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Court Number One: The Old Bailey Trials that Defined Modern Britain
A TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEAR
A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR
A WATERSTONES PAPERBACK OF THE YEAR
'Superbly told' Simon Heffer, DailyTelegraph
'A hamper of treats' Sunday Telegraph
'[Grant employs] scholarship and depth of evidence' London Review of Books
'These tales of eleven trials are shocking, squalid, titillating and illuminating: each of them says something fascinating about how our society once was' The Times
'Deceptively thrilling' Sunday Times
'Excellent . . . Thomas Grant offers detailed accounts of eleven cases at the Old Bailey's Court Number One, with protagonists ranging from the diabolical to the pathetic. There is humour . . . but this is ultimately an affecting study of how the law gets it right - and wrong' Guardian
Court Number One of the Old Bailey is the most famous court room in the world, and the venue of some of the most sensational human dramas ever to be played out in a criminal trial.
The principal criminal court of England, historically reserved for the more serious and high-profile trials, Court Number One opened its doors in 1907 after the building of the 'new' Old Bailey. In the decades that followed it witnessed the trials of the most famous and infamous defendants of the twentieth century. It was here that the likes of Madame Fahmy, Lord Haw Haw, John Christie, Ruth Ellis, George Blake (and his unlikely jailbreakers, Michael Randle and Pat Pottle), Jeremy Thorpe and Ian Huntley were defined in history, alongside a wide assortment of other traitors, lovers, politicians, psychopaths, spies, con men and - of course - the innocent.
Not only notorious for its murder trials, Court Number One recorded the changing face of modern British society, bearing witness to alternate attitudes to homosexuality, the death penalty, freedom of expression, insanity and the psychology of violence. Telling the stories of twelve of the most scandalous and celebrated cases across a radically shifting century, this book traces the evolving attitudes of Britain, the decline of a society built on deference and discretion, the tensions brought by a more permissive society and the rise of trial by mass media.
From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Jeremy Hutchinson's Case Histories, Court Number One is a mesmerising window onto the thrills, fears and foibles of the modern age.
A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR
A WATERSTONES PAPERBACK OF THE YEAR
'Superbly told' Simon Heffer, DailyTelegraph
'A hamper of treats' Sunday Telegraph
'[Grant employs] scholarship and depth of evidence' London Review of Books
'These tales of eleven trials are shocking, squalid, titillating and illuminating: each of them says something fascinating about how our society once was' The Times
'Deceptively thrilling' Sunday Times
'Excellent . . . Thomas Grant offers detailed accounts of eleven cases at the Old Bailey's Court Number One, with protagonists ranging from the diabolical to the pathetic. There is humour . . . but this is ultimately an affecting study of how the law gets it right - and wrong' Guardian
Court Number One of the Old Bailey is the most famous court room in the world, and the venue of some of the most sensational human dramas ever to be played out in a criminal trial.
The principal criminal court of England, historically reserved for the more serious and high-profile trials, Court Number One opened its doors in 1907 after the building of the 'new' Old Bailey. In the decades that followed it witnessed the trials of the most famous and infamous defendants of the twentieth century. It was here that the likes of Madame Fahmy, Lord Haw Haw, John Christie, Ruth Ellis, George Blake (and his unlikely jailbreakers, Michael Randle and Pat Pottle), Jeremy Thorpe and Ian Huntley were defined in history, alongside a wide assortment of other traitors, lovers, politicians, psychopaths, spies, con men and - of course - the innocent.
Not only notorious for its murder trials, Court Number One recorded the changing face of modern British society, bearing witness to alternate attitudes to homosexuality, the death penalty, freedom of expression, insanity and the psychology of violence. Telling the stories of twelve of the most scandalous and celebrated cases across a radically shifting century, this book traces the evolving attitudes of Britain, the decline of a society built on deference and discretion, the tensions brought by a more permissive society and the rise of trial by mass media.
From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Jeremy Hutchinson's Case Histories, Court Number One is a mesmerising window onto the thrills, fears and foibles of the modern age.
440 pages, Paperback
First published March 21, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
January 12, 2021
full post here:
http://www.nonfictionrealstuff.com/20...
I don't remember quite how I stumbled upon this book but I had picked it up in August and sadly let it sit on my shelves for the next four months. I'd actually forgotten about it until as part of my end-of-year cleanout I rediscovered it, making it almost like a belated Christmas gift to myself. It took me about five days to read but I was completely engrossed throughout, since out of the eleven cases covered here, I was familiar with only three, and even among those I'd had little to no clue about the courtroom side of things.
