Judge Jeffreys of the "Bloody Assizes" (England, 1685) Judge Jeffreys of the "Bloody Assizes" (England, 1685) Was his reputation as an egregious courtroom bully deserved? Copyright � 2003 by Hugo S. Cunningham First posted 20030215 Sir George Jeffreys, Recorder of London 1678-80. Painting by an unknown artist. (National Portrait Gallery) Source of photo -- frontispiece of P. J. Helm, Jeffreys. We scanned the head only from a 3/4 length seated portrait. Index The Whig view , prevalent in literature a moderate view by Whig historian G.M. Trevelyan (1904) ferociously partisan contemporary pamphlets The Merciful Assizes (heavy-handed satire) the unabashedly partisan (but eloquent) Lord Macaulay (1848) Revisionist views: P.J. Helm Biographical summaries Jeffreys, George, first Baron Jeffreys (1644-1689) educated at St.

Paul's School, at Westminster, and at Trinity College, Cambridge, was lord chief justice, 1682. He presided at the trial of Titus Oates, and is chiefly notorious for his brutality and as the judge who held the 'Bloody Assizes.' He was arrested in 1688 and died in the Tower after petitioning for a pardon. Source: editor Sir Paul Harvey, The Oxford Companion to English Literature 4th Edition, 1967; p. 428. From BBC: George Jeffreys was born at Acton Park in 1648, the son of John Jeffreys and Margaret Ireland. His grandfather was a judge in North Wales and George eventually decided on a career in law much to his parents' disapproval. Educated at Shrewsbury and St Paul's Westminster and Cambridge. He began his studies in the Inner Temple in 1663 and was acting as an advocate before he was officially called to the bar. He entered Gray's Inn. He was appointed Solicitor General to the Duke of York later James II and was knighted in 1677. He became recorder of London in 1678.

At the age of 33 he became Lord Chief Justice of England and a privy counsellor and two years later Lord Chancellor. In 1683 he was created Baron Jeffreys of Wem. He is known as Hanging Judge Jeffreys because of the punishment he handed out at the trials of the supporters of the Duke of Monmouth. In 1688 when James II fled the country, Jeffreys was placed in the Tower of London for his own safety. He died there the following year aged 44 of kidney disease. --Courtesy Wrexham County Borough Council In 1685, Charles II died and his Catholic brother James II succeeded to the throne. He expressed no intention to impose Catholicism on an intensely anti-Catholic England, but militant Whigs distrusted him anyways. Some supported a revolt by Charles II's illegitimate son the Duke of Monmouth (1685), but it was speedily suppressed, confined to the southwest of England. James II send Judge Jeffreys (and a couple of others) to try the defeated rebels; the resulting "Bloody Assizes," especially as written up by Macaulay (see below ), would make Jeffreys's reputation in history.

James II now overplayed his hand, dismissing Parliament (1685), appointing Catholics as officials, allying himself with the cruelly despotic Louis XIV of France, dismissing Anglican clergyman who did not support his Catholic policy, and mobilizing large armies in both Ireland (largely Catholic, hence inspiring intense English distrust) and just outside London. In particular, his attack on the Anglican Church neutralized much of his support amoung "Tories." The 1685 execution of the rebel Duke of Monmouth united Whig opinion behind the only remaining Protestant claimant to the throne, William of Orange, husband of James II's daughter Mary. In 1688, Whigs and disaffected Tories invited him to invade England, drive out James II, and assume the English throne with Queen Mary. Since the Whigs won, they got to write English history. Those who had suppressed Whig rebels (eg Judge Jeffreys) now were illegitimate. Jeffreys, lodged in prison and soon dying of ill-health anyways, was also used as a convenient scapegoat by the exiled James II (still hoping for an eventual restoration), as well as James's principal advisor the Earl of Sunderland.

Conflicting views of Judge Jeffries and the "Bloody Assizes" Macaulay on the character of Judge Jeffreys: He was a man of quick and vigorous parts, but constitutionally prone to insolence and to the angry passions. When just emerging from boyhood he had risen into practice at the Old Bailey bar, a bar where advocates have always used a license of tongue unknown in Westminster Hall. Here, during many years his chief business was to examine and crossexamine the most hardened miscreants of a great capital. Daily conflicts with prostitutes and thieves called out and exercised his powers so effectually that he became the most consummate bully ever known in his profession. Tenderness for others and respect for himself were feelings alike unknown to him. He acquired a boundless command of the rhetoric in which the vulgar express hatred and contempt. The profusion of maledictions and vituperative epithets which composed his vocabulary could hardly have been rivalled in the fishmarket or the beargarden. His countenance and his voice must always have been unamiable.

But these natural advantages,--for such he seems to have thought them,--he had improved to such a degree that there were few who, in his paroxysms of rage, could see or hear him without emotion. Impudence and ferocity sate upon his brow. The glare of his eyes had a fascination for the unhappy victim on whom they were fixed. Yet his brow and his eye were less terrible than the savage lines of his mouth. His yell of fury, as was said by one who had often heard it, sounded like the thunder of the judgment day. These qualifications he carried, while still a young man, from the bar to the bench. He early became Common Serjeant, and then Recorder of London. As a judge at the City sessions he exhibited the same propensities which afterwards, in a higher post, gained for him an unenviable immortality. Already might be remarked in him the most odious vice which is incident to human nature, a delight in misery merely as misery. There was a fiendish exultation in the way in which he pronounced sentence on offenders.

Their weeping and imploring seemed to titillate him voluptuously; and he loved to scare them into fits by dilating with luxuriant amplification on all the details of what they were to suffer. Thus, when he had an opportunity of ordering an unlucky adventuress to be whipped at the cart's tail, "Hangman," he would exclaim, "I charge you to pay particular attention to this lady! Scourge her soundly man! Scourge her till the blood runs down! It is Christmas, a cold time for Madam to strip in! See that you warm her shoulders thoroughly!"(230) He was hardly less facetious when he passed judgment on poor Lodowick Muggleton, the drunken tailor who fancied himself a prophet.

"Impudent rogue!" roared Jeffreys, "thou shalt have an easy, easy, easy punishment!" One part of this easy punishment was the pillory, in which the wretched fanatic was almost killed with brickbats.(231) Macaulay offers immortal quotes from Judge Jeffreys: This [the trial of Alice Lisle for aiding a fugitive traitor] was the first case of treason on the circuit; and there seemed to be a strong probability that his prey would escape him [Judge Jeffries]. He stormed, cursed, and swore in language which no wellbred man would have used at a race or a cockfight. One witness named Dunne, partly from concern for Lady Alice, and partly from fright at the threats and maledictions of the Chief Justice, entirely lost his head, and at last stood silent. "Oh how hard the truth is," said Jeffreys, "to come out of a lying Presbyterian knave." The witness, after a pause of some minutes, stammered a few unmeaning words. "Was there ever," exclaimed the judge, with an oath, "was there ever such a villain on the face of the earth? Dost thou believe that there is a God?

