Proceedings against the Five Popish Lords, viz. the Earl of Powis, Lord Viscount Stafford, Lord Petre, Lord Arundel of Wardour, and Lord Bellasyse, for High Treason : Together with the Trial of Lord Viscount Stafford, 1678-1685. An Original Trial Report from Cobbett's State Trials, part of the great 19th-century archive of courtroom history.
London: Cobbett's State Trials, 1810. Booklet - Unbound Pages. Very Good Condition. Item #373788
Between 1678 and 1685, five Catholic peers were accused of high treason in connection with the fabricated Popish Plot. The charges, rooted in Titus Oates's notorious allegations of a Catholic conspiracy to assassinate King Charles II, led to prolonged imprisonment and public vilification of the accused. While four of the Lords were eventually released without trial, Viscount Stafford was brought before the House of Lords in 1680, found guilty, and executed, his death marking the apex of the Plot's judicial frenzy. The proceedings, stretching over several years, reveal the corrosive power of religious hysteria and the vulnerability of legal process to political manipulation. 180 pages, printed in double columns. Printed between 1809 and 1826, these historic documents are vivid extracts from Cobbett's State Trials; pages from the courtroom record that preserve the voices, arguments, and verdicts which helped shape the course of British justice and still echo through its constitutional legacy. Over two centuries old, each leaf is a tangible fragment of legal history, compelling, original, and rarely encountered outside institutional collections. These are not reprints or replicas, but authentic 19th-century printings that are rich in drama, and steeped in history. This particular trial report has been removed from a volume of Cobbett's State Trials and is now preserved in a modern card cover for practicality - an unassuming but serviceable presentation that favours function over finery. Size: 15 x 25 cms. Category: State Trials; State Trials::Octavo;.
Keywords: BZDB395 "Popish Lords, Stafford, Powis, Petre, Arundel, Bellasyse, High Treason, 1678ÔÇô1685" State Trials; State Trials::Octavo; 1678-1685 : THE POPISH LORDS AND THE TRIAL OF VISCOUNT STAFFORD ; TREASON, PERSECUTION, AND PARLIAMEN
Price: £19.95