The Ancient Styles and Designations of Persons. d41 
he is not a yeoman but a soldier in his Majesty’s seventh regiment of Dragoons.” 
The Attorney-General Wolfe (afterwards Lord Kilwarden) put in a replication 
that the prisoner ‘‘is a yeoman,” and to try this question a Jury was empanelled. 
Evidence was given by Mr. Gregg, the Governor of Newgate (in Dublin), that 
in a conversation with Weldon, ‘‘he said he was a breeches maker from the 
county of Meath, but that he had been a soldier for two years; that he was a 
soldier in the Black Horse, and was taken in Cork.’ 
Mr. Curran, his counsel, contended that he was not a yeoman, and relied on 
a passage in Mr. Justice Blackstone’s Commentaries,! who says ‘‘ a yeoman is he 
that hath free land of forty shillings a year.” 
Baron George said, ‘‘ Shakespere seems to have considered a soldier synoymous 
with yeoman, and Dr. Johnson, in his second definition of the word, says, ‘It 
seems to have been anciently a kind of ceremonious title given to soldiers, whence 
we still have yeomen of the guard. 
“Tall yeomen seem’d they and of great might, 
And were enranged ready still for fight.” 
SPENCER. 
“You good yeomen 
Whose limbs were made in England, show us here 
The mettle of your pasture.” 
SHAKESPERE, Hen. 5. 
Mr. Justice Chamberlain, in charging the Jury, said, ‘‘ The issue you are to 
decide upon is whether the prisoner is a yeoman according to the strict legal 
definition of the word. Upon the authority of Judge Blackstone, who is cer- 
tainly a very high authority in the law, the prisoner does not appear to be a 
yeoman ; but according to the best writers in the English language he is a 
yeoman. It seems to have been anciently a ceremonious title given to soldiers, 
and we have still yeomen of the guard. All society is divided into peers, 
baronets, knights, esquires, gentlemen, yeomen, tradesmen, and artificers. At 
the time of finding this indictment the prisoner was not an artificer ; he had 
been a breeches maker, but two years before he had given up that and become 
a soldier, so that at the time of finding the bill he could not be entitled a trades- 
man or artificer, nor a gentleman, nor an esquire, therefore, under the common 
acceptation of the word, I think him sufficiently described ; and I am strongly 
fortified by this circumstance that no precedent is produced where a man is 
deseribed as a “ soldier” in an indictment. Upon the best English authorities 
yeoman is a title of courtesy. If we are wrong in this opinion, we shall be set 
right by the Judges who will be summoned this evening.” 
The Jury retired, and after some deliberation brought in a verdict that the 
prisoner is a yeoman. 
On the next day (Dec. 22, 1795), Mr. Justice Chamberlain said, ‘‘ We are to 
inform the prisoner and his counsel that nine of the Judges [of Ireland] met at 
Lord Clonmell’s, and they were unanimously of opinion that the direction given 
to the Jury was right.” 
The prisoner then pleaded not guilty, was found guilty, condemned, and 
executed,” 
1 Vol. 1, p. 106. 
2 State Trials, vol. 26, p. 292. 
