Trials Johnathan Britain (1 results)

Bristol: Printed by S. Farley., 1772. 15 pp. (illustrator). Bristol: Printed by S. Farley., 1772. 15 pp. A Confidence Man is Sent to the Gallows [Trial]. Britain, Jonathan [d. 1772], Defendant. The Trial of Jonathan Britain Capitally Convicted of Forgery, May the 2d, 1772, at the Guildhall in the City of Bristol, Before the Right Worshipful Henry Bright, Esq; Mayor; The Worshipful John Dunning, Esq; Recorder; And Other His Majesty's Justices of Oyer and Terminer, At the General Gaol Delivery for the Said City and County. Bristol: Printed by S. Farley; In Castle Green; And Sold by the Several Booksellers in Bristol [et al.], [1772]. 15 pp. At head of title page: "By permission." Quarto (9-3/4" x 8"). Disbound stab-stitched pamphlet. Light toning, negligible light soiling to exterior. $350. * Only edition. Jonathan Britain was a notable confidence man. After a long career he was finally caught, convicted and hanged after he attempted to impersonate the son of a woman, one of many he charmed, to whom he sent letters requesting money in the son's name. Despite the evidence, he was so persuasive in his trial that many were convinced he was innocent. The forward in our account details Britain's convoluted trail of forgery. It also illuminates the use of bills of exchange, which was the most common way to remit money in eighteenth-century England. English Short Title Catalog T176402.