Dost thou believe in hell fire. Of all the witnesses that I ever met with I never saw thy fellow." Still the poor man, scared out of his senses, remained mute; and again Jeffreys burst forth. "I hope, gentlemen of the jury, that you take notice of the horrible carriage of this fellow. How can one help abhorring both these men and their religion? A Turk is a saint to such a fellow as this. A Pagan would be ashamed of such villany. Oh blessed Jesus! What a generation of vipers do we live among!" "I cannot tell what to say, my Lord," faltered Dunne. The judge again broke forth into a volley of oaths. "Was there ever," he cried, "such an impudent rascal? Hold the candle to him that we may see his brazen face. You, gentlemen, that are of counsel for the crown, see that an information for perjury be preferred against this fellow." [...] A prisoner affirmed that the witnesses who appeared against him were not entitled to credit. One of them, he said, was a Papist, and another a prostitute. "Thou impudent rebel," exclaimed the Judge, "to reflect on the King's evidence!

I see thee, villain, I see thee already with the halter round thy neck." Another produced testimony that he was a good Protestant. "Protestant! " said Jeffreys; "you mean Presbyterian. I'll hold you a wager of it. I can smell a Presbyterian forty miles." One wretched man moved the pity even of bitter Tories. "My Lord," they said, "this poor creature is on the parish." "Do not trouble yourselves," said the Judge, "I will ease the parish of the burden." [...] A still more frightful sentence was passed on a lad named Tutchin, who was tried for seditious words. He was, as usual, interrupted in his defence by ribaldry and scurrility from the judgment seat. "You are a rebel; and all your family have been rebels since Adam. They tell me that you are a poet. I'll cap verses with you." The sentence was that the boy should be imprisoned seven years, and should, during that period, be flogged through every market town in Dorsetshire every year. The women in the galleries burst into tears. The clerk of the arraigns stood up in great disorder. "My Lord," said he, "the prisoner is very young.

There are many market towns in our county. The sentence amounts to whipping once a fortnight for seven years." "If he is a young man," said Jeffreys, "he is an old rogue. Ladies, you do not know the villain as well as I do. The punishment is not half bad enough for him. All the interest in England shall not alter it." As it turned out, however, Tutchin came down with smallpox, which caused his sentence to be postponed. It was ultimately remitted "in return for a bribe which reduced the prisoner to poverty.] Revisionist Views Judge Jeffreys and the Bloody Assizes in Dorchester Judge Jeffreys lodgings in an old postcard Judge Jeffreys Judge Jeffreys ranks alongside Thomas Hardy and William Barnes as one of the most important figures in Dorchester's past. But in contrast to those other two former Dorchester residents, you will find no statues of Jeffreys anywhere in the town. His impact on the town was of an altogether darker tone, and his name is inextricably linked to one of the most notorious and controversial episodes in the history of Dorchester, known as the Bloody Assizes.

Early Life George Jeffreys was born in 1645 in Acton Hall near Wrexham, into one of the leading aristocratic families in Wales. In 1668 he began a career in the law, and quickly caught the attention of the movers and shakers of the day, including the Duke of York (later to become King James II). He became the Duke's Solicitor General in 1676 and was knighted the following year. With a knack for making powerful friends, Jeffries secured a series of promotions and honours over the following years, becoming Lord Chancellor in 1685 and taking the title Baron Jeffreys of Wem. That same year, an uprising started in the West Country aiming to overthrow James II and replace him with the Duke of Monmouth, an illegitimate son of the previous monarch Charles II. The uprising, known as the Monmouth Rebellion, was defeated and put down by the King's troops, and Monmouth was executed for treason The Bloody Assizes The episode that would seal Jeffreys' reputation came when the newly promoted Lord Chancellor was sent South to deal with the King's rebellious subjects in the West Country and ensure order was restored to the region.

He took up residence in Dorchester at 6 High West Street and presided over hearings for hundreds of supporters of Monmouth The trials, known as the Bloody Assizes, were held in the Oak Room of the Antelope Hotel. Jeffreys was in no mood for clemency, handing down death sentences for 251 rebels, to the shock and outrage of many observers at the time. While only 74 of these sentences were actually carried out, the brutality of the executions ensured they would live long in the memory of Dorchester. As was traditional for those convicted of treason, the condemned men were hung, drawn and quartered, and their heads were taken and displayed on spikes in Dorchester and other towns around Dorset. The remaining rebels were transported to the West Indies (which was more or less a death sentence in itself, given the vulnerability of Europeans to malaria and other tropical diseases at the time). Historians have suggested the reason for Jeffreys' severity during the trials was that he was a Protestant serving a Catholic king, and the Monmouth Rebellion was led by Protestants who trying to overthrow the Catholic monarchy.

It is possible he felt he had to go the extra mile with his sentences to prove to the King that he had no sympathy with the plotters. Others have pointed to his suffering from kidney stones, which that meant he was in constant pain for much of his later life, and only added to his brittle temper. Whatever the reason, he made himself a hate figure amongst the local population, and earned himself the enduring nickname "The Hanging Judge". Downfall As a man with so much blood on his hands, it was always unlikely that Jeffreys would get to see out his life peacefully. His comeuppance came in 1688, when James II was finally ousted, and Jeffreys was forced to go on the run disguised as a sailor. In an ironic twist of fate, his disguise was rumbled after he was recognised by a victim of his Assizes who had been spared execution. Such was the hatred of the population towards Jeffreys that the new regime felt compelled to put him in the Tower of London for his own safety. It was here that he died on 1689, finally succumbing to the kidney disease that had plagued him for much of his life.

Jeffreys' Legacy In Dorchester If you come to Dorchester to follow the story of Judge Jeffreys and the Bloody Assizes, the obvious place to start is at his old lodgings at 6 High West Street. The inside is now a restaurant, but the exterior retains the rustic timber look of the building as it would have appeared in Jeffreys' day. Opposite the restaurant is St. Peter's Church. It was outside the church that the heads of several of the Monmouth rebels were displayed on spikes to strike terror into the local population and discourage them from further acts of rebellion. A little further along the High Street is Dorset County Museum, home to a number of artefacts relating to the Assizes, including the chair in which Jeffreys sat as he handed down death sentences to many of the accused. The County Museum is said to be haunted by Jeffreys' ghost, and in 2010 paranormal investigators captured a photograph that they claimed showed the ghostly figure of the Judge stalking the corridors of the museum.

Judge Jeffreys lodgings Bloody Assizes | Article about Bloody Assizes by The Free Dictionary Bloody Assizes | Article about Bloody Assizes by The Free Dictionary see Jeffreys of Wem, George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys of Wem, George Jeffreys, 1st Baron, 1645?–1689, English judge under Charles II and James II. A notoriously cruel judge, he presided over many of the trials connected with the Popish Plot (see Oates, ..... Click the link for more information. . Want to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us , add a link to this page, or visit the webmaster's page for free fun content . Link to this page: Taunton References in periodicals archive ? But he said: "The Rugby World Cup, in which one particular referee - who happens not to be an Englishman, was responsible for perhaps the greatest injustice we have seen on British soil since the Bloody Assizes. TIME OUT Wrexham-born Judge Jeffreys, notorious for his brutality at the Bloody Assizes, bought the manor of Wem & Loppington in 1684.

