Report of Soulden Lawrence on 3 collective petitions (2 copies of a petition of 7...

Report of Soulden Lawrence on 3 collective petitions (2 copies of a petition of 7 people, including the chaplain and governor of Gloucester Gaol; 171 people, from Stroud in Gloucestershire) on behalf of William Freeman, ship chandler, convicted at the Gloucester Assizes on 17 March 1797, for horse stealing, property of William Haynes, farmer at Dodderil [Dodderhill] in Worcestershire, on 10 February 1797. Evidences supplied by William Haynes, John Jones, servant to William Haynes; William Piff, of Elmstone Hardwicke in Gloucestershire, Mary Holme, 'Mistress of the Air Balloon' a public house; Charles Freeman, keeper of the George Inn; Charles Leach, Daniel Niblett, Peter Gardiner, John Hollings, magistrate; Joseph Pearce and the prisoner. In his report Lawrence mentions another prisoner convicted of the same crime, George Martin, and that 6 people had been convicted of horse stealing. He states it would set an example if 'the Law should take its course agt some of them'. There are covering letters from Mr Ferguson, of the House of Commons and Sir John Sinclair. There are also drafts of petitions on behalf of the prisoner. Grounds for clemency: prisoner only told of the date of the trial 2 days beforehand, did not have time to organise character witnesses (prisoner is from Scotland and his witnesses had far to travel while the prosecution witnesses mostly from London) and the judge considered such witnesses may have led the jury to a different verdict. Initial sentence: death, respited for one week. Recommendation: speaks against mercy. Folios 78-98. See also HO 47/21/12, folios 62-69 for Martin.