Appeal of Murder: The Decision of the Judges in the Case of Ashford..

1818. The End of Trial by Battle in the United Kingdom [Broadside]. [Trial]. Thornton, Abraham [c.1793-1860], Respondent. Appeal of Murder: The Decision of the Judges in the Case of Ashford, ver. Thornton, Court of King's Bench, April 20th, 1818. Nottingham: Shorrock, and Son, (Successors to E. Hodson,) Printers, [1818]. 12-1/2" x 7-1/2" broadside mounted to later backing sheet, text in two columns separated by rule below headline and woodcut vignette of a landscape. Moderate toning, light soiling to edges, a few faint creases, printer's flaw and clean tear to right column, no loss to legibility. Rare. $3,200. * Ashford v. Thornton dealt with the aftermath of the murder of Mary Ashford in 1817. Abraham Thornton, who had seen and been intimate with Ashford the previous night, was tried for rape and murder but acquitted of both charges due to a lack of evidence and inconsistencies in the prosecutor's case. Public outcry around his acquittal led to Mary's brother William invoking an "appeal of murder." This uncommon legal practice allowed a retrial of a defendant acquitted for murder but, crucially, gave the defendant the right to trial by battle. Thornton invoked that right. After extensive proceedings in the Court of King's Bench, the court found that he was eligible to do so. Our broadside documents the final hearing, in which Ashford declined to battle with Thornton and withdrew his appeal. Thornton was given a pro forma arraignment and released. The case resulted in the abolition of appeals by murder and thus the end of trial by battle. This broadside is rare and appears to be unrecorded. No copies located on OCLC or Library Hub. Not at Harvard or the British Library. (Inventory #: 82023)