Copyright © 2003-2017 Farlex, Inc Disclaimer All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional. Ha - Anglo-Saxon / English History - Anglo-Saxon Foundation Posted 17 January 2009 - 06:44 PM Also known as the Hanging Judge and born in Wrexham Wales. The Bloody Assizes were a series of trials started at Winchester on 25th August 1685 in the aftermath of the Battle of Sedgemoor, which ended the Monmouth Rebellion in England. in which Geoffreys led four other judges to sentence the prisoners. Over 1,000 rebels were in prison awaiting the trials, which started in Winchester on 26th August.

The first notable trial was that of an elderly gentlewoman called Dame Alice Lyle.The jury reluctantly found her guilty, and, the law recognizing no distinction between principals and accessories in treason, she was sentenced to be burned. This was commuted to beheading, with the sentence being carried out in Winchester market-place on 2 September 1685. More than 1,400 prisoners were dealt with and although most were sentenced to death about 300 only were hanged or hanged, drawn and quartered A chronicoller wrote Jeffreys, made all the West an Aceldama; some places quite depopulated and nothing to be seen in 'em but forsaken walls, unlucky gibbets and ghostly carcases. The trees were loaden almost as thick with quarters as leaves; the houses and steeples covered as close with heads as at other times with crows or ravens. Nothing could be liker hell than all those parts; nothing so like the devil as he.

Caldrons hizzing, carkases boyling, pitch and tar sparkling and glowing, blood and limbs boyling and tearing and mangling, and he the great director of all." Simon Hamlyn is a notable case tried in Taunton. It is said that this man was a dissenter but had no part in the actual rebellion. He lived a few miles outside Taunton and had visited the town to advise his son to stay clear and not meddle with the rebels. He was brought in and put before Jeffries as a dissenter and found guilty of treason. It is recorded that Mr Bernard Smith, the Mayor if Taunton, tried to intervene and told the judge that he was an innocent man. The judges reply to this was "You have brought him on: if he be innocent, his blood be upon you." There was a pardon made for Simon Hamlyn but the judge had already had him executed by the time it arrived. On his way to this battle the Duke spent some time in Taunton. Tauntonions welcomed him with open arms as the commoners of the time were mostly dissenters.

They had previously held the town against Goring and 10,000 Royalists for which the town had been raised to the ground. While the Duke was in the town he was presented with a naked sword, a bible and a woven banner by a miss Blake, Captain of the Virgins, who was a schoolmistress for girls known as the maids of Taunton Miss Blake and the Maids of Taunton....... Schoolmistress; Susannah Musgrave, and all the schoolgirls had to surrender themselves to the court of Jeffries. There were two miss Blakes, both sisters, one is thought to have been pardoned while the other died of smallpox in Dorchester prison. They were seen as revenue generation for the crown and large ransoms were expected to be paid for their release. One of the schoolgirls, who was eight years old, was brought before the judge. Jeffries is said to have "raved at the child with his custom brutality" she fell to the floor in tears and was dead within a few hours thought to have died from fear.

The rest of the maids were to be a gift to the Queen from the King and used as her maids until such time as a suitable ransom for them could be raised. What actually happened to them seems to be a little vague but at some time during 1686 they were released. A ransom was paid for them but this ransom was roughly half of the original ï¿½7000 set by the judge. The great majority were transported to the West Indies where they were worth more alive than dead as a source of cheap labour. White labour was a valuable commodity on the sugar plantations the profits from the sale of these prisoners went to the crown....funny that we only seem to be known for the slavery of blacks and no one shouts about the slavery of our own people!!!! Others were imprisoned to await further trial although many did not live long enough, succumbing to 'Gaol Fever' (Typhus) which was rife in the unsanitary conditions common to most English gaols at that time. A woman called Elisabeth Gaunt had the grisly distinction of being the last woman to be burnt in England for political crimes.

0 A History of The White Hart Inn History of The White Hart The White Hart is said to be haunted by the spirit of Judge Jeffreys (the Hanging Judge), who was born in 1645 into a family tradition of law. After being made Lord Chancellor in 1685, Judge Jeffreys embarked on a series of legal trials that would forever cement him in the dubious ranks of England’s nastiest law enforcers, a viable massacre, the responsibility of which could have caused his spirit to become restless after his death in 1689. When James II, who was unpopular amongst some Protestants, became King in 1685, the illegitimate son of Charles II gathered supporters and attempted to take the throne. This came to be known as the Monmouth Rebellion. In the trials knows as the Bloody Assizes Jeffreys ordered executions, whippings, hangings and fines of over 300 people, 144 of them in only two days. The rest, mainly farmers and labourers, wage earners whom a large number of people depended on, were transported to the West Indies, leaving their communities bereft.

The White Hart was a monk’s brewing house and the centre of the village in the 17th Century. Local legend suggests it was a scene of a curious brush with fame in the summer of 1685 when Judge Jeffrey visited the White Hart on the way to the Bloody Assizes. The pubs layout has changed in recent centuries and the door in which he would have entered is now situated in the middle of the restaurant. Around the table directly in front of this old door ‘something’ has brushed past our customers and a shadow suggestive of a man in a long dark cloak has been spotted out of the corners of peoples’ eyes. The beer garden of the White Hart Inn boasts a stunning panorama view of Bulbarrow Hill. It backs directly onto a field where villagers regularly walk their dogs. It was here that one local witnessed his three dogs stop still on the track running alongside the wall of the nearby manor's garden. A figure was standing a little way off, a man in dark, indiscernible clothes, turned to the side in profile. The normally over-friendly dogs did not bound up to greet this stranger; instead they stayed where they were or clustered around the eyewitness's legs.

As he neared the figure he saw it approach him then turn swiftly to the left, around the curve of the wall, disappearing into the unmanageable shrubs and undergrowth which lay there. The dark-clothed man had disappeared unnaturally quickly and there was no evidence of the shrubbery having been pushed aside or broken by any physical activity. Do let us know if you spot Judge Jeffreys in our pub! (source Wiki Nut) Dame Alice Lisle and the Bloody Assizes, a part of Hampshire history What We Do Dame Alice Lisle stepped out of a building in Winchester to her death, a victim of Hanging Judge Jeffreys punitive hand It is easy to take a stroll past the pub ‘The Eclipse’ just off the ancient square in Winchester and admire it’s splendid Tudor facade but it was here that Dame Alice Lisle, a grand old lady of Hampshire spent her last night on September 1st 1685 before being executed outside it’s doors the following morning. Glance up at the upper storey window, from here she stepped out onto a scaffold structure specially erected for the occasion and was beheaded. The Eclipse Inn where Dame Alice Lisle spent her final night before her execution Alice was 71 years old.

Alice Lisle appears to have been an apolitical character in a time when politics were at fever pitch in England. She was the widow of John Lisle a lawyer and politician who was an opponent to the rule of King Charles I and who sat in on the Long Parliament during the English Civil War. He was made a peer by Oliver Cromwell. Alice does not appear to have had such strong political views but seems to have paid a high price for her husbands. On the evening of 28th July 1685, Dame Alice Lisle, whose home was Moyles Court in Hampshire, sheltered two fugitives, John Hickes a non conformist minister and Richard Nelthorpe a lawyer, from the Battle of Sedgemoor and the Monmouth Rebellion. It is quite possible that she had no idea of the consequences of her actions, it has been suggested that her response was one of a humanitarian and not politically motivated. Her speech before her execution suggest that she was taken both by surprise and was frightened by the appearance of the men and that seems to be totally understandable. A conspiracy of political intrigue seems to be an unlikely motivation.

The church at Ellingham where Dame Alice is buried She was tried at Winchester by Judge Jeffreys who showed her no mercy, found guilty of treason and condemned to death by burning but then allowed that she should be beheaded rather than burnt in respect of her station. On the 2nd September 1685 Dame Alice stepped out to her death. It was a shocking moment in time. She was the first to be tried in what would become known as the Bloody Assizes and stirred a feeling of discomfort about the judicial system, not just in England but across many nations. The jury prevaricated, believing her story that she gave food water and shelter to those who arrived at her door in need. Judge Jeffreys was beside himself with rage and as the jury made their deliberations he sought to bully a guilty verdict out of them and reluctantly they gave it. It was a decision that sat ill with the county and the country. King James II sought to put down any further thought of rebellion through the mechanisms of the judicial system, Dame Alice Lisle’s death was the first of many terrible verdicts meeted out across the country.

Judge Jeffreys was a brutal, politically motivated man who was eventually to face the Tower when King James II fled the country. What did Dame Alice herself have to say? The last words of Lady Lisle are well worth reading and one can only wonder at the anguish her family felt as she made them. Forgiveness and understanding seem to be the main thrust of her address, although whilst forgiving him, Alice Lisle points a rather direct finger at Colonel Penruddock, who she says, told her that he could have taken the men before they reached her house. Um, not much you can say to that is there? Dame Alice Lisle’s body was taken to her family parish church at Ellingham and her body probably buried in the churchyard on the right hand side of the porch. As a convicted felon it seems unlikely she would have been placed inside the church itself. The grave stone was engraved after the death of her daughter who lies with her and though difficult to read, is simple and humble, seemingly like the lady herself. Here lies Dame Alicia Lisle and her daughter Ann Harfell who dyed the 17 Feb 1709/8 Alicia Lisle dyed the second of Sept.

1685 A frescoe created at the turn of the C20th can be found in the House of Commons that portrays the heroism and generosity of Dame Alice Lisle. The Hanging Judge The Hanging Judge Maids, Moors, and Monsters The Folklore of Morris by Richard Freeman. Few people who have seen Morris men dancing on a village green or in a pub garden realise the complexity and antiquity of the dance they are witnessing. The pleasant spectacle has a history that stretches back thousands of years and is peopled by grotesque and sometimes disturbing characters. Morris is a dance o... Dorset Ghost Walks If you are looking for something different this year, then ghost tours can provide some great entertainment, especially if they're ghost tours after dark. The coming of the Bloody Assizes Portrait of George Jeffreys (1648 - 1689) given to the Dorset County Museum by J.S. Udal Born in Denbighshire, George Jeffreys, the son of John Jeffreys of Acton Park, was educated first at Shrewsbury then St. Pauls and Westminster schools in London.

From Westminster he went to Trinity College, Cambridge but left after a year without gaining a degree. He married twice, first to Sarah Neesham in 1667 and eighteen months after her death in 1678 he married a young widow Lady Ann Jones. He was admitted as a member of the Inner Temple to practice law and soon gained a reputation for his vehement and extreme manner in judiciary affairs. Although not rich he had wealthy and influential friends and was appointed Common Sargent of London when only twenty-six years. In 1677 he was knighted and some four years later rose to the position of the Recorder of City of London, then moving in circles close to the crown he was noticed by Charles II for his prosecution of Lord Russell and elevated by him to become Lord Chief Justice. He was selected by James II to head the commission of Judges sent to the West Country in 1685 to try and punish those involved in the Monmouth Rebellion. As we know he stayed at this famous house in Dorchester that now bears his name, during what became known as the 'Bloody Assizes'.

He was at the time sick man suffering with stones, and as a result gained a reputation as a heavy drinking, this being in those days one remedy to alleviate the pain of his condition. His disagreeable countenance and severe treatment of those brought before him, did nothing to endear him to the people and he was said to be one of the most feared and hated men in England. Judge Jeffries Restaurant in the High Street, Dorchester this is thought to be the location of the lodgings by Judge Jeffries During the Dorchester Assizes a total two hundred and ninety two prisoners were tried by the commission of Judges; of these seventy four were executed in the town at Gallows Hill, the heads of some being displayed on spikes outside St. Peters church opposite the Judges lodgings. Many of the remainder either died in prison of fever or were transported to plantations in the West Indies.

Jeffreys left Dorchester to continue the Bloody Assizes in Exeter and then Taunton and Bristol On his return to London Jeffreys was further elevated to the position of Lord Chancellor and in that position conducted the Court of Ecclesiastical Commission set up by James II to further the Catholic faith in England, although Jeffreys was himself a staunch Anglican. The commission was instrumental in causing James' downfall and cost him the throne; he fled to exile in France leaving his Chancellor without support. Jeffreys was arrested soon after and imprisoned in the Tower of London, he died within a few months of his painful illness at the age of forty-one in 1689. © 2017 Dark Dorset all rights reserved. No part of this web site may be copied or reproduced without express permission from the copy right owner(s) Web design by The Bloody Judge Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb Community LATEST HEADLINES 14 out of 18 people found the following review useful: Let the business of the court commence!

from Richmond, VA 20 August 2005 O.K., it's no Witchfinder General (but then again, what is?), but Jess Franco's The Bloody Judge is a well-written, well-acted, well-made historical-horror hybrid in the tradition of it's obvious model, Rowland V. Lee's The Tower of London. Franco stalwart Howard Vernon delivers a delicious homage to Karloff's Mord the Executioner from that film, and Christopher Lee is excellent, if somewhat insecurely emphatic and earnest, as the cruel, narrow, and hypocritical Judge Jeffries. The score, by Bruno Nicolai, is majestic and memorable, and the film as a whole is vividly entertaining. Having seen this film over 25 years ago, on television, heavily edited, under the title Night of the Blood Monster, I was amazed at how much of it had lain dormant in my memory, ready to be jostled into consciousness. Whole scenes played out in my mind as I re-watched them on my wide screen TV.