As the back blurb says, "Court Number One recorded the changing face of British society, providing a window on to the thrills, fears and foibles of the modern age;" as the author puts it,
"This is a book about this courtroom, about some of the people who have appeared in it, whether as defendant, counsel or judge, and about the practice of criminal law. It is also intended to be about British sensibilities and preoccupations over the last hundred years. It is one of the contentions of this book that through the criminal trials that have occurred in Britain's foremost court there can be traced at least one version of social and moral change over the last century."
Mr. Grant takes his readers through eleven cases ranging datewise from 1907 to 2003, some familiar, others less so. What remains constant throughout is the idea that, as he says,
"the court is not a hermetically sealed space, divorced from the values and prejudices outside."
Setting each of these cases within its contemporary social, cultural and political contexts, it soon becomes clear that the "language of the courtroom is as much saturated in ideology as any other medium." These words come directly from his coverage of the 1923 trial of Marguerite Fahmy, but they are appropriate in each and every case in this book -- as times and cultural attitudes change, contemporary popular prejudices are also reflected in how the case plays out in court.
Court Number One is likely not for a reader who wants just a quick look at these cases, because it takes time for the author to establish the current cultural/social/political scene, to examine past cases that reflect directly or indirectly on the ones under study here, and most importantly, to try to offer a window on the changes from one period to another over the century that also had a bearing on the action in the courtroom. It is a job well done, an extremely interesting and informative book that makes for fascinating reading.
http://www.nonfictionrealstuff.com/20...
I don't remember quite how I stumbled upon this book but I had picked it up in August and sadly let it sit on my shelves for the next four months. I'd actually forgotten about it until as part of my end-of-year cleanout I rediscovered it, making it almost like a belated Christmas gift to myself. It took me about five days to read but I was completely engrossed throughout, since out of the eleven cases covered here, I was familiar with only three, and even among those I'd had little to no clue about the courtroom side of things.
As the back blurb says, "Court Number One recorded the changing face of British society, providing a window on to the thrills, fears and foibles of the modern age;" as the author puts it,
"This is a book about this courtroom, about some of the people who have appeared in it, whether as defendant, counsel or judge, and about the practice of criminal law. It is also intended to be about British sensibilities and preoccupations over the last hundred years. It is one of the contentions of this book that through the criminal trials that have occurred in Britain's foremost court there can be traced at least one version of social and moral change over the last century."
Mr. Grant takes his readers through eleven cases ranging datewise from 1907 to 2003, some familiar, others less so. What remains constant throughout is the idea that, as he says,
"the court is not a hermetically sealed space, divorced from the values and prejudices outside."
Setting each of these cases within its contemporary social, cultural and political contexts, it soon becomes clear that the "language of the courtroom is as much saturated in ideology as any other medium." These words come directly from his coverage of the 1923 trial of Marguerite Fahmy, but they are appropriate in each and every case in this book -- as times and cultural attitudes change, contemporary popular prejudices are also reflected in how the case plays out in court.
Court Number One is likely not for a reader who wants just a quick look at these cases, because it takes time for the author to establish the current cultural/social/political scene, to examine past cases that reflect directly or indirectly on the ones under study here, and most importantly, to try to offer a window on the changes from one period to another over the century that also had a bearing on the action in the courtroom. It is a job well done, an extremely interesting and informative book that makes for fascinating reading.
June 20, 2019
There were negatives. I wasn’t always convinced by the authors choice of cases that took place in the number one court over the last century, and the preambles to the cases were often overly long and not always relevant. It was however strangely addictive, and a policy of selectivity made it an interesting read. I loved the fact that he constantly referred to Queen’s Council colloquially as ‘silks’.
July 11, 2019
Meticulously researched and sparklingly written, this engrossing book is as much a social history of Britain in the last hundred years as a collection of gripping courtroom dramas.
We're reminded of the sheer, sometimes hilarious, weirdness of the past. In a bizarre trial in 1918 for criminal libel of proto-fascist agitator and MP Noel Pemberton-Billing, as war raged on the Western front, a defence witness earnestly explained for the benefit of the spellbound court that the clitoris is "a superficial organ that, when unduly excited or over-developed, possesse[s] the most dreadful influence on any woman". "An exaggerated clitoris", he added helpfully, "might even drive a woman to an elephant.” (In a characteristic dry aside, Grant observes that "Manfully, the [all-male] jury took this revelation in its stride".) The jury bought Billing's crazed conspiracy theories (a secret coterie of establishment fifth-columnists, rootless Jews and depraved homosexuals were, he claimed, working hand-in-glove to undermine Britain's moral fibre and bring about German victory), and he was acquitted. It would all be highly entertaining if it were not such an salutary reminder of how tub-thumping nationalist scoundrels can, in febrile times, overawe and intimidate the forces of sanity.
