1/In 1670 two Quakers charged with unlawful assembly were found not guilty at the Old Bailey by a jury. The judge then imprisoned the jury without food, water, heat, or light, saying "I will have a positive verdict or you'll starve for it"
2/ They refused to give way, and the judge fined them and returned them to prison, until released when the Lord Chief Justice interceded, saying that a judge "may try to open the eyes of jurors, but not to lead them by the nose".
3/ The Quaker defendants remained in prison, despite the verdict of not guilty of the original charges.
Edward Bushel, a member of the jury, took out a writ to free them. The ensuing trial is referred to as Bushel's Case.
Edward Bushel, a member of the jury, took out a writ to free them. The ensuing trial is referred to as Bushel's Case.
4/ Bushel won the freedom of the Quakers, and the case established beyond question the independence of the jury in the English legal system. A commemorative plaque was erected at the Old Bailey
#Colston4 @SuellaBraverman
#Colston4 @SuellaBraverman
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