Yep, it's one of those days here where you just can't see the world beyond the white.Curled up with laptop, typey-scribbling. The writing is going well, despite me wandering off on a tangent of old crime.
You can now read online the trial records of the Old Bailey 1674-1834. You can search the cases by crime (e.g. seducing from allegiance; keeping a brothel; assault with sodomitical intent), verdict & punishment (death: drawn and quartered; branding; pillory). Some of them are fascinating, like this one: lady suspects maid of theft, straps her to bedpost and tortures her to death. The jury issues a death sentence, lady reveals that she's pregnant, sentence is respited. It makes Moll Flanders seem tame.
Time to put on another pot of coffee. Have a good weekend :)
2 comments:
Ah yes, the old "pleading her belly" ploy. At least that one was based on humane reasoning than the medieval "get of out jail" card of "benefit of clergy" where a literacy test could allow you to claim exemption from trial in a secular court. How far the justice system has come...
Benefit of Clergy was the best rationalisation of the last millennium: "Dude, I toootally shouldn't be judged by normal people. I like, read'n'stuff!"
Bill Hicks would have made a fine medieval secular judge, eyeing up the plaintiff and declaring:
"Looks like we got ourselves a reader..."
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