if it were already statute without noting that it gained statutory force only after royal assent; checking the Act text resolves that mistake legislation.gov.uk.

Another frequent slip is to use modern language like ‘signed by’ as if a single personal signature were the mechanism; the right historical phrasing explains the role of royal assent and parliamentary approval instead UK Parliament.

Mistake: attributing passage to only one branch

Avoid saying the Act was simply ‘approved by the monarch’ without noting the prior passage through both Houses, because the constitutional record records both Commons and Lords agreement before the monarchs’ assent UK Parliament.

Short answers for headlines should therefore name both the Convention Parliament’s role and the monarchs who assented, which prevents misleading simplifications legislation.gov.uk.

How to find and cite the primary texts for the Bill of Rights 1689

Using legislation.gov.uk

Step one for citation is to retrieve the full Act text on legislation.gov.uk under the citation 1 Will. & Mar. c. 2 and use that transcript for exact quotations and statutory references legislation.gov.uk.

The site provides the official wording and dating that you should use in footnotes or legal references rather than paraphrases that might conflate Declaration and Act UK Parliament.

Using UK Parliament and National Archives pages

For classroom or historical context, link or cite the UK Parliament’s overview and the National Archives teaching materials to give readers both statutory and narrative sources for the Act’s background UK Parliament and our 1689 Bill of Rights summary.

When preparing a bibliography, list the Act text as legislation.gov.uk and the contextual materials separately so readers can verify the legal text and the historical explanation independently The National Archives.

Short examples readers ask: phrasing for a one-sentence answer, a student footnote, and a news blurb

One-sentence answer example

One-sentence example for a classroom: “The Bill of Rights 1689 became statute by royal assent of William III and Mary II after passage by the Convention Parliament in December 1689” which you can verify in the Act transcript legislation.gov.uk.

This short phrasing names the monarchs and the parliamentary role and points readers to the primary text for verification UK Parliament.

How to footnote in an essay

Footnote example: Bill of Rights 1689, 1 Will. & Mar. c. 2, full text, legislation.gov.uk. Use the statute citation and date to anchor your footnote rather than relying solely on narrative summaries legislation.gov.uk.

For background notes, add a secondary citation to a National Archives or UK Parliament overview to explain the context of the Glorious Revolution and the Declaration of Right The National Archives.

Why the Bill of Rights still matters in constitutional history

Its role in affirming parliamentary authority

Modern commentators regard the Bill of Rights as an important step in limiting certain royal practices and in affirming that Parliament has a key role in defining rights and succession, an interpretation you can find in standard references Encyclopaedia Britannica. See the Constitution Center’s commentary Constitution Center.

The Institute for Government explains that the Bill’s statutory force helped embed norms of parliamentary supremacy that influenced later constitutional development Institute for Government.

Long-term legal and symbolic effects

While the Bill did not settle every constitutional issue of the time, its symbolic and legal weight made it a reference point for later debates about the balance between the crown and Parliament Encyclopaedia Britannica.

That long-term influence is why many modern accounts treat the Act as a foundational document in the constitutional history of Britain, with caveats about continuity and change over time Institute for Government.

Quick checklist for writers and students summarising who signed the bill of rights signed

Checklist: Name the monarchs who assented, William III and Mary II, and cite the Act text on legislation.gov.uk for wording and date legislation.gov.uk.

Checklist: Verify the timeline-William of Orange landed November 1688, Declaration presented February 1689, Act received royal assent December 1689-and cite the British Library and National Archives where appropriate British Library. See also our 1689 English Bill of Rights page.

Checklist: Prefer the statutory transcript for quotations and use parliamentary summaries for context to avoid conflating the Declaration with the statute UK Parliament.

Conclusion: the concise, sourced answer

To restate clearly: the Bill of Rights 1689 became statute when William III and Mary II gave royal assent after the Convention Parliament approved the measure; the Act’s statutory transcript and parliamentary summaries provide primary verification legislation.gov.uk.

When writing or teaching, prefer the Act text for precise quotations and specify whether you mean the Declaration of Right (February 1689) or the statutory Bill of Rights (December 1689) to avoid ambiguity The National Archives.