ABSTRACT
The marginal note is intended to give a brief indication of the matters dealt with in the section or subsection against which it appears. Sometimes the marginal note is expressed as a very brief indication of the subject matter of the section against which it appears. A typical example of this terse type of marginal note is:
In other cases the marginal note purports to summarise the contents of the section:
The marginal notes may perhaps give Members of Parliament a quick indication of the scope of the Bill. Since, however, the marginal notes do not form part of the Act, they are not amended by Parliament even if the sections against which they appear are amended. As Lord Justice Bagallay has said: ‘I never knew an amendment set down or discussed upon the marginal notes to a clause. The House of Commons never has anything to do with a marginal note.’3