There are a few people, including the otherwise estimable Glenn Erickson, of the hugely insightful and informative DVD Savant site, who have claimed, based on the evidence of this film, that Jess Franco could not have "directed" the legendary Battle of Shrewsbury in Orson Welles' Chimes at Midnight. First, lets get a few facts straight. It is well documented that Franco shot the second unit on Chimes at Midnight, which included much of the battle scene. This means that Franco shot a lot of coverage of the battle, working from a general outline given by Welles. Later, Welles took the miles of footage into the editing room and, many months later, emerged with the shattering sequence that appears in his picture. Franco, obviously, had nothing to do with this editing process, and, as far as I can tell, has never claimed otherwise. To compare the battle scene in The Bloody Judge with Welles' magnificent achievement is grotesquely unfair, as I am sure that Franco was allowed minutes rather than months to assemble The Bloody Judge for exhibition.

Given the strictures under which he was working, Franco, his cast, and his collaborators should be commended for having produced a film with such a high level of professionalism. Welles, that most populist of auteurs, who once stated that he would rather watch paint dry than sit through an Antonioni film, and who responded to energy, verve, iconoclasm, and enthusiasm, had seen and appreciated those qualities an early Franco effort, which eventually led to the offer to work on Chimes. If Franco was good enough for Welles, he should be good enough for us. The two are closer than you think... Was the above review useful to you? 10 out of 13 people found the following review useful: I witnessed the full uncut 103 minutes version from Midian 11 February 2009 As said, I just witnessed the full uncut version of the Bloody Judge. Like you could see IMDb never made notice of this version so I thought it must be wrong on the DVD but no, it clocked in at exactly 103 minutes. It's English spoken until the extra minutes appear, they are in German but the subtitles stays intact.

The extra minutes are no more then a torture scene with full nudity, the others include all nudity with a love scene between the bloody judge and the witch, the last extra is a lesbian scene in the torture room with frontal bush nudity. Thinking of the year it was made, 1970, it was normal that it was cut out. Anyway, the storyline does refer to the real history but the movie is way too long. There is a lot of blah blah and the torture scenes are really laughable. You only see blood but it never runs or you never see cuts made by the executioner. A shame, could have done better by Franco. The performances are really good but the suspense isn't there due the lack of storyline, they really refer to much to history. It is nice to see how they made you say you are a witch. There are better witch hunt movies out there, I guess would Lee never appeared in it it would be a forgotten flick. It's not for the geeks of horror, just one of the Jess Franco flicks with the usual T&A features. It's available in his 103 minutes in Belgium with the German pieces in it, judge it for yourselves Was the above review useful to you?

12 out of 17 people found the following review useful: they were lying inder the oath from Russian Federation 29 December 2005 This film is an unique thing. Being possibly the best of B-category Franco's movies, this one is very hard to find in Russia. And I guess only Franco's true fans and the lovers of the costume movies (like me)really have any reason to search for it. Nevertheless, this film could be worse if not Christopher Lee. The man destined to play fantastic villains all his life now was playing a real historic villain (was the real Judge Jeffreys a villain? I think not but Jess Franco used another version). But Lee was ready to play in a HISTORIC movie, and instead of it he was to perform a horror show. Although his performance in this role was a very good one, he was disappointed and detested and told later he doesn't want any credits for this film. There are some very rough mistakes (or special changes) in the movie: 1) The date is missed.

The year 1685 was the real time of Monmouth rebellion, but the events destroying James II' and Jeffreys' power, has happened only 4 years later, in 1688-89, and called "Glorious Revolution". 2) Sir George Jeffreys really has died in the Tower of London - but of stone, not of a heart-attack as it's shown. 3) Jeffreys, how good or bad he was, has never been neither womanizer nor witch-hunter. Moreover he did all he could to prevent death sentences to alleged witches. And there was nothing to suggest that he had a mistress or used the arrested women for his lust. It is nothing but a profanation. 4) There were NO witch hunt in later 1680's in England. Even the few who was charged were mostly acquitted. The horrible things shown in film as Ketch's work were used normally in Scotland, not England. Was the above review useful to you? 8 out of 10 people found the following review useful: Christopher Lee - Judge Without Mercy Author: Bensch 24 March 2008 Jess Franco's "Il Trono di fuoco" aka.

"The Bloody Judge" of 1970 is one of a bunch of early 70s exploitation flicks inspired by the success of Michael Reeves' 1968 masterpiece "Witchfinder General" (starring the great Vincent Price). People familiar with Jess Franco's cinema might expect an immensely sleazy and gruesome film that mainly takes place in torture chambers, but the film is actually tame for what one might expect. Even though there are a bunch of very brutal scenes, the level of sleaze and violence is quite low for a Jess Franco film, and the film is not even nearly as nasty as other popular 'Hexploitation' films of the time, such as the ultra-gruesome "Mark Of The Devil" from the same year. Equally surprising is the budget that was obviously quite high for Jess Franco standards, as realistic costumes and nice settings are provided. Horror icon Christopher Lee, who worked with Jess Franco on several occasions, plays Lord George Jeffreys, the infamous and merciless judge and Lord Chancellor in England torn by strife between the reigning King James II and William of Orange.

Convincend of doing what's necessary, the cruel judge mercilessly persecutes 'traitors', who sympathize with the King's opponent William of Orange, as well as 'witches', who are accused of being in league with the devil... Christopher Lee is, as always, great in his role as the merciless judge (who is based on the infamous real-life 'hanging-judge' George 1st baron Jeffreys). Beautiful Maria Rohm, who starred in many Franco-highlights, most memorably in "Venus in Furs" and "Count Dracula", plays the female lead here, and she fits in her role very well. Jess Franco-fans will also recognize another regular in his films, Howard Vernon, who plays the executioner. Another great enrichment to the film is the great score by Bruno Nicolai. Jess Franco, one of the most prolific directors ever, has directed a bunch of absolutely awesome films, as well as total stinkers. "The Bloody Judge" is definitely one of his better films (even though, in my opinion, not one of his masterpieces), and a more than decent historical horror film. Highly recommended! Was the above review useful to you?

8 out of 13 people found the following review useful: Bloodthirstier than Dracula! from the Draconian Swamp of Unholy Souls 12 October 2007 "The Bloody Judge" is unquestionably one of Jess Franco's finest accomplishments, and there are several elements that contributed to this. First of all, Christopher Lee depicts another unforgettably mean-spirited and frightening horror protagonist. This doesn't always guarantee a great movie, mind you, as Franco and Lee previously collaborated to make a couple of sequels in the Fu Manchu series, and they were dreadfully boring films. The character of medieval witch hunter Judge Jeffries clearly suits Lee a whole lot better than the oddly mustached oriental master-criminal and his performance confirms this. Secondly, for one of the few times during his entire career, Jess Franco could actually rely on a decent budget! There was enough money for fancy costumes and atmospheric scenery, and even the editing and cinematography were clearly handled professionally. Finally, you can hardly go wrong with the subject matter of medieval witch-hunting, political corruptness, vile torture footage and robust executions.