Indeed, a constant that emerges from these fascinating case histories is the power of moral panics, popular prejudices and press-inspired mass outrage of one sort or another to cloud both reason and judgment, even in the most prominent courtroom in the land. Marguerite Fahmy shot her Egyptian playboy husband dead after a blazing row in the Savoy Hotel in 1923. Defending her in Court One of the Old Bailey in her trial for murder was Edward Marshall Hall, the most celebrated criminal barrister of the age. It looked like a slam-dunk for the prosecution, until Marshall Hall got to work on the jury. His client, he explained, had made "possibly the greatest mistake any woman can make: a woman of the West married to an Oriental ... if you strip off the external civilisation of the Oriental, you get the real Oriental underneath and it is common knowledge that the Oriental’s treatment of women does not fit in with the idea the Western woman has of the proper way she should be treated by her husband.” The jury, persuaded that no decent white woman could be expected to submit to the "unnatural practices" demanded of her by an "Oriental", duly acquitted her, not only of murder but also of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Miscarriages of justice the other way abound, and are compellingly anatomised. Poor, inarticulate Timothy Evans, hanged in 1950 for murders in fact committed - as was discovered three years too late - by the prosecution's oh-so-respectable star witness, John Christie, is the most famous. The tragic story of Ruth Ellis, a victim of cruel abuse hanged - in special anti-prolapse canvas pants, we are gruesomely informed - in 1955 for a murder of which she would today certainly be acquitted, is expertly and movingly told. Some cases remain controversial, at least among lawyers: wartime broadcaster of Nazi German propaganda William Joyce (popularly known as Lord Haw-Haw for his affectedly drawling English accent) had never held British citizenship, and so was not a subject of the Crown, but was nonetheless convicted of capital treason on the tenuous legal basis of his brief possession of an (unused) British passport. For all its majesty, the process of a criminal trial can, or at least could, sometimes appear to be little more than a judicial lynching attended by vengeful tricoteuses in the public gallery.
The book is a powerful riposte to the lazy belief that justice was better served in the "good old days" of quick, no-nonsense trials unburdened by elaborate safeguards of defendants' rights to fairness and due process. The account of the notorious Soham child-murders trial in 2003, unflinchingly but sensitively told, illustrates the remarkable and altogether admirable progress that has been achieved even within our lifetimes in the administration of justice. There is much still to be improved and reformed, but we have come a long way since the days, not that long ago, when sneering and cynically biased judges, bullying advocates and humiliated witnesses were the norm in the Central Criminal Court.
Grant's tone is erudite, urbane and highly engaging (occasionally, perhaps, just a touch florid), but there are passages that will move the reader to pity and, now and then, outright anger. The detailed accounts of the forensic thrust-and-parry of the actual trial with which each chapter culminates are exemplary in their clarity, humanity and sense of drama, and as a distinguished practising barrister (albeit not a criminal one) himself the writer is able to throw a fascinating light on the advocates' tactics, ruses and thought-processes; nor does he hesitate to identify professional ineptitude or judicial inadequacy when, as they frequently do in these eleven cases, they manifest themselves in the courtroom. The book is pitched at and perfectly accessible to the intelligent lay reader, but will (as this reviewer can vouch) equally entertain and inform those with knowledge of, or who practise in, the law. For anyone with an interest in criminal justice, fallible human beings in extremis and the madness of crowds, it's a highly rewarding and thought-provoking read.
We're reminded of the sheer, sometimes hilarious, weirdness of the past. In a bizarre trial in 1918 for criminal libel of proto-fascist agitator and MP Noel Pemberton-Billing, as war raged on the Western front, a defence witness earnestly explained for the benefit of the spellbound court that the clitoris is "a superficial organ that, when unduly excited or over-developed, possesse[s] the most dreadful influence on any woman". "An exaggerated clitoris", he added helpfully, "might even drive a woman to an elephant.” (In a characteristic dry aside, Grant observes that "Manfully, the [all-male] jury took this revelation in its stride".) The jury bought Billing's crazed conspiracy theories (a secret coterie of establishment fifth-columnists, rootless Jews and depraved homosexuals were, he claimed, working hand-in-glove to undermine Britain's moral fibre and bring about German victory), and he was acquitted. It would all be highly entertaining if it were not such an salutary reminder of how tub-thumping nationalist scoundrels can, in febrile times, overawe and intimidate the forces of sanity.
