I’m having fun writing the second in my series,
The Forster Dynasty. The hero is a barrister struggling to make a living by
defending common people, who often couldn’t pay him, against the draconian laws
of the day. I’m learning quite a lot about the British legal system during the
Regency period and about that grand old institution, The Old Bailey, in
particular.
The Old Bailey, also known as Justice Hall, the
sessions House and the Central Criminal Court is located just off Newgate
Street and next to Newgate Prison in the City of London. The Bailey was rebuilt
several times from 1674 onwards but the basic design of the courtrooms remained
the same. They were arranged so as to emphasise the contest between the accused
and the rest of the court. The accused stood at the bar, or in the dock,
directly facing the witness box, with the judges seated on the other side of the
room. Before the introduction of gas lighting a mirrored reflector was placed
above the bar, reflecting light from the windows onto the faces of the accused.
This allowed the court to examine their facial expressions and assess the
validity of their testimony. A sounding board was also placed over their heads
to amplify their voices.
The jurors sat on the sides of the courtroom to
both left and right of the accused but from 1737 were brought together in
stalls on the defendant’s right, close enough to be able to consult each other
and arrive at verdicts without leaving the room. Seated at a table below where
the judges sat were clerks, lawyers and the writers who took the shorthand
notes which formed the basis of the proceedings.
When the courtroom was remodelled and enclosed
in 1737, the danger of infection increased and at one session an outbreak of
gaol fever (typhus) led to the deaths of sixty people, including the Lord Mayor
and two judges. Subsequently the judges spread nosegays and aromatic herbs to keep
down the stench and prevent infection.
A further reconstruction of the Bailey in 1774 saw
the area surrounded by a semi-circular wall to provide better security for
prisoners and prevent communication between them and the public. The passage
between Newgate Prison and the Bailey was also enclosed with brick walls.
The new building provided a separate room for
witnesses so that they were no longer obliged to wait their turn in a nearby
pub. I bet they still did, though!
Wendy
6 comments:
There was an excellent drama about the start of the adversarial system -
your interesting post has added to that.
Thanks. My hero was inspired by the Georgian series. Can't remember the title now but I'm sure you saw it.
It was Garrow's Law Tales From The Old Bailey, excellent serie. As always another very interesting and informative post !
That was it, Garrow's Law. Thanks. And thanks for stopping by.
I'm reading "Professors of the Law: Barristers in the 18th century" by David Lemming right now. It's an excellent book - for all its footnotes, a very enjoyable read.
I'll look out for that book. Sounds great but haven't heard of it. Thanks.
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