1828ref. 740281828. Ireland: s.n. 1828. Ireland: s.n. 1828. Blaming the Parish Priest Trial. Brady Thomas Defendant. Cavan Sessions Monday January 15 1828. Mary Reilly v. The Rev. Thomas Brady Of Cavan Caption Title. Ireland: s.n. 1828. 14 2 pp. Octavo 7-1/2" x 5". Stab-stitched pamphlet recently resewn in plain wrappers. Small fold line to lower corner of front wrapper. Moderate toning to interior light foxing soiling and edgewear small tears to gutter and final leaf neatly mended with tissue without loss to text. Rare. $650. Only edition. Mary Reilly alias Kilkenny alias Kenny sued Brady for the maintenance of her two illegitimate children whom she claimed were his. Brady was defended by Richard Lalor Sheil a notable Irish lawyer orator and politician. Our account of the trial includes Sheil's impassioned and successful speeches for the defense. OCLC locates 2 copies University of Illinois National Library of Ireland. unknown books
1817ref. 740901817. Edinburgh 1817. Edinburgh 1817. Trial of a Leader of an 1816 Plot to Overthrow the British Government Trial. Watson James 1766-1838 Defendant. The Trial of James Watson The Elder Before the Court of King's Bench In Westminster Hall On the 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th And 16th June 1817. For High Treason. Taken in Short Hand. Edinburgh: Printed for Alex. Jameson et al. 1817. vi 250 pp. Octavo 8-3/4" x 5-1/2". Printed wrappers edges untrimmed bound in later patterned cloth gilt-stamped title and date to spine. Light rubbing to boards and extremities spine ends and corners bumped and lightly worn front hinge starting rear hinge cracked. Light toning to interior very light foxing to a few leaves light soiling to wrappers ownership signature of William Macmath dated April 29 1868 to inside of front wrapper. $150. Only edition. Watson was tried for his role in the Spa Fields riot. This riot followed a pair of meetings held by revolutionaries at Spa Fields Islington England on November 15 and December 2 1816. Opponents of the government they resolved to encourage rioting and then seize control of the government by capturing the Tower of London and the Bank of England. Watson Arthur Thistlewood and three other leaders were arrested and charged with high treason as a result. Watson was acquitted and the other three were released without trial. Thistlewood would go on to lead the failed Cato Street Conspiracy in 1820. OCLC locates 7 copies of this title in North American law libraries Yale Columbia University of Minnesota University of Missouri LA County Library of Congress Social Law. unknown books
1849ref. 739211849. A Murder Trial that Inspired Dickens Trial. Manning Frederick George 1820-1849 Defendant. Manning Maria 1821-1849 Defendant. The Bermondsey Murder. A Full Report of the Trial of Frederick George Manning and Maria Manning For the Murder of Patrick O'Connor At Minver-Place Bermondsey On the 9th of August 1849. Including Memoirs of Patrick O'Connor Frederick George Manning And Maria Manning. With their Portraits And Several Other Engravings. At head of title: Clark's Edition. London: Printed and Published by W.M. Clark 1849. 64 pp. Illustrated. Octavo 8-1/4" x 5-1/4". Stab-stitched pamphlet in recent plain wrappers edges rouged housed in plain folder with printed label to front. Moderate toning to interior light foxing and soiling to a few leaves a few slight cracks to text block all leaves secure very faint offsetting from illustrations in places. With Manning Frederick George. Manning Maria. The Only Correct Account of the Confession and Execution of Frederick George Manning and Maria Manning For the Murder of Patrick O'Connor. London: Now Publishing By W.M. Clark 1849. 16 pp. Octavo 8-1/4" x 5-1/4". Stab-stitched pamphlet in recent plain wrappers printed label to front wrapper endleaves added. Moderate toning to interior negligible light foxing and soiling in places. Together two items. $1250. Only stated editions; Trial: one of two 1849 issues. O'Connor a wealthy gauger customs official and moneylender was the former lover of Marie De Roux later Manning. He was murdered by Marie and her husband Frederick George Manning. The motivation was greed. The case attracted a good deal of public attention and became known as the "Bermondsey Horror." Eventually apprehended the husband and wife were hanged on November 13 1849. This execution was the first time a husband and wife had been executed together in England since 1700. Dickens witnessed the execution and wrote an account of it that was published in the Times. The behavior of the crowd repulsed him and he became a leading advocate for ending public executions. The campaign was eventually successful in 1868. He later based a character on Marie Manning: Mademoiselle Hortense Lady Dedlock's maid in Bleak House. Our account of the trial had two 1849 issues with different pag. unknown books
