Finding Sedition

Roger L’Estrange On Sedition Prosecutions

L’Estrange was a tireless defender of the monarchy, Charles II in particular. He would eventually be rewarded for his loyalty, and be tasked with snuffing out seditious and libelous printed material. He went on to be a strict censor of English writings.

Introduction

Background

Background Goes Here

Further Reading
Citations

In 1685, roughly 1/30th of the entire budget of the King was spent on the “secret service” which included censorship as well as other spying and paying informers. Roger L’Estrange was in charge the entire time. L’Estrange and the Kings he worked for feared seditious word as much as we fear terrorists, and punished such crimes harshly. The crimes that could be charged included: “Blasphemy, Heresie, Schism, Treason, Sedition, Scandal, or Contempt of Authority.” The punishments ranged from “Death, Mutilation, Imprisonment, Banishment, Corporal Peyns, Disgrace, [to] Pecuniary Mulcts [fines].”  He elaborated on these punishments, showing exactly how flexible punishments for such crimes against authority could be:

Pillory, Stocks, Whipping, Carting, Stigmatizing, Disablement to bear Office, or Testimony. Publique Recantation, standing under the Gallows with a Rope about the Neck, at a PubliqueExecution. Disfranchisement (if Free-men) Cashiering (if Souldiers,) Degrading (if Persons of Condition), Wearing some Badge of Infamy: Condemnation to Work either in Mines, Plantations, orHouse of Correction.

Under the Head of Pecuniary Mulcts, are Comprehended, Forfeitures, Confiscations, Loss of any Beneficial Office, or Employment, