The Whole Proceedings On The King's Commission Of The Peace, Oyer and Terminer and Gaol Delivery For The City Of London.
And also,
The Gaol Delivery For The County of Middlesex Held At Justice Hall In The Old Bailey On Wednesday 10th December, 1783 And The Following Days Being The First Session In The Mayoralty Of The Right Hon. Robert Peckham Esq. Lord Mayor Of The City of London.
Taken In Shorthand by E. Hodgson
Printed for E. Hodgson: London 1783 1st Edition
Features:
Retains original covers with old outer spine replaced long ago with cloth tape as shown. A substantial volume, complete in 1380 pages. "
Murder, theft, death sentences, transportation, whipping, hard labour, witness testimony, names of ordinary Londoners. The index actually identifies what happened to defendants. It's effectively 1,380 pages of Georgian true crime recorded contemporaneously at the Old Bailey."
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A remarkable and substantial primary source from Georgian England, The Whole Proceedings on the King's Commission of the Peace, Oyer and Terminer, and Gaol Delivery for the City of London, records the criminal trials conducted at Justice Hall in the Old Bailey during the mayoralty of Robert Peckham. Commencing with the session held on 10 December 1783, the proceedings were taken down in shorthand by Edmund Hodgson and published by authority. The complete work encompasses the sessions of 1783-1784 and extends to an imposing 1,380 pages, providing an extraordinary contemporary record of crime, punishment and the administration of justice in late eighteenth-century London.
Rather than a retrospective history, these are the actual published proceedings of the court, recording indictments, witness testimony, examinations of prisoners, verdicts and sentences. The cases range across theft, burglary, robbery, assault, fraud, receiving stolen property and other offences, with the testimony preserving the voices and everyday circumstances of Londoners from virtually every level of society. Particularly striking to the modern reader are the sentences imposed: imprisonment and whipping appear alongside transportation and numerous sentences of death, vividly illustrating the severity of the Georgian criminal code and the workings of what later became known as the "Bloody Code."
The volume is also an important bibliographical survival. It comprises the complete 1,380-page 1783-1784 proceedings associated with Robert Peckham's mayoralty, issued originally in numerous separately published parts, each with its own title page and register. The bibliographical record identifies the sequence as Number I, Part I through Number VIII, Part VII; the parts of Number I bear the date 1783 and the subsequent parts 1784. The present volume concludes at page 1370 followed by the extensive index of persons tried, which identifies defendants and employs abbreviated marks recording outcomes including death, transportation, whipping, imprisonment and other punishments. The edition is recorded in the English Short Title Catalogue as ESTC T107528.
An exceptional survivor of eighteenth-century British legal and social history, the volume retains its original covers, with the deteriorated original outer spine having been reinforced or replaced long ago with cloth tape. The bindings consequently display substantial age and wear, entirely consistent with a heavily used volume now approaching two and a half centuries old, while the survival of the enormous text block is particularly notable. Beyond its significance to collectors of early law, criminology and London history, the work offers remarkable research potential for genealogy, transportation history and the study of Georgian society, preserving in contemporary printed form the testimony, crimes, verdicts and fates of hundreds of individuals who passed through the Old Bailey during 1783 and 1784.
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Outer spine replaced long ago with cloth tape as shown. Original covers with heavy wear. Some light pencil notes to endpapers otherwise unmarked. Text block is in good order with age toned pages. This 1783 Legal History reference work presents a wonderful opportunity for you to embark on some tasteful binding restoration work or simply enjoy the book as is with its wonderfully relaxed pages and ease of perusal. A wonderful and complete surviving copy. Please study photos to further understand condition.
Size 25cm x 19cm x 9cm - 1380 Pages