Indeed, a constant that emerges from these fascinating case histories is the power of moral panics, popular prejudices and press-inspired mass outrage of one sort or another to cloud both reason and judgment, even in the most prominent courtroom in the land. Marguerite Fahmy shot her Egyptian playboy husband dead after a blazing row in the Savoy Hotel in 1923. Defending her in Court One of the Old Bailey in her trial for murder was Edward Marshall Hall, the most celebrated criminal barrister of the age. It looked like a slam-dunk for the prosecution, until Marshall Hall got to work on the jury. His client, he explained, had made "possibly the greatest mistake any woman can make: a woman of the West married to an Oriental ... if you strip off the external civilisation of the Oriental, you get the real Oriental underneath and it is common knowledge that the Oriental’s treatment of women does not fit in with the idea the Western woman has of the proper way she should be treated by her husband.” The jury, persuaded that no decent white woman could be expected to submit to the "unnatural practices" demanded of her by an "Oriental", duly acquitted her, not only of murder but also of the lesser charge of manslaughter.
Miscarriages of justice the other way abound, and are compellingly anatomised. Poor, inarticulate Timothy Evans, hanged in 1950 for murders in fact committed - as was discovered three years too late - by the prosecution's oh-so-respectable star witness, John Christie, is the most famous. The tragic story of Ruth Ellis, a victim of cruel abuse hanged - in special anti-prolapse canvas pants, we are gruesomely informed - in 1955 for a murder of which she would today certainly be acquitted, is expertly and movingly told. Some cases remain controversial, at least among lawyers: wartime broadcaster of Nazi German propaganda William Joyce (popularly known as Lord Haw-Haw for his affectedly drawling English accent) had never held British citizenship, and so was not a subject of the Crown, but was nonetheless convicted of capital treason on the tenuous legal basis of his brief possession of an (unused) British passport. For all its majesty, the process of a criminal trial can, or at least could, sometimes appear to be little more than a judicial lynching attended by vengeful tricoteuses in the public gallery.
The book is a powerful riposte to the lazy belief that justice was better served in the "good old days" of quick, no-nonsense trials unburdened by elaborate safeguards of defendants' rights to fairness and due process. The account of the notorious Soham child-murders trial in 2003, unflinchingly but sensitively told, illustrates the remarkable and altogether admirable progress that has been achieved even within our lifetimes in the administration of justice. There is much still to be improved and reformed, but we have come a long way since the days, not that long ago, when sneering and cynically biased judges, bullying advocates and humiliated witnesses were the norm in the Central Criminal Court.
Grant's tone is erudite, urbane and highly engaging (occasionally, perhaps, just a touch florid), but there are passages that will move the reader to pity and, now and then, outright anger. The detailed accounts of the forensic thrust-and-parry of the actual trial with which each chapter culminates are exemplary in their clarity, humanity and sense of drama, and as a distinguished practising barrister (albeit not a criminal one) himself the writer is able to throw a fascinating light on the advocates' tactics, ruses and thought-processes; nor does he hesitate to identify professional ineptitude or judicial inadequacy when, as they frequently do in these eleven cases, they manifest themselves in the courtroom. The book is pitched at and perfectly accessible to the intelligent lay reader, but will (as this reviewer can vouch) equally entertain and inform those with knowledge of, or who practise in, the law. For anyone with an interest in criminal justice, fallible human beings in extremis and the madness of crowds, it's a highly rewarding and thought-provoking read.
July 16, 2022
Thomas Grant, himself a QC, has made quite a name for himself with his first two books as an astute and revealing social historian of the criminal bar. Whereas his first book focused on the long career of an individual barrister (the inestimable Jeremy Hutchinson), his latest work tells the story of an even longer career, that of Court Number One at the Old Bailey. From the sensational Camden Town Murder trial of 1907 to the Soham murders and the trial of Ian Huntley and Maxine Carr in 2003, Grant tells an engrossing, sometimes shocking, sometimes heartening, story of the workings of the English criminal justice system in the twentieth century through eleven remarkable trials. This is a book from which I have learned an enormous amount, and one that was a totally captivating, page-turning read.
November 28, 2020
If the first chapters appear slightly stilted in recalling long bygone trials from a century or so ago, this is more than made up for by the post 2nd world war cases.
Ellis and Evans may have been turning points in the campaign to eventually abolish the death penalty. However the self-represented Randle and Pottle, courageous but also fortunate to be in front of a jury that defied the judge's attempts to push for a conviction following their part in Russian spy George Blake's prison breakout, provided the more notable courtroom scenes. Even this was eclipsed by the astounding bias shown by the judge towards Jeremy Thorpe in the Norman Scott case in the late 70s, the excerpts quoted from the transcript displaying no hint of fairness.
The book ends with the Soham murder trial, told poignantly and with sympathy for the families of the victims.
Ellis and Evans may have been turning points in the campaign to eventually abolish the death penalty. However the self-represented Randle and Pottle, courageous but also fortunate to be in front of a jury that defied the judge's attempts to push for a conviction following their part in Russian spy George Blake's prison breakout, provided the more notable courtroom scenes. Even this was eclipsed by the astounding bias shown by the judge towards Jeremy Thorpe in the Norman Scott case in the late 70s, the excerpts quoted from the transcript displaying no hint of fairness.
The book ends with the Soham murder trial, told poignantly and with sympathy for the families of the victims.
September 1, 2020
This is an interesting book for me to review as it was very much a slow burner. I say that because usually I love books that explore the judicial system or true crime however this one took a little while to fully get into and be absorbed by. This book looks at some of the cases that have been tried in Court Number 1 at the Old Bailey and contains a mixture of more famous cases such as the 10 Rillington Place murders and the Soham Murders as well as cases that I hadn't heard of before such as the trial of two conspirators in the escape of one of the soviet spies. It was only about mid way in that I really started to get what this book was trying to do but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
August 30, 2020
Definitely enjoyed this book as it meandered through the infamous trials of Court Number One at the Old Bailey. The author beautifully articulates the full story of each trial, though I think sometimes the language does become overly descriptive and detracts from the overall story. The concluding chapter on the workings of the law is a must read. Highly recommend this book. If I could give a half star I would. A fantastic read.
January 31, 2023
This was such a great read. I started reading a chapter in between books but then decided I needed to just read it all as I was loving it. I love history and crime and the two together is just a perfect combination for me. Most of the cases where not the high profile ones we all know today but where massive in their day. All of them helped shape our current legal system.
Also a fantastic look at how an Edwardian building has adapted to keep itself still relevant today.
Also a fantastic look at how an Edwardian building has adapted to keep itself still relevant today.
Read
July 27, 2021I rarely dnf a book.
Giving up saddens me, because I looked forward to this book. Being a (non-British) lawyer and generally enjoying non-fiction all the odds were in favor of a great experience. I even marked it as a challenge book.
However, it just simply didn’t „click“ for me. Maybe it was the writing style, maybe it was something else, I really cannot put a finger on it. I was simply very bored and the book is too long to endure being bored.
I don’t want to say that this book is in any way badly written or per se boring! It didn’t work for me as an individual, so please give it a chance. The idea of the book is great!
Giving up saddens me, because I looked forward to this book. Being a (non-British) lawyer and generally enjoying non-fiction all the odds were in favor of a great experience. I even marked it as a challenge book.
However, it just simply didn’t „click“ for me. Maybe it was the writing style, maybe it was something else, I really cannot put a finger on it. I was simply very bored and the book is too long to endure being bored.
I don’t want to say that this book is in any way badly written or per se boring! It didn’t work for me as an individual, so please give it a chance. The idea of the book is great!
February 24, 2023
Really interesting, thought provoking account of 11 trials in the 20th century
February 13, 2021
I bought this book solely as it has a diagram showing the layout of the famous court and I needed this for research on the Misty Blue series. I SO wish that it had been published early enough for me to have read it before I completed the original Misty Blue story (although I did not spot any 'unforced errors' in my work which is a great relief!)
This book is a goldmine as well as being a cracking good read. It has a good selection of photos and drawings and the two appendices, dealing with the history of the court and procedure in criminal trials, are a 'one-stop'shop' for anyone writing about that subject. The main focus of the book is an excellently selected reprise of some of the most infamous trials of the last century, arranged both chronologically and by type, and these are also well worth reading. I finished up with a list of other books that I want/need to read, including Grant's other book covering the work of Jeremy Hutchinson QC.
Warning: the print in the paperback edition is very small!
Thoroughly recommended!
This book is a goldmine as well as being a cracking good read. It has a good selection of photos and drawings and the two appendices, dealing with the history of the court and procedure in criminal trials, are a 'one-stop'shop' for anyone writing about that subject. The main focus of the book is an excellently selected reprise of some of the most infamous trials of the last century, arranged both chronologically and by type, and these are also well worth reading. I finished up with a list of other books that I want/need to read, including Grant's other book covering the work of Jeremy Hutchinson QC.
Warning: the print in the paperback edition is very small!
Thoroughly recommended!
August 1, 2022
This is a wonderful book covering a fairly complicated subject in the clearest possible way for the layman. Thanks GR friend Colin for recommending this book.
