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Question re legal system in the mid nineteenth century

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  • Question re legal system in the mid nineteenth century

    As you will all know, my ggg grandfather, Jacob Asher, his brother & a friend, were put on trial in 1858 for robbery & attempted murder. In the newspaper account of the proceedings, it gives the name of a defence lawyer & says he "spoke for the Ashers".....in other words, he doesn't seem to have been acting for the friend. No one is specifically mentioned as acting for the friend.

    Would this just be standard procedure, or does it indicate that the Ashers had some money behind them ? (they were ordinary working men). It's possible that money was provided by the Jewish community or by their father who had a established his own business by that time (not sure if he'd have been able to afford that, though)

    I'd have thought that, if the state had provided someone speaking for the defence in this instance, the same person would have represented the Ashers' friend:p

  • #2
    Grey

    I don't think there was any concept of free legal advice or representation back then but I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

    OC

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    • #3
      I think you're right, OC......I was just wondering what happened then, to ordinary working people who probably couldn't have afforded legal representation ? Would they have had access to relatively cheap but useless lawyers or would they have gone into court with no one except themselves to give their side of the story ?

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      • #4
        This page on the Old Bailey site may help, although I have not read it in any detail. There is a section dealing with lawyers.
        A searchable online edition of the Proceedings of the Old Bailey, 1674-1913.
        Phil
        historyhouse.co.uk
        Essex - family and local history.

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