1822ref. 726351822. Edinburgh 1822. First edition. Edinburgh 1822. First edition. Tried for Killing Boswell's Son in a Duel Trial. Stuart James 1775-1849 Defendant. The Trial of James Stuart Esq. Younger of Dunearn Before the High Court of Justiciary At Edinburgh On Monday June 10 1822. With an Appendix of Documents. Taken in Short Hand. Edinburgh: Printed for Archibald Constable and Co./London: Hurst Robinson and Co.: James Ridgway 1822. iv 186 2 20 pp. Octavo 8-1/4" x 5-1/4". Period-style quarter calf over marbled boards lettering piece and blind fillets to spine marbled edges endpapers renewed. Moderate toning to text light foxing to a few leaves light soiling and owner signature "Archd. Speirs Esq. of Eldersley" to title page faint fold line to its upper outside corner. A nice copy in a handsome binding. $950. First edition. The son of Samuel Johnson's associate James Boswell Sir Alexander Boswell First Baronet 1775-1822 was a Scottish poet antiquary and songwriter. He used the funds from his inheritance to purchase a seat in Parliament and later achieved a Baronetcy for his political support of the government. After he left Parliament Boswell wrote a series of anonymous essays denouncing James Stuart a prominent Whig. When Stuart suspected Boswell's authorship he demanded that Boswell deny authorship or apologize. Boswell refused to do either so Stuart challenged him to a duel. Boswell deliberately fired wide but Stuart who had never before handled a gun shot Boswell in the collarbone. The wound was fatal. Despite Boswell's popularity Stuart was acquitted unanimously. Archibald Speirs 1758-1832 this copy's former owner was a member of Parliament for Renfrewshire and a prominent local landowner. Like Stuart he was involved in local politics and the two likely knew each other. Both men attended a contentious county meeting in Renfrew in January 1816 Moss. Catalogue of the Library of the Harvard Law School 1909 II:1200. Moss The Duel Between Sir Alexander Boswell and James Stuart 89. unknown books
1767ref. 727311767. London: for W. Griffin 1767. 56 23 1 pp. London: for W. Griffin 1767. 56 23 1 pp. A Sensational Inheritance Case Trial. Douglas Cause. A Concise Narrative of the Proceedings in the Douglas Cause: With Remarks Upon the Memorials: In a Letter to a Friend. London: Printed for W. Griffin 1767. 56 23 1 pp. Octavo 9" x 5-3/4". Disbound stab-stitched pamphlet fore and bottom edges untrimmed. Light toning light soiling to exterior light foxing in a few places a few creases to final leaf. $500. First edition. The "Douglas Cause" which involved claims on the estate of Duke Douglas was one of the most sensational Scottish trials of the eighteenth century. Douglas died without issue leaving his sister Lady Jane Douglas the heir presumptive. His relatives the Hamiltons had hoped to lay claim to the estate but were foiled when Lady Jane had twin sons at the age of 50. A bitter dispute ensued over whether these children were in fact legitimate but the case was decided against the Hamiltons and the estate went to Lady Jane's surviving child Archibald Stewart Douglas. This was a rancorous case which attracted a great deal of public attention most of it sympathetic to the young Douglas. A second edition was published later the same year. English Short-Title Catalogue T184001. unknown books
1696ref. 728341696. London: for Brabazon Aylmer 1696. London: for Brabazon Aylmer 1696. Tried for Treason Without Benefit of Counsel Trial. Friend Sir John d.1696 Defendant. The Tryal and Condemnation of Sir John Friend Knight. For Conspiring to Raise Rebellion in These Kingdoms In Order to a French Invasion: Who Upon Full Evidence was Found Guilty of High-Treason At the Sessions-House in the Old Bayly March 23th 1695/6. London: Printed for Brabazon Aylmer 1696. 35 1 pp. Folio 12" x 7-1/4". Superb period-style three-quarter calf over marbled boards raised bands and lettering piece to spine endpapers renewed. Moderate toning to text light soiling to title page and verso of final leaf. $650. Only edition. Friend was charged with high treason for his role in the 1696 Jacobite assassination plot one of a series of Jacobite plots to reverse the Glorious Revolution of 1688-1689. Friend's trial was the penultimate instance under English law in which a defendant was tried for treason without benefit of counsel. The Treason Act of 1695 which allowed counsel in cases of treason went into effect two days later. English Short-Title Catalogue R37160. unknown books
1775ref. 728391775. Accused of Poisoning Her Elderly Paramour Trial. Butterfield Jane Defendant. The Trial of Jane Butterfield for the Wilful Murder of William Scawen Esq; At the Assizes Held at Croydon for the County of Surry on Saturday the 19th of August 1775 Before the Right Honourable Sir Sidney Stafford Smythe Knt. Lord Chief Baron of His Majesty's Court of Exchequer. London: Printed for W. Owen and G. Kearsly 1775. iv 53 1 pp. Folio 13-1/4" x 8-1/2". Stab-stitched pamphlet bound into recent quarter calf over marbled boards blind fillets to calf edge lettering piece and blind fillets to spine. Moderate toning to interior occasional light foxing light soiling and cellotape repairs to edges of a few leaves without loss to text light browning to first and final leaves. $750. Only edition. Butterfield met Scawen an elderly gentleman when she was fourteen and was persuaded by a female accomplice to live with him as a kind of housekeeper-cum-mistress. When her father disowned her as a result Scawen apparently had something of a crisis of conscience and promised to act as a new father to her. The two lived together quite happily and when he grew ill she became his devoted caretaker. When he died his doctor egged on by a suspicious maid accused her of poisoning him in order to gain the inheritance he had supposedly left. The jury deliberated only ten minutes before acquitting Butterfield. English Short-Title Catalogue T93407. unknown books
