The History of the Last Trial by Jury for Atheism in England: A Fragment of Autobiography, Submitted for the Perusal of Her Majesty's Attorney-general and the British ClergyHolyoake, George Jacob. The History of the Last Trial by Jury for Atheism in England: A Fragment of Autobiography, Submitted for the Perusal of Her Majesty's Attorney-General and the British Clergy. London: James Watson, 1851. vi, 100 pp. Reprint available May 2005 by the Lawbook Exchange, Ltd. ISBN 1-58477-553-X. Cloth. $65. * Holyoake [1817-1906], a notable free-thinking socialist lecturer and self-described "agitator," was the last person in England indicted for blasphemy based on remarks during a debate after one of his speaking engagements. Though convicted, he emerged the moral victor. As his account of the trial indicates, he defending his position eloquently. And his stirring critique of the blasphemy laws did much to undermine their validity in the popular mind. |
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