British law should be interesting world wide as many countries base their system on this formula. The author, Thomas Grant, goes through 20th century history of Old Bailey’s Court Number One in a really interesting way. Old “Old Bailey” was replaced in 1907 by the present building. The new site not only replaced an inadequate building on the site of the infamous Newgate Prison but began to house trials that would show more modern attitudes toward justice.
It is arranged chronologically beginning with a very Victorianish murder and acquittal, presenting trials by changing decades, through differing attitudes and power of judges, new attitudes toward women, plaintiffs, homosexuality, capital punishment, spies, terrorism, and some pretty dismal modern crime.
Courtroom Number One is at the apex of the system. The judges and counselors were media stars and the journalists were tops in their fields. “…for all its formality, the court is not a hermetically sealed space, divorced from the values and prejudices of the world outside.” The law continues to be a human system and there have been injustices perpetuated here, often with good intentions. “… the criminal trial can act as a metaphor for it’s time.” Hopefully things have been learned.
As a side note, this book is highly entertaining and educational for fans of courtroom books and drama. The 1957 Billy Wilder movie Witness for the Prosecution (from an Agatha Christie story) depicts Court Number One in all its pomp and glory—-in an exact replica in Hollywood! I think Grant is in my corner with my favorite courtroom show and books by John Mortimer, Rumpole of the Bailey. He mentions Rumpole fairly often. Evidently Mortimer based his character on several real barristers and accurately skewers some of his least favorite judges. It’s possible Rumpole is in Court Number Two (but it sure looks like #1) since he normally got very second rate cases handed to him.
British law should be interesting world wide as many countries base their system on this formula. The author, Thomas Grant, goes through 20th century history of Old Bailey’s Court Number One in a really interesting way. Old “Old Bailey” was replaced in 1907 by the present building. The new site not only replaced an inadequate building on the site of the infamous Newgate Prison but began to house trials that would show more modern attitudes toward justice.
It is arranged chronologically beginning with a very Victorianish murder and acquittal, presenting trials by changing decades, through differing attitudes and power of judges, new attitudes toward women, plaintiffs, homosexuality, capital punishment, spies, terrorism, and some pretty dismal modern crime.
Courtroom Number One is at the apex of the system. The judges and counselors were media stars and the journalists were tops in their fields. “…for all its formality, the court is not a hermetically sealed space, divorced from the values and prejudices of the world outside.” The law continues to be a human system and there have been injustices perpetuated here, often with good intentions. “… the criminal trial can act as a metaphor for it’s time.” Hopefully things have been learned.
As a side note, this book is highly entertaining and educational for fans of courtroom books and drama. The 1957 Billy Wilder movie Witness for the Prosecution (from an Agatha Christie story) depicts Court Number One in all its pomp and glory—-in an exact replica in Hollywood! I think Grant is in my corner with my favorite courtroom show and books by John Mortimer, Rumpole of the Bailey. He mentions Rumpole fairly often. Evidently Mortimer based his character on several real barristers and accurately skewers some of his least favorite judges. It’s possible Rumpole is in Court Number Two (but it sure looks like #1) since he normally got very second rate cases handed to him.
May 4, 2024
[14 May 2023] A barrister with years of experience has taken several supposedly pivotal cases and used them to illustrate various point in social or legal history. It is well written, but (as you might expect) slightly verbose and overly elaborate. Sometimes you are left with a sense of the author taking several pages to explore something that could have been dispatched much more simply. However, it is generally information, engaging and maintains interest, although it does lack pace at times, particularly in the less well known cases from earlier times.
They high-profile cases are much more gripping as they truly offer an 'insider' account of the trial process. Its a long book - 400+ pages -and not the easiest of reads as it takes you into some dark places, but on the whole an informative one, but ask me 'how these trials define modern Britain?' (the sub-title) and I'd struggle to tell you. All in all a worthwhile and interesting read about the workings of the British judicial system.
They high-profile cases are much more gripping as they truly offer an 'insider' account of the trial process. Its a long book - 400+ pages -and not the easiest of reads as it takes you into some dark places, but on the whole an informative one, but ask me 'how these trials define modern Britain?' (the sub-title) and I'd struggle to tell you. All in all a worthwhile and interesting read about the workings of the British judicial system.
October 6, 2020
A worthy & wordy tome on some of the interesting Central Criminal Court (aka the Old Bailey) cases through the 20th century.
There were several I had no knowledge of, but also several that I - & I assume most people would - be very familiar with (Lord Haw Haw, Evans & Christie, Ruth Ellis, Jeremy Thorpe & Huntley & Carr).
