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Ashford v Thornton (1818) 106 ER 149 is an English criminal case in the Court of King's Bench which upheld the right of the defendant to trial by battle on a private appeal from an acquittal for murder. In 1817, Abraham Thornton was charged with the murder of Mary Ashford. Thornton had met Ashford at a dance and had walked with her from the event. The next morning, she was found drowned in a pit with little evidence of violence. Public opinion was heavily against Thornton, but the jury quickly acquitted him and found him not guilty of rape.

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  • Ashford v Thornton (1818) 106 ER 149 is an English criminal case in the Court of King's Bench which upheld the right of the defendant to trial by battle on a private appeal from an acquittal for murder. In 1817, Abraham Thornton was charged with the murder of Mary Ashford. Thornton had met Ashford at a dance and had walked with her from the event. The next morning, she was found drowned in a pit with little evidence of violence. Public opinion was heavily against Thornton, but the jury quickly acquitted him and found him not guilty of rape. Mary's brother William Ashford launched an appeal, and Thornton was rearrested. Thornton claimed the right to trial by battle, a medieval usage that had never been repealed by Parliament. Ashford argued that the evidence against Thornton was overwhelming and that he was thus ineligible to wage battle. The court decided that the evidence against Thornton was not overwhelming, and that therefore trial by battle was a permissible option under law. Ashford declined the offer of battle, however, and therefore Thornton was freed from custody. Appeals such as Ashford's were abolished by statute in 1819, and with them the right to trial by battle. Thornton emigrated to the United States. (en)
  • Ashford v Thornton est une affaire judiciaire, jugée devant la Cour du banc du Roi anglaise, qui, dans le cadre de l'appel d'un jugement d'acquittement pour meurtre, a confirmé le droit d'un accusé à bénéficier d'un duel judiciaire. En 1817, Abraham Thornton est accusé du meurtre de Mary Ashford. Thornton l'avait rencontrée à une soirée de danse puis l'avait raccompagnée. Le lendemain matin, Mary Ashford avait été retrouvée noyée dans une fosse, avec peu de signes extérieurs de violence. Bien que l'opinion publique ait été fortement hostile à Thornton, le jury le disculpa rapidement de l'accusation de meurtre et de viol. Le frère de Mary, William Ashford, fit appel du jugement et Thornton fut de nouveau arrêté. Il revendiqua le droit à un duel judiciaire, une coutume médiévale jamais abrogée par le Parlement. Ashford fit valoir que les éléments de preuve à l'encontre de Thornton étaient écrasants et que le duel n'était donc pas admissible. La cour décida que les preuves contre Thornton n'étaient pas vraiment incontestables et que, par conséquent, le duel judiciaire était une option permise par la loi ; Thornton bénéficia ainsi de la faculté d'y recourir. Ashford déclina l'offre de duel et Thornton fut libéré. Les appels tels que celui formulé par Ashford furent abolis par une loi en 1819 et, avec eux, le droit au duel judiciaire. Thornton émigra aux États-Unis, où il mourut vers 1860. (fr)
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  • The Court of King's Bench, circa 1808 (en)
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dbp:dateDecided
  • 1818-04-16 (xsd:date)
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  • William Ashford v Abraham Thornton (en)
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  • Drawing of a large, crowded courtroom (en)
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  • 250 (xsd:integer)
dbp:judges
  • Lord Ellenborough , John Bayley, Charles Abbott, George Holroyd (en)
dbp:keywords
  • Trial by battle (en)
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  • Ashford v Thornton (en)
dbp:opinions
  • All judges gave opinions upholding the defendant's right to wage battle. (en)
dbp:priorActions
  • Acquittal of Thornton on charges of murder and rape. (en)
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  • 0001-04-20 (xsd:gMonthDay)
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  • Ashford v Thornton (1818) 106 ER 149 is an English criminal case in the Court of King's Bench which upheld the right of the defendant to trial by battle on a private appeal from an acquittal for murder. In 1817, Abraham Thornton was charged with the murder of Mary Ashford. Thornton had met Ashford at a dance and had walked with her from the event. The next morning, she was found drowned in a pit with little evidence of violence. Public opinion was heavily against Thornton, but the jury quickly acquitted him and found him not guilty of rape. (en)
  • Ashford v Thornton est une affaire judiciaire, jugée devant la Cour du banc du Roi anglaise, qui, dans le cadre de l'appel d'un jugement d'acquittement pour meurtre, a confirmé le droit d'un accusé à bénéficier d'un duel judiciaire. Le frère de Mary, William Ashford, fit appel du jugement et Thornton fut de nouveau arrêté. Il revendiqua le droit à un duel judiciaire, une coutume médiévale jamais abrogée par le Parlement. Ashford fit valoir que les éléments de preuve à l'encontre de Thornton étaient écrasants et que le duel n'était donc pas admissible. (fr)
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  • Ashford v Thornton (en)
  • Ashford v Thornton (fr)
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