Although clearly inspired by the popularity of "Witchfinder General" (starring Vincent Price), "The Bloody Judge" contains more than enough own ideas and ingenuity to be considered as a success in its own right. The film opens with the extended and compelling trial of a young girl accused of witchcraft, leading to her relentless execution burning at the stake. The long opening adequately introduces the character of Judge Jeffries, but the actual plot only unfolds after this. The executed girl's sister flees up the country and falls in love with the son of an eminent politician, who also happens to rebel against the corrupt English crown. The obsessive Judge Jeffries orders his followers to capture all the rebels and submit them to torture, but the army of William of Orange is slowly approaching England to conquer the crown. The amounts of graphic violence and  especially  gratuitous sleaze are admirably kept rather low, and this in favor of character development and tension building. Naturally, there are a handful of brutal sequences on display (notably the "interrogation" of poor Alicia) but "The Bloody Judge" is mainly story & atmosphere-driven. Franco regular Howard Vernon (Dr.

Orloff!) has a small but terrific role as the sneering executioner Ketch. Like another reviewer already stated, Vernon here strangely resembles Marty Feldman when he played Igor in "Young Frankenstein". Maria Rohm is enticing and beautiful as ever playing Mary or "that wench" as people insist on referring to her. "The Bloody Judge" is a good film that easily deserves a spot in my Jess Franco top five, alongside "The Diabolical Dr. Z", "The Awful Dr. Orloff", "Faceless" and "Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun". Was the above review useful to you? 5 out of 8 people found the following review useful: A well made historical horror film from Franco from Edinburgh, Scotland, UK 24 April 2014 Along with Witchfinder General (1968), The Bloody Judge was part of a small subset of films from the late 60's / early 70's that can best be described as historical horror movies. In these we have a true historical subject which is played up in such a way that it crosses over into the territory of the horror film.

Seeing as this was a point in time where there was a plethora of period set costume horror flicks anyway, I suppose it makes a lot of sense that these films were made too. Like a lot of continental offerings from the period, this one throws in a lot of sadistic torture, nudity and sleaze as well and so covers the erotic horror sub-genre too. This is hardly surprising when you take into account that its director was the legendary Jesus Franco who was something of an expert at this kind of thing. The Bloody Judge came out at a point when Franco was enjoying the most high profile time of his career and so this one like a few others he made at the time is pretty high budgeted by his subsequent standards. It has good locations and a fine cast and benefits from professional editing and photography as well. It was also one of several collaborations Franco had with horror stalwart Christopher Lee too. Unlike their earlier Fu Manchu collaborations, the role of the infamous Lord Chief Justice Jeffreys  aka 'The Hanging Judge'  was much better suited to Lee.

He is very good as this cold central character, although he seemingly was not best pleased at all when he saw the finished film, presumably as a result of the salacious content Franco is famed for. The cast is good beyond Lee too; we have the beautiful Maria Rohm, the fine character actor Leo Genn and last but not least Franco regular Howard Vernon in a great over the top turn as a torturer/executioner. Like Witchfinder General before it and several others too, this one is set in witch hunting times. It's a period in history peculiarly well suited to horror movies. Most costume horrors tend to be set in the later Victorian period but when we go back further into the far scarier, unenlightened years of the 1600's we are squarely in a historical period where many very horrible things occurred and it is very well suited, therefore, to horror stories. Like most historical films, this one also takes considerable liberties with the actual history to be honest. But let's be fair, lots of critically acclaimed big budget historical movies do exactly the same  Braveheart for instance  and if they can then why bother complaining if these far smaller films do a similar thing.

For my money this is one of the better Franco films out there. I think the story and central character are good ones for the treatment and the production value is good enough to pull it off. The smattering of salacious content throughout didn't do it any harm and simply added to the entertainment factor to be perfectly honest. This maybe isn't of the level of the more personal delirious Franco efforts such as Vampyros Lesbos but it's definitely one of his most well made. I enjoyed it a fair bit. Was the above review useful to you? 5 out of 8 people found the following review useful: 1685. This is the time of plot and counter plot, of Witchcraft. from United Kingdom 17 October 2013 Il trono di fuoco (AKA: The Bloody Judge) is directed by Jesus Franco and written by Anthony Scott Veitch and Peter Welbeck. It stars Christopher Lee, Maria Schell, Leo Genn, Hans Hass Jr., Maria Rohm and Margaret Lee. Music is by Bruno Nicolai and cinematography by Manuel Merino.

Based on the real life Judge Jeffreys, the so called Hanging Judge who presided over what became known as The Bloody Assizes in Winchester 1685. Spaghetti horror with plenty of blood but nothing else. Christopher Lee was known to say this performance as the cruel Judge Jeffries was one of his best, you have to think he was bluffing by way of trying to be on the same planet as Vincent Price's turn as Matthew Hopkins in Witchfinder General two years earlier. Not that Lee is bad, far from it, he's the reason to watch this, it's just that he is planted in the picture for a number of scenes and everything else is spliced around him in hap-hazard fashion; and that's the uncut version as well! Ponderously paced and done on the cheap, it also comes off as tacky exploitation, where sex and glimpses of flesh serve for titillation, while exposition rules the day. It's a real hack job, aimlessly directed even. A battle scene stands out, but is at odds with the film, the costuming is smart, the set design equally so, and the colour photography decent.

Yet the over riding sense of boredom and amateurism strips the film of any real entertainment factor. Apart from Chris of course, but even then we don't really get a great deal of him! 3/10 Was the above review useful to you? 5 out of 8 people found the following review useful: Half decent Jess Franco film shocker! 5 June 2011 *** This review may contain spoilers *** The Bloody Judge is set in England during the year 1685 under the rule of King James II, loyal James supporter Judge George Jeffreys (Christopher Lee) is the Lord Chancellor & is feared for his harsh sentences or torture & execution. Judge Jeffreys sentences Alicia Gray (Maragret Lee) to death for Witchcraft, Jeffreys then speaks with Lord Wessex (Leo Genn) & discovers that his son Harry Selton (Hans Hass Jr.) has been having an affair with Alicia's sister Mary (Maria Rohm) & is known to be in contact with rebels.

