Short Title: Talbot v Wood. [Cause code: SCEL-17965]. Documents: [pleadings]. Plaintiffs:...

Short Title: Talbot v Wood.

[Cause code: SCEL-17965].

Documents: [pleadings].

Plaintiffs: Edward Talbot esq.

Defendants: John Woode, apothecary.

County: [not yet known].

Subject: slander; a false charge against plaintiff of attempting to poison his brother Gilbert Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury about three years before, in return for an annuity.

Regnal year: 37 Eliz I.

Case report, taken from Star Chamber Reports, BL Harley MS 2143, ed K. J. Kesselring (List and Index Society, Special Series 57, 2018):

[346] Edward Talbot, armiger, plaintiff; John Wood, defendant: for a practice and plot in falsely accusing the plaintiff to have practiced and intended to have poisoned the Earl of Shrewsbury his brother and for forgiving a grant of a £100 a year in the plaintiff’s name to add the more credit to his plot, £500 fine, Fleet during the queen’s pleasure. Pillory in two places, and to ride on a geld horse back with his face backward. Trinity 37 Elizabeth fo. 13.

[949] Talbot, armiger, plaintiff; Wood, defendant: the defendant having been sentenced for forgery and practice in accusing the plaintiff falsely to have compassed the death of the Earl of Shrewsbury, [fo. 64v] the plaintiff’s brother, by empoisoning a pair of sweet gloves, the which offence the defendant had upon his answer and examination to the plaintiff’s interrogatories and otherwise denied upon his oath, but the being proved the defendant was convicted, and afterward the defendant’s offence being discovered by others, he voluntarily then confessed the same, and that he had wrongfully accused the plaintiff of the practice and confessed that he contrived and wrote a note in Mr Talbut’s name to a milliner for buying a pair of gloves and that he was sorry for his offence and prayed forgiveness of the same, for which perjury upon his own confession, being not formerly punished and for counterfeiting of the note, he was adjudged upon an ore tenus, upon Mr Attorney’s motion to perpetual imprisonment to lose his ears, 1000 marks fine. Michaelmas 38 Elizabeth fo. 98 [note: folio references are to the lost Star Chamber decree and order entry books].

Further case report, taken from Les Reportes del Cases in Camera Stellata, pp 13-19:

2 July 37 Eliz I, 1595.

Includes: '"the plaintiff's councell did first enforce the impeachment of Wood's credite by sundry deceitefull practyses in phisike, (he practising phisike beign neyther lycensed nor graduate in any Universitye), of oykle of stagges bloode ministered to the Countess of Shrewseberye for the gowte, of drinkinge 12 gallons of wine pretending to draw the spirite of wyne, the ministringe of dyvers sophisitcate oyles, reciptes and other compositions, as oylle of waxe, butter, antimonie, licor of pearle, the quintessence of creme , and other ditillations" . a most palpable machivilian [Machiavellian].

Topics

Clothing

Litigation

Trade and commerce

Pay and pensions

Food and drink

Pardons

Crime