The genuine tryal at large of Mary Blandy, spinster, for poisoning her late father Francis Blandy : at the Assizes held at Oxford, for the county of Oxford, on Tuesday the third of March, 1752.

Date:
1752
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The genuine tryal at large of Mary Blandy, spinster, for poisoning her late father Francis Blandy : at the Assizes held at Oxford, for the county of Oxford, on Tuesday the third of March, 1752. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    (s) The Trial at large of Mary Blandy, Spinfter, at Oxford Aflizes, on Tuefday the 3d of March, 17?z, for poifoning her Father, Francis Blandy, Gent. Town- Clerk of Henley upon Thames, Oxfordfnre. N Saturday the 29th of laft Month, in the Evening, the Hon. Mr. Baron Legge, and the Hon. Mr. Baron Smythe came here, and immediate¬ ly repaired to the Council- Room, and open’d their Com million for holding the Aflizes for this County, when they adjourned to the Divinity School, (which was made convenient for that Purpofe) to Monday Morning 9 o’Clock. On Sunday their Lordlhips went to St. Mary’s Church, where an excellent Sermon was preached by the Rev. Mr. Barton, of New College, from the follow¬ ing Words, TShou Jbalt not bear falfe Wit- nefs againft thy Neighbour. Monday the fecond of March, the Court being fat, a learned and excellent Charge was given to the Grand Jury *, among other Offences, they were directed to enquire after that of Murder \ of this Oxford, March 5, 1752. Crime the feveral Species were enume¬ rated. Speaking of that Sort called Poifon, his Lordfhip obferved, that as it was the moft dangerous, fo it was the moft detefied of all others ; that it was generally contrived and executed in fo iecret a Manner, that in fome Cafes, it would, humanly fpeaking, be impoflible to find it out, did not the Finger of God evidently point it out to us *, that formerly this Crime had been made High Treafon, by exprefs Statute, and the Punifhment was to be boiled to Death. This Punifh¬ ment was thought too fevere, and was therefore repealed in the Reign of Edward VI. That the Murder of a Hufband by a Wife, or a Mailer or Miflrefs by a Servant, is called Pettit-Treafon, and has particular Punifhment 5 but that the Murder of a Parent by a Child, called Parricide, had no other Punilhment than common Murder * ^ that the ancient A Nations * 44 The Romans made no Law againft thefe execrable Perfons, as fuppofing none would be 44 fo wicked as to commit fuch Crimes, till L. Cftius, about 500 Yean after the Death of 44 Numa, killed his Father ; upon which they ordered that fo flagitious a Malefaftor, fhould, 44 upon his being apprehended, have wooden Shoes put on him, and fo haled to Goa), where he 44 was to continue one Year, during which Time his Feet were not to touch the common 44 Parent of Mankind, the Earth ; after that he was fcourged, and then tied up in a Leather 44 Sack, together with a Dog, an Ape, a Cock and a Viper, and fo thrown into the next 44 Water that was deep enough to drown him ; and farther, if a Child was ungracious enough, 44 as but to ftrike his Parents, he was to have his Hands cut off. The old Egyptians ufed 44 to run (harp Reeds into every Part of the Bodies of Parricides, and after having thus wounded “ almoft every Part, threw them upon a Heap of Thorns, and fet Fire to them.”