Mary & Harry help the upcoming invasion by Monmouth in hope of overthrowing King James II & William of Orange taking his place, Jeffreys suspects that Harry is a traitor & fears for his own position if King James was ever defeated but Jeffreys falls for Mary. As the fighting across England intensifies & the rebels gain in strength & number & start winning Jeffreys orders the execution of 500 known traitors in a sign of defiance including Harry & Mary... This Liechtenstein, Spanish, German & Italian co-production was directed by the prolific exploitation & sleaze merchant Jess Franco, now I have never hid the fact that I think Jess Franco is one of the two worst director's ever along with Jim Wynorski but with a resume totaling two hundred odd films even Franco was going to make one or two good ones & The Bloody Judge is definitely one of his best films. Obviously made to cash-in on the success of Witchfinder General (1968) the central figure here is Judge George Jeffreys who was a real person, he was apparently nicknamed 'The Hanging Judge' & was widely know for the cruelty of his sentences.

Even if the central character is somewhat historically accurate the film itself isn't which is unsurprising given that Franco is a talentless hack (I just love insulting the guy, sorry). For instance the Monmouth rebellion actually failed & I seriously doubt he fell in love with a young girl. Anyway, The Bloody Judge is a real mixed bag of genres with large doses of costume drama, historic epic, biography, horror, sleaze, sex & war film with none particularly gelling together that well. The torture scenes look out of place between the rather dull historical dramatics & none of the character's come across that well, for instance Judge Jeffreys is fairly one dimensional as the script never tries to dig into his psyche or flesh him out as a person. Why was he the way he was? Was he just a sadistic & cruel man who hid behind the law to satisfy his brutal fantasies & desires? Did he genuinely believe that what he was doing was right? The script never even tries to answer this.

Lasting for about 100 minutes & although perfectly watchable the majority of The Bloody Judge is quite dull, sure there are occasional scenes of torture, nudity & execution to spice things up a bit but The Bloody Judge is largely a fairly slow moving historic period drama with blackmail, betrayal, treason, rebellions, secret love affairs, corruption & abuse of power & lots of people riding around on horseback. Released under a plethora of titles including Night of the Blood Monster, Throne of the Blood Monster, Trial of the Witches, Witch Killer of Broadmoor & Witches' Trial among other's. As well as various different titles there are a couple of different versions floating around, go for the US release which is a composite uncut version featuring some scenes in German only rather than the softer & shorter UK release. Although there's a fair amount of torture & sleaze The Bloody Judge isn't that explicit, women are chained up & lashed, branded & stabbed, hands are cut off & tongues ripped out while Rohm is forced to lick the blood of another female prisoners legs & body. There's also a very awkward scene in which Jeffreys gropes the naked Rohm but we never see Christopher Lee's face, only a pair of anonymous hands.

Apparently Lee never knew about the harder stuff that Franco shot & wasn't involved in it. There's a bit of sex & nudity as well but not that much. Filmed in Europe this looks surprisingly good, Franco must have actually had a budget on this. The sets & real period locations look very nice & give the film an authentic look. There are a couple of decent battle scenes involving lots of extra's on horseback & firing cannons, The Bloody Judge is maybe Franco's best looking & most lavish film complete with an orchestral score & colourful photography although he directs things in a rather dull & plodding fashion with plenty of static camera zooms & the like. The acting is quite good, Christopher Lee is great in a role he clearly liked & his booming voice & presence add a great deal of authority to the role. The Bloody Judge is easily one of Franco's better films, it's quite well made, it's nice to look at with decent amounts of violence, torture, sleaze & sex with an actual attempt to tell a compelling story even if it does plod on at a sedate pace.

Not bad at all to be fair, not as good as the other Witchfinder General cash-in Mark of the Devil (1970) but still pretty good all the same. Was the above review useful to you? 7 out of 12 people found the following review useful: Disappointingly tame Franco historical drama. from Perth, Australia 5 March 2002 One thing I must say about 'The Bloody Judge' is that despite the title, being directed by Jess Franco, the witchcraft theme, and the presence of the legendary Christopher Lee and Howard Vernon in the cast, this is NOT a horror movie. It is a historical drama. A little bit of gore and torture, but most certainly not the Bava-esque chiller you might expect. This is Franco on a larger budget than usual, but also to my mind a compromised Franco. The print I watched (the English version) featured no nudity and very little gore. Lee was excellent as usual in the title role, playing the power crazy witchfinder Judge Jeffreys, but without the usual Franco sleaze the story failed to hold my attention throughout.

If you haven't seen any of the director's work this might be a good jumping on point, but afficionados of the erotic and surreal 'Vampyros Lesbos' or 'Succubus' might find this one a bit of a snooze. Was the above review useful to you? 1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: A handsomely mounted but somewhat lifeless historical drama from Jess Franco 16 July 2015 *** This review may contain spoilers *** In observance of Christopher Lee's passing, I decided to rewatch this Jess Franco film - one of several Franco made for the lovably shady Harry Alan Towers. I last saw it ten years ago, and all I remembered was a then shocking scene in which Lee's hand-double molests an accused witch in exchange for her lover's life. The film is set during and after the Monmouth Rebellion, during which the Duke of Monmouth, the illegitimate son of Charles II, attempted to depose James II and claim the English crown. The real life conflict is pretty interesting, and parallels modern events in several ways, but the film follows a different path.

In the wake of the surprisingly successful Witchfinder General (1968), producers scrambled to cash in on it by making increasingly sleazy and violent witch-hunting films. Thus a legitimately interesting historical figure and his political dealings are sidelined by fictitious nonsense about torturing and executing witches. The film is sumptuously photographed by Manuel Merino, features a typically great soundtrack by Bruno Nicolai, and is skillfully directed by Jess Franco (who was reaping the benefits of the bigger budgets that Towers afforded him), but the pedestrian script (derived from a story by Towers) lets the film down. The scenes of torture lack the disturbing authenticity of their equivalents in Witchfinder General, and they're certainly not sleazy enough to compete with other "classics" of this sub-genre; Franco would explore similar ground to far greater success with The Demons (1973). Thankfully Lee is in fine form here, bringing his usual presence and professionalism. While the dolled up women fail to convince as Restoration-era witches, Lee's diligent research and attention to detail result in a frighteningly plausible human monster: Lord Chief Justice Jeffreys, the "Bloody Judge" of the title.

In an interview included on my DVD, he talks about how much of his performance is based around the painful kidney ailments Jeffreys suffered in real life. This is never directly referenced in the film, but it demonstrates the thoughtfulness and dedication that Lee brought to the table, even when the producer was more interested in making money than exploring history. In short, I would mostly recommend this only to die-hard fans of Lee or Franco. There are several more interesting movies of this type, and certainly better ones to explore from either man's oeuvre, including the several projects they made together. On that note, skip this one and watch Eugenie...the Story of Her Journey Into Perversion (1970) instead. Was the above review useful to you? Page 1 of 2: Royal Lineage The Bloody Assizes The Bloody Assizes were a series of trials started at Winchester on 25 August 1685 in the aftermath of the Battle of Sedgemoor, which ended the Monmouth Rebellion in England.

