Jury service (1653) (1669)
Post date: Jul 18, 2012 12:25:45 PM
Hugh Hatch of Wateringbury served as a juror at 25th July 1653 Maidstone Assizes including the trial of a group of 5 people charged with riotous assembly at Woolwich , all of whom were found not guilty.
Thomas Becket of Wateringbury served on the trial jury at Rochester Assizes on 27th July 1669. The cases he heard included:
Margaret Andrewes -infanticide- not guilty
Martin Hills-petty larceny-not guilty
Anne Buddle -murder by witchcraft-not guilty
Edward South, Thomas Woodley and Thomas Blackman -for murder- South and Woodley guilty to hang- Blackman-not guilty.
John Hunt for infanticide-not guilty.
Given high proportion of not guilty verdicts it seems Wateringbury provided independent-minded jurors.