1880ref. 728021880. Rare. Rare. A Raucous Divorce Case: Only Edition of the 1880 Newman Hall Divorce Case Report Trial. Hall v. Hall. The Full Report of the Newman Hall Divorce Case Drop-Head Title. At head of drop-head title: Police News Edition. London: G. Purkess c.1880. 16 pp. Title page has large woodcut portraits of the Halls. Octavo 8-1/4" x 5-1/4". Stab-stitched pamphlet thread lacking. Moderate toning light edgewear and chipping to spine light foxing to final few leaves title page affected by trimming to top and fore-edges without loss to legibility. Rare. $850. Only edition. In 1880 Christopher Newman Hall a minister who had gained fame in Britain and the United States with his tract Come to Jesus 1848 accused his wife Charlotte of adultery with a friend of the couple. She denied the accusations and accused him of infidelity in turn. The couple was not particularly compatible; Charlotte was a free spirit who loved to hunt and smoke habits her husband despised on moral grounds. Newman Hall's high profile and the humor of much of the testimony made the trial a raucous affair with frequent bursts of laughter from witnesses to the despair of the judge. Newman Hall ultimately succeeded in obtaining a decree nisi and remarried later that year. This is a rare title. No physical copies listed on OCLC or Library Hub. We located a copy at Indiana University. unknown books
1730ref. 727851730. Carrying on a Criminal Conversation" Trial. Liddell Richard Defendant c.1694-1746. An Account of the Tryal of Richard Lyddel Esq; At His Majesty's Court of Common-Pleas Before the Right Honourable Lord-Chief-Justice Eyre For Carrying on a Criminal Conversation with the Late Lady Abergavenny; On Monday the 16th of February 1729/30. London: Printed for A. Moore 1730. Folio 13" x 8-1/4". 8 pp. Pages 6 and 7 printed in reverse order. Stab-stitched pamphlet in self-wrappers untrimmed. Moderate toning single horizontal fold slight creasing to first signature at spine light wear to fore-edge of second and fourth leaves moderate soiling to verso of final leaf. $650. Early edition one of two from the same year under the same fictitious imprint. Liddell an Irish MP and something of a rake was caught in bed with Lady Abergavenny the wife of a close friend. When the two were found out Lady Abergavenny went into shock and died twenty-six days later. The sensational case drew a great deal of public attention. Despite Liddell's penitence the jury issued a harsh fine of 10000 which ruined him financially. OCLC locates 5 copies 2 in North America University of Illinois University of Minnesota. English Short-Title Catalogue T105385. unknown books
1794ref. 728651794. The Trial and Confession of a Scottish Traitor Trials. Scotland. Watt Robert Defendant c.1761-1794. Trials of Robert Watt and David Downie for High Treason Before the Courts of Oyer and Terminer Held at Edinburgh Aug. 14. 15. 22. 27.-Sept. 3. 5. 6. 1794. With an Engraving of the Pikes Found in the Possession of Robert Watt and Others. To Which is Subjoined the Celebrated Speech of Sir Hercules Langrishe On Parliamentary Reform Delivered in the House of Commons Ireland March 4. 1794. Edinburgh: Printed for Manners and Miller 1794. 4 92 pp. With a woodcut illustration after title page. Bound with Watt Robert. By Authority. The Declaration and Confession of Robert Watt Written Subscribed & Delivered by Himself The Evening Before His Execution For High Treason At Edinburgh October 15. 1794. Attested by the Reverend Dr Baird Principal of the University of Edinburgh; And the Reverend T.S. Jones One of the Ministers of Lady Glenorchie's Chapel. Edinburgh: Printed for Bell & Bradfute 1794. iv 35 1 pp. With a lithograph portrait frontispiece moved to beginning of Trials by binder. Publisher advertisement to final page. Octavo 8" x 4-3/4". Disbound stab-stitched pamphlets. Light toning to interior more moderate in some places light soiling in a few places red monogram stamp "AB" to upper gutter of title pages and p. 1 of Trials ms. notes in an early hand to versos of first two leaves of Trials and to foot of title page of Confession. $650. Only editions. Watt a wine merchant and political radical was the architect of a somewhat confused plot to establish Scotland as an independent country. After a search of his house turned up a number of pikes and the type for a seditious handbill he was arrested and tried for treason. Downie a co-conspirator was pardoned but Watt was not so lucky. He was convicted and sentenced to be hanged and beheaded despite the jury's recommendation of mercy. The sentence reflected the courts' opinion of the severity of Watt's crime. It was also intended to be a warning to other radicals. English Short-Title Catalogue T174262 T94672. unknown books
1806ref. 728521806. London 1806. Second ed. Edward Mangin's copy. London 1806. Second ed. Edward Mangin's copy. With Interesting Manuscript Commentary by a Notable Irish Writer Trial. Great Britain. Patch Richard Defendant c.1770-1806. The Trial of Richard Patch For the Wilful Murder of Mr. Isaac Blight September 23 1805 At Rotherhithe In the County of Surry; Before the Right Hon. Sir A. Macdonald Knt. Lord Chief Baron of His Majesty's Court of Exchequer; At the Sessions House Newington; On Saturday April 5 1806. London: Printed By the Express Appointment of the Sheriff For Edward Jeffery 1806. xvi 194 pp. With 5 plates including 3 portraits a facsimile of a letter and a folding illustration. Octavo 8-1/4" x 4-3/4". Marbled wrappers. Light edgewear with slight chipping to top-edge and small tear to fore-edge of rear wrapper. Light toning to interior light foxing in a few places. Ownership signature to head of title page of Edward Mangin dated May 10 1831 annotation in his hand to front free endpaper. An interesting association copy. $950. Second edition. Patch the eldest son of a smuggler had been forced to mortgage his Exeter farm and subsequently fled to London in order to dodge his creditors. While there he met Blight a ship-breaker who proposed that he become a partner in the business. Patch agreed but lacked the money to pay for his share and killed Blight instead. In passing sentence the judge told Patch: "you began this practice in fraud continued it in ingratitude and completed it by shedding the blood of your friend and benefactor." This item appears to have been extracted from a bound volume owned by Edward Mangin 1772-1852 an Irish writer translator and cleric. The lengthy note to the front free endpaper concerns the case of Elizabeth Fenning a domestic servant accused of murdering her employer whose trial and execution became a national cause celebre. Many believed Fenning innocent among them Charles Dickens. Mangin remarks that Fenning was "the victim of the combined wickedness & obscenity of her prosecutors; . the brutality and filthy national prejudices of a rabble jury; and the infamous scribbling of a time-serving prostitute villain the editor of the Sunday Observer newspaper." The notes are likely based on a copy of The Important Results of an Elaborate Investigation into the Mysterious Case of Eliza Fenning 1815 and reference an article written b. unknown books
1781ref. 728291781. London: Printed for J. Almon and J. Debrett 1781. London: Printed for J. Almon and J. Debrett 1781. Poisoned with Essence of Laurel Water Trial. Donellan John 1737/8-1781 Defendant. The Proceedings at Large on the Trial of John Donellan Esq. For the Wilful Murder By Poison of Sir The. Edward Allesley Boughton Bart. Late of Lawford-Hall In the County of Warwick. Tried Before Mr. Justice Buller At the Assizes at Warwick. On Friday the 30th day of March 1781. Taken in Short-Hand by Permission of the Judge By W. Blanchard. London: Printed for J. Almon and J. Debrett 1781. iv 156 pp. Octavo 7-3/4" x 5". Contemporary marbled boards rebacked in calf morocco lettering piece to spine endpapers renewed. Binding slightly cocked moderate rubbing to boards with wear to corners owner bookplate of Geoffrey G. Briggs to front pastedown. Moderate toning to text negligible light foxing and dampstaining in a few places. $350. First and only edition. "Coveting the estates of Sir Theodosius Boughton who lived at resplendent Lawford Hall in Warwickshire England Captain John Donellan poisoned his host with essence of laurel water in 1780. This was later uncovered at a probing inquest which led to Donellan's conviction and execution; he was hanged at Warwickshire in 1781" Nash. Sanctioned by its judge our account of this trial is scarce. This copy was owned by Sir Geoffrey Briggs 1914-1993 an English lawyer and judge who served as Chief Justice of Hong Kong and Brunei. OCLC locates 4 copies in North America law libraries Georgetown Library of Congress Social Law and Yale Law School. Nash Encyclopedia of World Crime II:999. English Short-Title Catalogue T93428. unknown books
1818ref. 728811818. Edinburgh: Printed for Manners and Miller 1818. Edinburgh: Printed for Manners and Miller 1818. "For Administering Unlawful Oaths" Trial. McKinley Andrew 1799-1817 Defendant. The Trial of Andrew McKinley Before The High Court of Justiciary At Edinburgh On the 18th Day of July 1817 For Administering Unlawful Oaths. Edinburgh: Printed for Manners and Miller 1818. iv 70 pp. Octavo 7-3/4" x 5". Stab-stitched pamphlet in near-contemporary three-quarter calf over marbled boards gilt title to spine. Moderate rubbing to extremities with some wear to spine ends and corners front hinge cracked rear board separating but secure front hinge mended later owner bookplate of Norman and Janey Buchan to front pastedown. Light browning to interior light soiling to p. 70 and title page which has an owner signature of Andrew Snody likely Andrew Snody SSC c.1795-1881 dated 1858 to the upper outside corner. $650. Only edition. Intended to suppress radicalism the Unlawful Oaths Act of 1812 c.104. 52 Geo. 3 prescribed the death penalty for anyone guilty of "administering of any oath or engagement purporting or intending to bind the person taking the same to commit any treason or murder or any felony punishable by law with death." McKinley was tried under this act and ultimately acquitted for his role in an unsuccessful 1817 labor uprising one of many instigated by the economic depression that followed the Napoleonic Wars. These uprisings culminated in the Cato Street Conspiracy and Radical War or Scottish Insurrection a week of strikes and unrest in Scotland England and Ireland. OCLC locates 6 copies 1 in North America University of Pennsylvania Law School. Catalogue of the Library of the Harvard Law School 1909 II:1137. unknown books
1679ref. 727661679. A Victim of the Popish Plot Trial. Popish Plot. Richard Langhorne Defendant c.1624-1679. The Tryall of Richard Langhorn Esq; Counsellor at Law: For Conspiring the Death of the King Subversion of the Government And Protestant Religion. Who Upon Full Evidence was Found Guilty of High Treason And Received Sentence Accordingly At the Sessions in the Old-Bayley Holden for London and Middlesex On Saturday Being the 14th. of June 1679. Published by Authority. London: Printed for H. Hills et al. 1679. ii 41 44-68 2 pp. Collates complete quire M paginated 41 44 45 44. Folio 12-1/2" x 7". Stab-stitched pamphlet bound into recent quarter morocco over marbled boards. Light fading to morocco light rubbing to bottom edge. Moderate toning to interior light foxing and soiling in a few places illegible early marks to front endleaf and head of title page later small stamped "5" to front endleaf. A handsome copy. $250. Only edition. One of the cruelest hoaxes in British history and one that led to a wave of anti-Catholic violence the Popish Plot was the invention of Titus Oates an Anglican clergyman and his friend Dr. Israel Tonge a cleric and passionate anti-Catholic. They pretended to have discovered a Jesuit plot to assassinate the King massacre Protestants and set James Duke of York the King's Catholic brother on the throne. Langhorne was a Roman Catholic and had provided legal and financial advice to Jesuits in London. He was convicted of treason and executed and beatified as a Catholic martyr in 1929 by Pius XI. English Short-Title Catalogue R1705. unknown books
1732ref. 727691732. London: Printed for E. Rayner 1732. London: Printed for E. Rayner 1732. "Unable to Perform the Conjugal Rites" Trial. Weld v. Weld. The Whole of the Proceedings in the Arches-Court of Canterbury In a Cause Between the Hon. Mrs. Catherine Weld Daughter to the Lord Aston And Edward Weld Esquire Her Husband. Containing I. Her Libel Exhibited Against Him for Impotency. II. Her Answer and Replication. III. Certificates of Ambrose Dickens Esq; His Majesty's Serjeant-Surgeon Mr. Williams And Several Other Surgeons Who Examin'd Mr. Weld; And Also of Three Midwives who Examined Mrs. Weld. IV. Copies of the Depositions of Several Noble Persons Relating to this Cause. V. The Sentence Pronounced by the Worshipful Dr. Bettesworth Feb. 15. 1731. To Which is Prefixed a Preface By the Author of the Tryal of F. Girard and Miss Cadiere. London: Printed for E. Rayner 1732. 48 pp. leaves B3 and B4 pp. 13-16 misnumbered 9-12. Octavo 7-1/2" x 4-1/2". Stab-stitched pamphlet bound into later quarter calf over marbled boards gilt title and date to spine a number of blank leaves added by binder after p. 48. Light rubbing to extremities front joint just starting at ends. Light toning to interior occasional light foxing light soiling in a few places slight offsetting to preliminaries and first two leaves. $750. Fifth and final edition. The Welds married in 1727 but when there was no issue after three years Catherine sued Edward for divorce in ecclesiastical court on the grounds that he was "unable to perform the Conjugal Rites by Reason of some natural Imperfection which he well knew in himself." Edward fought to clear his name claiming that after a simple surgical procedure he had in fact consummated the marriage twice. The case gained a great deal of public attention largely because the detail of Catherine's claim and the amount of medical evidence presented were unusual even for an impotency trial. Ultimately the divorce was denied and the couple reached a private resolution to live apart. Edward remarried after Catherine's death and successfully produced a daughter and four sons. English Short-Title Catalogue T52462. unknown books
1686ref. 728161686. London 1686. Sole edition. London 1686. Sole edition. A Member of a Plot to Depose James II Trial. Warrington Henry Booth Earl of 1652-1694 Defendant. The Tryal of Henry Baron Delamere for High-Treason In Westminster-Hall The 14th Day of January 1685. Before the Right Honourable George Lord Jeffreys Baron of Wemm Lord High Chancellour of England Constituted Lord High Steward on that Occasion. On Which Day After Full Hearing The Lord Delamere was Acquitted from All Matters Laid to His Charge. London: Printed for Dorman Newman 1686. iv 87 1 pp. With imprimatur leaf. Folio 13" x 7-3/4". Stab-stitched pamphlet bound into recent quarter cloth lettering piece to spine edges untrimmed. A few small faint stains to front board. Light toning to text somewhat heavier in places occasional faint dampspotting and staining light soiling to first and final leaves. $200. Only edition. Warrington was indicted as a participant in Monmouth's rebellion an attempt by the Duke of Monmouth an illegitimate son of Charles II to claim the throne and depose James II. The special charge against Delamere "was that at the time of Monmouth's rebellion he had gone secretly to Cheshire with the view of inciting a rising in the north of England." While it is nearly certain that Delamere sympathized with Monmouth's designs he was able to explain his journey as a wish to visit a favorite child who was dangerously ill. "Moreover Thomas Saxon the only witness who would positively swear to the correspondence of Delamere and Monmouth so hopelessly contradicted himself that he was afterwards convicted of perjury.": Dictionary of National Biography II:842-844. English Short-Title Catalogue R23568. unknown books
