- Latest available (Revised)
- Point in Time (01/02/1991)
- Original (As enacted)
Point in time view as at 01/02/1991.
There are currently no known outstanding effects for the Oaths Act 1978, Section 1.
Revised legislation carried on this site may not be fully up to date. At the current time any known changes or effects made by subsequent legislation have been applied to the text of the legislation you are viewing by the editorial team. Please see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ for details regarding the timescales for which new effects are identified and recorded on this site.
(1)Any oath may be administered and taken in England, Wales or Northern Ireland in the following form and manner:—
The person taking the oath shall hold the New Testament, or, in the case of a Jew, the Old Testament, in his uplifted hand, and shall say or repeat after the officer administering the oath the words “I swear by Almighty God that . . . . . .”, followed by the words of the oath prescribed by law.
(2)The officer shall (unless the person about to take the oath voluntarily objects thereto, or is physically incapable of so taking the oath) administer the oath in the form and manner aforesaid without question.
(3)In the case of a person who is neither a Christian nor a Jew, the oath shall be administered in any lawful manner.
(4)In this section “officer” means any person duly authorised to administer oaths.
Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1S. 1 applied (with modifications) (31.10.2009) by The Court Martial Appeal Court Rules 2009 (S.I. 2009/2657), rule 15, Sch. 1
C2S. 1 applied (with modifications) (31.10.2009) by The Armed Forces (Court Martial) Rules 2009 (S.I. 2009/2041), rule 21
C3S. 1 applied (with modifications) (31.10.2009) by The Armed Forces (Summary Hearing and Activation of Suspended Sentences of Service Detention) Rules 2009 (S.I. 2009/1216), rule 14
C4S. 1 applied (with modifications) (31.10.2009) by The Armed Forces (Summary Appeal Court) Rules 2009 (S.I. 2009/1211), rule 28
C5S. 1 applied (with modifications) (31.10.2009) by The Armed Forces (Service Civilian Court) Rules 2009 (S.I. 2009/1209), rule 20
C6S. 1 applied (with modifications) (31.10.2009) by The Armed Forces (Warrants of Arrest for Service Offences) Rules 2009 (S.I. 2009/1110), rule 16
C7S. 1 applied (with modifications) (31.10.2009) by The Armed Forces (Custody Proceedings) Rules 2009 (S.I. 2009/1098), rule 21
C8S. 1 modified (31.1.1999) by S.I. 1998/1504 (N.I. 9), art. 19(1)(3); S.R. 1999/25, art. 2
S. 1 modified (4.11.1996) by S.I. 1995/755 (N.I. 2), art. 169(1); S.R. 1996/297, art. 2(2)
Latest Available (revised):The latest available updated version of the legislation incorporating changes made by subsequent legislation and applied by our editorial team. Changes we have not yet applied to the text, can be found in the ‘Changes to Legislation’ area.
Original (As Enacted or Made): The original version of the legislation as it stood when it was enacted or made. No changes have been applied to the text.
Point in Time: This becomes available after navigating to view revised legislation as it stood at a certain point in time via Advanced Features > Show Timeline of Changes or via a point in time advanced search.
Geographical Extent: Indicates the geographical area that this provision applies to. For further information see ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.
Show Timeline of Changes: See how this legislation has or could change over time. Turning this feature on will show extra navigation options to go to these specific points in time. Return to the latest available version by using the controls above in the What Version box.
Access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item from this tab. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
This timeline shows the different points in time where a change occurred. The dates will coincide with the earliest date on which the change (e.g an insertion, a repeal or a substitution) that was applied came into force. The first date in the timeline will usually be the earliest date when the provision came into force. In some cases the first date is 01/02/1991 (or for Northern Ireland legislation 01/01/2006). This date is our basedate. No versions before this date are available. For further information see the Editorial Practice Guide and Glossary under Help.
Use this menu to access essential accompanying documents and information for this legislation item. Dependent on the legislation item being viewed this may include:
Click 'View More' or select 'More Resources' tab for additional information including: