Jury Vetting in the Seventeenth Century

Juries are generally believed to be the collective voice of free-born Englishmen, but in the aftermath of Civil War the system was at the centre of debate about the effective governance of England.

Medal, John Lilburne
The commemorative medal struck after the acquital of John Lilburne. The head is surrounded by the words 'John Lilborne [sic] saved by the power of the Lord and the integrity of his Jury'. The reverse records the names of the jurors. Image: Mike Ringo/Wiki Commons.

Trial by jury, for so long regarded as the keystone of the English common law, has never been far from the centre of debate on the nature of justice, the liberties of the individual and the power of the State. Since disclosures made during an Official Secrets Act trial in 1978 raised the subject of 'jury-vetting', public discussion has centred on the legitimacy of jury control. In this short survey another age of jury-vetting will be explored. In the mid-seventeenth century civil liberty, judicial development and an increasingly powerful executive at central and local levels were likely to clash head-on.

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