1830ref. 729131830. Edinburgh: Printed for Daniel Lizars 1830. Edinburgh: Printed for Daniel Lizars 1830. A Notable Scottish Estate Case Trial. Roy Robert Defendant. MacGregor Simon Reporter. Dundonnell Cause. Report of the Trial by Jury Thomas Mackenzie Esq. Against Robert Roy Esq. W.S. Reported by Simon MacGregor. May 11 1830. Edinburgh: Printed for Daniel Lizars by Ballantyne and Co. 1830. 84 pp. Octavo 8-1/2" x 5-1/4". Stab-stitched pamphlet bound into recent period-style three-quarter calf over marbled boards raised bands and lettering piece to spine. Light rubbing to board edges. Light toning to interior light foxing and soiling in a few places. $250. Only edition. Roy a Scottish lawyer was accused of swindling an estate from his client Kenneth Mackenzie of Dundonnell by Mackenzie's son Thomas. The trial attracted several notable legal names among them Henry Cockburn who had secured an acquittal for Helen McDougal in the famous Burke and Hare murder trial the year before. His jury address and the exchanges between counsel are well-documented in our account. The jury was split and a second trial was held in January 1831 which resulted in Roy's conviction. OCLC locates 10 copies of this title 4 in North America Library of Congress University of Minnesota Law Harvard Law Los Angeles County Law. unknown books
1713ref. 728981713. The Consequences of Town Gallantry Are Always Fatal" Trial. Noble Richard Defendant 1684-1713. A Full Account of the Case of John Sayer Esq; From the Time of His Unhappy Marriage with his Wife To His Death. Including the Whole Intrigue Between Mrs. Sayer and Mr. Noble; With Several Diverting Incidents And the Prosecution at Large Against Noble As Appear'd at the Coroner's Inquest And at Kingston-Assizes. London: Printed And Sold by A. Baldwin 1713. 20 pp. Folio 12-3/4" x 8". Stab-stitched pamphlet with later side stitching. Light toning negligible horizontal fold line light soiling in a few places light offsetting to title page and first few leaves slight chipping to top-edge of title page without loss to text small hole to text block of leaf B1 pp. 3-4 with no loss to legibility. A remarkably well-preserved folio. $500. First edition one of three from the same year. A classic 18th-century tale of 'Town Gallantry' turned deadly. This pamphlet details the sensational fall of Richard Noble an attorney who transitioned from representing Mrs. Sayer in her separation to becoming her lover and ultimately her husband's murderer. When the aggrieved John Sayer arrived with constables to arrest his runaway wife and serve Noble with an action for 'Criminal Conversation' adultery Noble drew his sword and killed Sayer in cold blood in the presence of the officers. The trial highlights the scandalous dynamics of the era: Noble's defense was funded by his mistress and her mother who were themselves tried as accomplices. While the women used their wealth to secure acquittals Noble was sent to the gallows. A vivid primary source for the study of 18th-century marital law adultery and homicide. OCLC locates 6 copies of this edition 3 in North America University of Illinois Middlebury New York State Library. English Short-Title Catalogue T108029. unknown books
1765ref. 729001765. That Absurd Relic of Gothic Barbarism" Trial. Byron William Lord 1722-1798 Defendant. The Trial of William Lord Byron Baron Byron of Rochdale For the Murder of William Chaworth Esq; Before the Right Honourable the House of Peers In Westminster-Hall In Full Parliament. On Tuesday the 16th And Wednesday the 17th of April 1765: On the Last of Which Days the Said William Lord Byron was Acquitted of Murder But Found Guilty of Manslaughter. Published by Order of the House of Peers. London: Printed for Samuel Billingsley 1765. ii 47 1 pp. Lacking initial imprimatur leaf. Folio 12-1/2" x 8". Stab-stitched pamphlet disbound and later resewn edges speckled red. Light toning occasional light foxing light soiling and spotting in a few places slightly heavier to first and final leaves. $200. First edition. "April 16th came on before the house of peers in Westminster-hall the trial of William Lord Byron for killing Mr. Chaworth a gentleman of Nottinghamshire in a duel at the Star and Garter tavern in Pall Mall. After examining witnesses as to the circumstances of the encounter the Lords next day acquitted the prisoner of murder declaring him only guilty of manslaughter: and as by an old statute 1 Edw. VI. c. 12 in all cases wherein peers are allowed the benefit of clergy they are dismissed without burning in the hand loss of inheritance or corruption of blood; Lord Byron was enlarged on paying his fees. Much might be said on the custom of duelling that absurd relic of gothic barbarism; which still compels every man to risk his life at demand on the most frivolous or even the most insulting and cruel occasions. The laws of honour have so little connexion with those of honesty that a man may support his claim to the title of a gentleman by the former after he has forfeited all pretensions to the character by the latter. Sir John Brute is made to state the behaviour of some men of honour very justly when he says-" He comes to my house eats my meat lies with my wife dishonours my family gets a bastard to inherit my estate; and when I ask a civil account of all this-sir says he I wear a sword!": Noorthouck A New History of London: Including Westminster and Southwark 1773 Volume I:419-450. English Short-Title Catalogue T150380. unknown books