An interesting book for learning the inner workings of English criminal law & the way justice is served in court (or not as in some cases).
The policy of taking one court case per decade to focus on, meant that some, & indeed more famous trials, were only briefly referred to or not included at all in the narrative.
Nevertheless, Mr. Grant has given us a fascinating insight into our most famous court.
There were several I had no knowledge of, but also several that I - & I assume most people would - be very familiar with (Lord Haw Haw, Evans & Christie, Ruth Ellis, Jeremy Thorpe & Huntley & Carr).
An interesting book for learning the inner workings of English criminal law & the way justice is served in court (or not as in some cases).
The policy of taking one court case per decade to focus on, meant that some, & indeed more famous trials, were only briefly referred to or not included at all in the narrative.
Nevertheless, Mr. Grant has given us a fascinating insight into our most famous court.
Read
December 7, 2021A Thundering Good read
I have read many detailed accounts of great trials; many of them havIng taken place in Court One of the Old Bailey. The author, writes in a semi laid back, easy to listen to style. However, whilst humour plays a part, there is also dignity, respect and pathos to be found.
Each trial and the participants are well researched allowing the author to give the reader not only details they may not have known before about a familiar trial, but he also weaves more well known cases into the chapters to make his example clear. The chosen trials are not only well written and made interesting, so too is the history of the buildings themselves.
Extremely well written and easy on the ears to listen to as an audio book it comes highly recommended.
I have read many detailed accounts of great trials; many of them havIng taken place in Court One of the Old Bailey. The author, writes in a semi laid back, easy to listen to style. However, whilst humour plays a part, there is also dignity, respect and pathos to be found.
Each trial and the participants are well researched allowing the author to give the reader not only details they may not have known before about a familiar trial, but he also weaves more well known cases into the chapters to make his example clear. The chosen trials are not only well written and made interesting, so too is the history of the buildings themselves.
Extremely well written and easy on the ears to listen to as an audio book it comes highly recommended.
January 9, 2020
Fantastically absorbing. Knew most of the cases involved but a lot the background details were new and intimate. Really gave a flavour of the times, the intricate details of each case and the people involved. Each case usually ended with what happened to the participants in future years. Highly recommended. Often the cases were very moving and tragic in how the system was sometimes immovable or taken advantage of for personal and political reasons. The author gave a very interesting addendum laying out all aspects of a trial in general from charge to penalty and how it all changed over the years.
February 12, 2020
A fascinating read. The author looks at a number of trials that have been held at Court 1 of the Old Bailey since 1900. Each is interesting in itself, but also help show the beliefs, prejudices and morality that pertain to the time of the trials. It is a bit disconcerting, for modern readers, to see how barristers in the earlier cases were allowed to present arguments that didn’t address the crimes in question, but played on a jury’s (and the wider public) xenophobia, homophobia, patriotism and morality. This often resulted in a “wrong” outcome. In one case, the law had to be swiftly changed to enable a prosecution to proceed (there would have been a public outcry had it not done so).
May 22, 2020
Fascinating, shocking and compelling reading. The clear and well researched backgrounds to a number of historical trials in Court number one were intriguing and informative. The detailed background to each trial and the clear way in which the cases were described made it easier for a lay person like myself to follow. Some of the trials were so shocking as in the trials of Timothy Evans and Derek Bentley who were hanged though innocent of the crimes they were sentenced for that I can’t stop thinking about how this could have happened. This book has left me wanting to read more from this author.
October 4, 2020
This is a fascinating new approach to the true crime genre by looking into the criminal trials that took place at the Old Bailey and defined a particular era. As a barrister, Thomas Grant is a perfect tour guide to the court proceedings that took place. He introduces us to famous barristers, renowned judges, murderers, spies, politicians and reviled monsters as he takes us into court number one from the Edwardian era to modern cases.
Some of the early chapters can be rather heavy going but I was enthralled by the chapters on Jeremy Thorpe, Ian Huntley & George Blake.
Some of the early chapters can be rather heavy going but I was enthralled by the chapters on Jeremy Thorpe, Ian Huntley & George Blake.
March 3, 2021
This was a fantastic overview of some of the courts that have passed through Court Number One at the Old Bailey. Some of the cases seemed almost farcical considering the arguments for why they weren't guilty but it was still extremely interesting. I found the last case to be the most disturbing as I still remember it vividly and was the same age as Jessica and Holly were at the time. Overall though, this was a brilliant well-written book and it was really educational and enjoyable for the most part.
