Mr. Cruden greatly injured: an account of a trial between Mr. Alexander Cruden ... and Dr. Munro [and others], defendants ... July 17, 1739, on an action of trespass, assault and imprisonment ... To which is added a surprising account of several other persons who have been most unjustly confined in private madhouses / [Alexander Cruden].

  • Cruden, Alexander, 1699-1770.
Date:
1739
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Mr. Cruden greatly injured: an account of a trial between Mr. Alexander Cruden ... and Dr. Munro [and others], defendants ... July 17, 1739, on an action of trespass, assault and imprisonment ... To which is added a surprising account of several other persons who have been most unjustly confined in private madhouses / [Alexander Cruden]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    11/48 (page 5)
    * for a long 'Time did continue the fame, namely, for the Space « ^ /<?« Weeks, from the z^d of March /o 31/? of May, « 1738. Ty reafon of which he is much injured in his Calling, * Reputation and Bujinefs; and his Confitutiony Health and € Strength were, andjhll are very much weaken'd and impair'd; * and his Body very much wounded, that his Life was in great * danger: And other Wrongs and Injuries they to the fail Alex- * ander did, and againft the Peace of our Lord the King, Sec, 6 .whereby the Jaid Alexander is greatly injured : And he brings * his Suit againfl the faid Wright, Davis, Monro, and Gf- ‘ wald for Damages of ten thoufand Pounds’. Monro and Ofwald faid, that they were not in any wife guilty of the laid Trefpafs complain’d of by the Plaintif, and pleaded Not guilty. Wright and Davis could not deny the Plaintiffs being their Prifoner; and therefore pretended tojullify it, by pleading that he was mad and fent by Robert Wight- man to be taken care of: But the Plaintif replied that it was wrongfully and wickedly done by them. And upon this Jffue of Pleading it was brought to a Trial in Weflminfler-Hall, on Tue/day the 17th of July 1739. The Jury having been fworn, the Declaration was open’d by one of the Plaintif }s Ccunfel, and the Cafe more fully ex¬ plain’d by another, and a third Counfel made an excellent Speech againit the Evils of private Madhoufes ; and par¬ ticularly told the jury, that no Perfon had Power even to fend a Lunatick to a Madhouie without a Commiffion of Lunacy, or the Authority of two or three Jullices of the Peace : And told the jury, that it was proper for them to confider thefe Queflions, What Authority had the Defendants to commit the. Plaintif? And what way could they juftify their meddling with the Plain¬ tif, and abufing him in the Manner complain’d of ? The Adi of the 1 2th of Queen Anne about Lunaticks, was refer’d to, which the Defendants had violated ; for by that Adi a Perfon furiouily mad, who is not of fuch an Eflate as to afford the Charges of a Commiffion of Lunacy, is not to be confin’d without the Au¬ thority of two or more Juilices of the Peace : And what greatly aggravated the Defendants Guilt, the Plaintif was fo abufed when in his right Senfes. The following Witneffes were brought by the Plaintif, and folemnly fworn as ufual. Samuel Reynardfon, Efq ; one of the fix Clerks in Chancery, made Oath, that he had known the Plaintif about fifteen Years, and that he had been Tutor to Mr. Coltman's only Son at Southgate his near Relation : That the Plaintif behaved in that Family to Satisfadlion. That the Plaintif was at his Houle: about the 8th of March 1737-8, being about a Fortnight be¬ fore his Confinement at Bethnal-Green: That the Plaintif be¬ haved