1802ref. 729271802. London: A. Macpherson for J. Lee 1802. London: A. Macpherson for J. Lee 1802. The Consequences of Overzealous Flogging Trial. Wall Joseph Defendant 1737-1802. The Trial of Joseph Wall Esq. Late Governor of Goree For the Wilful Murder of Benjamin Armstrong A Serjeant of the African Corps At the Old Bailey On Wednesday January 20 1802. London: Printed by A. Macpherson for J. Lee 1802. ii 22 pp. Octavo 7" x 4-1/2". Stab-stitched pamphlet bound in recent quarter calf over textured boards. Moderate toning to interior occasional light soiling heavier to first and final leaves faint dampstain to fore-edge of last three leaves. Rare. $750. Third stated edition. Wall was an officer in the British Army and Lieutenant Governor of Goree an island used to control the mouth of the River Gambia. In 1782 he was approached by Armstrong and others about their unpaid salaries. Deciding this was mutinous and without holding a court-martial Wall ordered Armstrong and two others to be flogged eight hundred times with a knotted rope. The three men died later from their injuries. Wall was initially charged but the charges were dropped when the ship carrying the witnesses was believed lost. However the witnesses appeared in 1784. Wall was arrested but he managed to escape to the continent where he married and lived for several years. Later believing many or all of the witnesses were dead he wrote to the Home Secretary Thomas Pelham and surrendered himself for trial. He was tried for murder and found guilty. Despite efforts made by a relative of his wife's to obtain a pardon it was deemed unwise to spare the life of an officer condemned for brutality. No copies of this edition located by OCLC or Library Hub. OCLC locates 3 copies of a different edition with the same title. unknown books
1758ref. 728881758. The Aftermath of a British Naval Failure Trial. Mordaunt Sir John Defendant 1697-1780. The Proceedings of a General Court-Martial Held in the Council-Chamber at Whitehall On Wednesday the 14th And Continued by Several Adjournments to Tuesday the 20th of December 1757 Upon the Trial of Lieutenant General Sir John Mordaunt By Virtue of His Majesty's Warrant Bearing Date the 3d Day of the Same Month. Published by Authority. London: Printed for A. Millar 1758. 116 pp. Octavo 9" x 5-3/4". Stab-stitched pamphlet in plain wrappers edges untrimmed. Corners bumped. Light soiling to wrappers small early pencil notation to head of front wrapper chipping to spine ends and slight creasing near spine. Light toning to interior light foxing and soiling in a few places negligible fold lines and creases to a few leaves. $300. One of two issues from 1758 priority not established. Mordaunt commanded the British expedition against the French Atlantic port of Rochefort in 1757. Deeming an attempt too risky he returned without landing infuriating William Pitt who wanted to satisfy the public with a bold stroke against the French. Despite Pitt's anger Mordaunt was acquitted. English Short-Title Catalogue T44504. unknown books
1757ref. 728931757. A "Penurious Old Reptile" on Trial: The 1757 Adultery Trial of Captain James Gambier Trial. Gambier James Defendant 1723-1789. The Proceedings on the Trial of Captain G------ Late of His Majesty's Ship the Severn On an Action on the Case Wherein the Damages Sued for was 10000 l. for Crim. Con. With Ad----l K-----s's Lady; Which was Tried in the Court of King's Bench at Guildhall By a Special Jury On Saturday the Eleventh Day of June 1757. When One Thousand Pounds Damages were Given to the Plaintiff. With an Introductory Preface. London: Printed for H. Owen At the Britannia Printing-Office White-Friers 1757. First edition. Octavo 8" x 4-1/2"; 20.3 x 11.4cm. vii 3-56 pp. Stab-stitched pamphlet in later plain wrappers typed label with title and date to front wrapper. Light soiling and creasing to wrappers. Light toning to interior occasional light foxing light soiling and tiny wear holes in a few places. Crease and a few small holes to foot of title page without loss to legibility. Minor edgewear and localized short tears along the fore-edges of a few leaves. A few small thin spots to page 35 and leaf E4 pages 33-34 which is separating at foot but secure. A very good copy. $250. One of four London issues variant imprints from 1757. This scarce pamphlet details a scandalous 18th-century "Criminal Conversation" crim. con. action-the legal precursor to civil damages for adultery. The plaintiff Admiral Sir Charles Knowles accused Captain James Gambier of an affair with his second wife Maria de Bouget 1733-1796. The trial serves as a fascinating lens into the social dynamics naval politics and public consumption of celebrity scandal in Georgian England. Gambier was notoriously unpopular among his crew; one of his own men famously described him as a "penurious old reptile" Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. This deep lack of personal popularity appears to have spilled over into the courtroom. Failing to win the sympathy of the special jury Gambier was ordered to pay a hefty fine of 1000 to the plaintiff-a significant sum for the era though far short of the original 10000 demanded. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. English Short-Title Catalogue N20182. unknown books