There were six judges - Sir William Montague (Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer), Sir Robert Wright, Sir Francis Wythens, (Justice of the King's Bench), Sir Creswell Levinz (Justice of the Common Pleas) and Sir Henry Polexfen, all led by the notorious Lord Chief Justice George Jeffreys. Over 1,000 rebels were in prison awaiting the trials, which started in Winchester on 26 August. The first notable trial was that of an elderly gentlewoman called Dame Alice Lyle. The jury reluctantly found her guilty, and, the law recognizing no distinction between principals and accessories in treason, she was sentenced to be burned. This was commuted to beheading, with the sentence being carried out in Winchester market-place on 2 September 1685. Hanging Judge Jeffreys A woman called Elisabeth Gaunt had the grisly distinction of being the last woman to be burnt in England for political crimes. From Winchester the court proceeded through the West Country to Salisbury, Dorchester and on to Taunton, before finishing up at Wells on 23 September.

More than 1,400 prisoners were dealt with and although most were sentenced to death about 300 only were hanged or hanged, drawn and quartered. The Taunton Assize took place in the Great Hall of Taunton Castle (now the home of the Somerset County Museum). Of more than 500 prisoners brought before the court on the 18/19 September, 144 were hanged and their remains displayed around the county to ensure people understood the fate of those who rebelled against the king. Some 800 - 850 men were transported to the West Indies where they were worth more alive than dead as a source of cheap labour. (The novel Captain Blood, and the later movies based on it, graphically portray this punishment.) Others were imprisoned to await further trial, although many did not live long enough, succumbing to 'Gaol Fever' (Typhus) which was rife in the unsanitary conditions common to most English gaols at that time.

Judge Jeffreys returned to London after the Assizes to report to King James II who rewarded him by making him Lord Chancellor (he was only 40 years old), 'For the many eminent and faithful services to the Crown'. Jeffreys became known as "the hanging judge". After the Glorious Revolution of 1688 Jeffreys was incarcerated in the Tower of London where he died in 1689, the cause of death probably due to his chronic medical history of kidney and bladder stones leading to an acute infection, kidney failure and possibly toxaemia (blood poisoning). George Jeffreys: The Hanging Judge | dr dud's dicta George Jeffreys: The Hanging Judge / Mrs Dud LAST WEEK I made mention in a footnote of George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys of Wem, otherwise known as ‘The Hanging Judge’. Well, I thought I would elaborate. Was the ‘hanging judge’ a fair description of the fellow? And who was he? His grandfather was John Jeffreys who had been Chief Justice of the Anglesey circuit of the Great Sessions, and his father, also John Jeffreys, served as High Sheriff of Denighshire.

His brother, Thomas, was the English Consul in Spain, and his other brother, William, became Vice-Dean of Canterbury. So authority and ambition was certainly in the family. George went to Trinity College, Cambridge, but only lasted a year, leaving without a degree. He entered Inner Temple (remember ‘My Cousin Ralph’, a couple of posts ago?) in 1663 and began his legal career in 1668. George Jeffreys (1645-89) In 1671 he was appointed Common Serjeant-at-Law of London (what?) [1]. Trust me , pretty fast promotion. He was knighted in 1677 and became Recorder of London [see fn 1, if you haven’t already] the following year. By 1680 he had become Chief Justice of Chester and Counsel for the Crown at Ludlow and Justice of the Peace for Flintshire. Charles II created him a baronet in 1681, and by 1683 he was Chief Justice of the King’s Bench and a member of the Privy Council.

He was a busy boy (I would say he didn’t ‘hang around’ but that’s an awful pun bearing in mind his nickname … so I won’t say it). It was when Jeffreys became Lord Chief Justice from 1683 that his conduct began to cause some unease. He presided over the trial of one Algernon Sydney who had been charged with conspiracy to assassinate King Charles II under the Rye House Plot. To establish treason two witnesses were required but the prosecution only had one. However, this didn’t seem to bother Jeffreys much and he ruled that Sydney’s own writings on republicanism were a sufficient ‘second witness’. Sydney was found guilty and executed. Good old 17th century justice. Jeffreys as Lord Chancellor, 1685 By 1685 he had been appointed Lord Chancellor and this is when he picked up the ‘Hanging Judge’ tag. But really due to no fault of his own. He was also made a peer, Baron Jeffreys of Wem (Wem is near Shrewsbury in Shropshire … but you knew that).

In Autumn of 1685, in Taunton, he presided over the trials of the rebels of the Monmouth Rebellion (a West Country plot to overthrow James II – Charles II had died in February of that year). Of the 1381 defendants, it has been suggested that some 700 were found guilty and sentenced to death. In fact, it appears that the more likely figure is between 160 and 170. Regardless, Jeffreys sentenced them all to hang and this event became known as The Bloody Assizes. Baron Jeffreys of Wem Why ‘The Hanging Judge’ tag is a little unfair is because Jeffreys had no choice but to sentence them to hang as that was the law at the time for punishment for treason. If anything, the tag should be aimed at (I was going to say ‘hung on’, but …..) the king, James II. He had the Royal Prerogative to reprieve the sentences (which was not unusual) but he chose not to use it on this occasion.

Jeffreys was a very able lawyer but he did have a bit of a reputation as a bad tempered vindictive individual who was often a little worse for wear in court due to drink. He had a painful kidney disease which his doctor suggested he take alcohol to dull the pain (my kind of doctor!) and this may account for his behaviour. I mentioned the Glorious Revolution in the Outlander post (last month). This is where Parliament passed legislation to prevent a Roman Catholic ruling as king of England and so deposing James II. Well, this took place in 1688 and was not good for Jeffreys, being a ‘James II man’. He tried to escape but was captured disguised as a sailor outside the ‘Town of Ramsgate’ public house in Wapping in London. He was sent to the Tower of London and died of his kidney disease the following year. So, George Jeffreys, ‘The Hanging Judge’ – fair or what? You judge ……. . Footnote [1] The Common Serjeant-at-Law of London is one of the High Officers of the City of London (established in 1291 – the title not London).

He is the second most senior permanent judge of the Central Criminal Court after the Recorder of London, acting as deputy to that office, and sitting as a judge in the trial of criminal offences. The 81st incumbent is His Honour Judge Richard Marks, QC, who was appointed on 3rd March 2015. . Artemus Smith’s Notebooks I have discovered another volume of Artemus’ notebooks (followers will recall Dr Artemus Smith was an archaeologist of great courage, determination and fiction). Here is another extract: One of my students was telling me that neither he nor his parents had ever left their small village until last year. They had saved money to travel to Oxford for the son’s interview. It was their very first time in a city. They visited a shopping mall and while the mother was shopping, the father and son were standing in awe in front of a lift (or elevator as some call it), having no idea what it was. As they watched, an elderly lady walked into the strange silver doors and the doors closed. The father and son watched as the numbers went up, and then back down. When the doors opened a beautiful young woman walked out.

My student said that his father leaned over and whispered to the him, “Son, go get your mother!”

Question: What was the name of the judge, known as 'The Hanging Judge', in the Bloody Assizes of 1685?
Answer: Judge Jeffreys