August 31, 2022
3.7
I found interesting in the authors choice of what cases were chosen and what they thought were most important through the life of court number ones existence. As every single person will probably think of difference cases. It was well written and kept my attention throughout. The cases have clearly been well researched. And while some of the introductions to the case can seem quite long, I don't mind that. I like knowing the background. I really reccomend this if the subject interests you.
I found interesting in the authors choice of what cases were chosen and what they thought were most important through the life of court number ones existence. As every single person will probably think of difference cases. It was well written and kept my attention throughout. The cases have clearly been well researched. And while some of the introductions to the case can seem quite long, I don't mind that. I like knowing the background. I really reccomend this if the subject interests you.
December 3, 2022
Richly narrated and emotionally packed. With only a handful of cases selected, this book successfully illuminates the British social mood and attitudes from the early 20th through to the early 21st century through a series of courtroom drama. Via the texts of historical nonfiction (but evocatively written), readers are taken on this rollercoaster ride of emotions - from excitement and fun of observing the lawyer's bravura and courtroom spectacles, to heart-wrench and despair of seeing justice going awry. Despite its thickness, the book ends leaving the readers yearning for more.
January 28, 2020
An instantly engaging series of historical vignettes based on the cases tried in Britain’s former premier court.
Taking the judicial process developments as the thrust of each story, the author gives highly insightful and readable back-stories to each case, providing a social, as well as a legal, perspective on these historical incidents.
This is an absolute treasure trove of stories and commentary – thoroughly enjoyable and delightfully informative.
A great read.
Taking the judicial process developments as the thrust of each story, the author gives highly insightful and readable back-stories to each case, providing a social, as well as a legal, perspective on these historical incidents.
This is an absolute treasure trove of stories and commentary – thoroughly enjoyable and delightfully informative.
A great read.
September 12, 2021
Interesting, if slightly dense, account of notable trials that took place at court number 1 of the Old Bailey during each decade of the 20th century. About half of the cases were unknown to me, but others were infamous (for all the wrong reasons). Meticulously researched it may be, but I felt myself getting bogged down at certain points. My biggest complaint is the ridiculously small print used in the paperback hard copy I borrowed from the library - almost impossible to read.
© Koplowitz 2021
© Koplowitz 2021
February 1, 2023
A fairly interesting walk through modern British legal history - a little bit or miss with the choice of cases, but many of the stronger choices are absolutely fascinating and make up for the weaker entries. Grant does a good job of drawing parallels between the legal issues at play in cases and the broader societal issues and context within which they’re taking place - all in all, I recommend it!
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February 9, 2023Informative, Insightful and an enjoyable read
I found this book really interesting explaining not only the cases, the defendant(s), and the victim(s) but he barristers, lawyer and judges too. Thomas Grant explains the history of Court number 1 and The Old Bailey and how laws and society has changed and why. I am definitely going to be reading this again and highly recommend it!
I found this book really interesting explaining not only the cases, the defendant(s), and the victim(s) but he barristers, lawyer and judges too. Thomas Grant explains the history of Court number 1 and The Old Bailey and how laws and society has changed and why. I am definitely going to be reading this again and highly recommend it!
April 27, 2020
A small selection of court cases that provide above all a picture of the political and cultural mood of Britain at the time of each trial. The cases are definitely justified choices and interesting; thorough almost to the detriment of keeping a good reading pace. Cases are told from the combined viewpoint of the contemporary chroniclers and today’s posterior commentary including the author’s own. No behind the scenes Old Bailey secrets here!
January 30, 2021
Enthralling account of the famous Court Number One and some of the characters who've had the misfortune to have entered the Dock there. Often deserved and sometimes not, this page turner focuses on those accused of some of the most infamous deeds in English criminal history, how there cases proceeded and how they were won or lost. Couldn't put it down.
September 29, 2021
Well. The term “truth is stranger than fiction” was surely first uttered outside a criminal court- as evidenced in this book. The cases were picked for their judicial uniqueness but that only adds to the fascination and (sometime) tragedy of these stories. I particularly enjoyed the social history the author managed to stir in throughout. You’ll get to the end and think, ‘was all that in there?’
So excellently written, I read some passages numerous times.
So excellently written, I read some passages numerous times.
September 27, 2023
Fascinating.
One quirky observation - my copy has a front cover picture of Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies in a crowd outside the Old Bailey.
Yet - bizarrely, this case is not one of those discussed in the book (apart from the odd reference in passing).
Quite a strange choice for the front cover.
One quirky observation - my copy has a front cover picture of Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies in a crowd outside the Old Bailey.
Yet - bizarrely, this case is not one of those discussed in the book (apart from the odd reference in passing).
Quite a strange choice for the front cover.
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