1682ref. 729351682. Two Titles Related to the Murder of Thomas Thynne Trial. Great Britain. Thynne Thomas 1648-1682. The Tryal and Condemnation of George Borosky Alias Boratzi Christopher Vratz and John Stern; For the Barbarous Murder of Thomas Thynn Esq; Together with the Tryal of Charles John Count Coningsmark As Accessary before the Fact to the Same Murder. Who was Acquitted of the Said Offence. At the Sessions in the Old Bailey Tuesday February 28. 1681. London: Printed for Thomas Basset 1682. vi 56 pp. Photostat of a c.1734 copperplate depiction of the murder bound after imprimatur leaf. Bound With Burnet Gilbert 1643-1715. Horneck Anthony 1641-1697. The Last Confession Prayers and Meditations of Lieuten. John Stern Delivered by Him on the Cart Immediately Before His Execution To Dr. Burnet. Together with the Last Confession of George Borosky Signed by Him in the Prison And Sealed Up in the Lieutenants Pacquet. With Which an Account is Given of their Deportment Both in the Prison and at the Place of their Execution Which was in the Pall-Mall On the Tenth of March In the Same Place in which they had Murthered Thomas Thynn Esquire The Twelfth of February before 1681/2. London: Printed for Richard Chiswell 1682. ii 12 15-28 pp. Complete. Folio 12" x 6-3/4". Stab-stitched pamphlets bound into recent quarter cloth over marbled boards edges rouged. Moderate toning to interior occasional light foxing and soiling light spotting in a few places. Leaf of early ms. notes describing execution of defendants bound between titles. $650. Only editions. While riding in his coach on February 12 1862 Thomas Thynne was shot by three men George Borosky Christopher Vratz and John Stern. The three were suspected to have acted on the orders of Count Karl Johann von Konigsmark who had been pursuing an affair with Thynne's wife. All four were arrested and Konigsmark was charged as an accessory before the fact. The trial was apparently fraught with language barriers since the men were all foreign nationals but the three primary defendants were duly convicted and hanged on March 10 1682. Konigsmark escaped the noose himself to some controversy. The ESTC indicates a portrait frontispiece to the Tryal but we have found many copies catalogued without the plate and our copy lack. unknown books
1684ref. 729371684. The Beginning of the End For Titus Oates Trial. Popish Plot. Oates Titus 1649-1705 Defendant. The Account of the Manner of Executing a Writ of Inquiry of Damages: Between His Royal Highness James Duke of York &c. And Titus Otes Which was Executed at the Bar of the Court of Kings Bench at Westminster On Wednesday the 19th. Of June 1684. In the Presence of the High Sheriff of Middlesex. London: Printed for Benj. Tooke 1684. iv 31 1 pp. Folio 11-1/2" x 7-1/2". Stab-stitched pamphlet rebound in recent quarter cloth over marbled boards. Negligible rubbing and light soiling to boards. Moderate toning to interior occasional light foxing light soiling in a few places. $450. Only edition. Oates an Anglican clergyman and his friend cleric and anti-Catholic Dr. Israel Tonge were the inventors of the Popish Plot one of the cruelest hoaxes in British history and the inspiration for a wave of anti-Catholic violence. They pretended to have discovered a Jesuit plot to assassinate the King massacre Protestants and set James Duke of York the King's Catholic brother on the throne. From 1678-1681 at least 15 innocent men were executed as traitors on Oates's testimony. In 1681 however the tide began to turn against Oates. Undeterred by the change in public opinion he pronounced the Duke of York a traitor and was sued for libel in 1684. The present work documents the trial at which Oates refused to plead and the subsequent 100000 fine awarded as damages. He was imprisoned after defaulting. When James acceded to the throne in 1685 Oates was convicted of perjury imprisoned for life stripped of his vestments and publicly whipped. He was later pardoned by William and Mary and granted a pension of 260 per year. English Short-Title Catalogue R34141. unknown books
1832ref. 729711832. Executed after a Failed Insurrection Trial. Scotland. Mackenzie Peter 1799-1875. Wilson James Defendant 1760-1820. The Trial of James Wilson For High Treason With an Account of His Execution at Glasgow September 1820 Etc. Etc. Now Respectfully Submitted to the Consideration of the Reformers of Glasgow By Their Faithful and Devoted Servant The Exposer of the Spy System &c. &c. Glasgow: Printed and Published by Muir Gowans & Co. 1832. 48 pp. 3 parts in one with continuous pagination. Octavo 8" x 5". Disbound stab-stitched pamphlet. Light toning more moderate to pp. 17-32 light foxing and soiling in a few places. $450. Only edition issued first as three parts and then a composite edition. Wilson a Scottish radical and would-be revolutionary led a march on Glasgow after being fed information by British government spies who claimed that England was in the midst of an insurrection and that the French were assisting the rebels. This was not the case and upon his return Wilson was arrested and executed in August of 1820. Mackenzie was a journalist who wrote about the British infiltration of radical networks. OCLC locates 11 copies of this title 4 in North America Harvard Princeton New York Public Library Queens University. Goldsmiths' Library of Economic Literature 27585. unknown books
