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7 unusual facts about 1794 Treason Trials


1794 Treason Trials

Much of the vigorous political debate in the 1790s in Britain was sparked by the publication of Edmund Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France (1790).

When, in October 1795, crowds threw refuse at the king and insulted him, demanding a cessation of the war with France and lower bread prices, the Parliament immediately passed the "gagging acts" (the Seditious Meetings Act and the Treasonable Practices Act, also known as the "Two Acts").

In Scotland, three leaders of the convention were tried for sedition and sentenced to fourteen years of service in Botany Bay.

John Thelwall

In 1794 he, Horne Tooke and Thomas Hardy were tried for treason following lectures protesting the arrest of other political activists.

Sonnets on Eminent Characters

Thomas Erskine, a member of the Whig party, was a lawyer that served as a defender during the 1794 Treason Trials.

To Erskine

The subject of the poem is Thomas Erskine, a lawyer and member of the Whig party that successfully served in the defense of three political radicals during the 1794 Treason Trials.

To Pitt

This crack down on opposition to his Prime Ministry was followed by 1794 Treason Trials, which charged political dissidents with treason.



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