m ANNUAL REGISTER, I8I7. 



dccordance in, all the principles of 

 the Christiari religion. 



Evidence was then called to sup- 

 port the defendant's case. 



Lawrence CoXall, churchwarden 

 bF the parish of Sutton, proved, 

 that Sutton church had been shut 

 up front the 25th of June to the 

 3d of Septettibei-. 



Thomas BrosVnjtheotherchurch- 

 wai-den, corroborated the testimo- 

 ny of the last witness, and proved 

 that the church had been farther 

 shut from the 15th of Septembei- 

 to the 5th of November, no ser- 

 vice having been performed. 



Dr. M'Garth, a medical gentle- 

 man, proved the precarious state 

 of Sir Montague Burgoyne's health 

 from his return fioui Gibraltar to 

 the present moment, and the dan- 

 ger of lus going to church at par- 

 ticular stage* of his disorder. 



Lucy Carrington, nurse in Sir 

 Montague's fairtily, bore testimony 

 to her master or mistress invaria- 

 bly reading prayers to the family 

 on tljc Sunday wlicn they did not 

 go to chureR. 



Tlie Rev. Dr. Hughes occasion- 

 ally visited Sir Montague's family 

 for weeks togctlier, aiid always 

 read prayers to the family when 

 they did not go to chujch. 



Mr. BiU'on Graham being of 

 opinion that a reasonable excuse 

 for the non-atteiidance of tlie de- 

 fendaUt at liis parish churcli had 

 been proved, Mr. Serjeant Blos- 

 sett did not call any itaorte wit- 

 nesses. 



Mr, Baron (iraham siminied up 

 the evidence. His I ordship ab- 

 stained from making any remark 

 ui)()n the motives by which the 

 plaintiff had been actuated in this 

 action ; but at the sAme time re- 

 marked, that no liberal mind could 

 have construed the statute of Eli- 



zabeth in the manner in which it 

 had been construed by him. He 

 left It for the Jury to say, whether 

 a reasonable excuse had not been 

 proved for the non-attendance of 

 the defendant at church, and whe- 

 ther, in other respects, the case of 

 the plaintiff had not received a 

 complete answer. 



The Jury without hesitation 

 found the defendant — Not Guilty. 



BEDFORDSHIRE LENT ASSIZES. 

 MARCH. 



The Kin^, on the proseattion of 

 James Harris, v. the Rtv. Robert 

 H'oodward, Clerk, and SvsanHah 

 Woodward and Sarah Woodward, 

 Spinsters. — This case has produced 

 an uncommon degree of interest 

 in all parts of the county of Bed- 

 ford, fi-om the peculiar character 

 of the crime imputed to the defen- 

 dants. The comt was crowded at 

 an early hour with persons of all 

 ranks ; but, from the nature of 

 tilt evidence and riemarks about 

 to be submitted to the Jury, it was 

 deemed proper that the ladies 

 should be ordered to withdraw. 

 The defendants having taken their 

 places in court, the clerk of the 

 arraigns read tlie indictment, 

 which charged them with having 

 foully and maliciously conspired 

 together, falsely to accuse one 

 James Harris of having commit- 

 ted a rape on the person of Susan- 

 nah Woiwlwurd; in furtherance of 

 which conspiracy the said parties 

 a])pearcd before the Reverend W. 

 Hooper, one of tiie magistrates of 

 the county, and preferred their 

 charge, in consequence whereof a 

 warrant was issued for the appre- 

 hension of James Harris : he was 

 committed to gaol, and at the last 



assizes 



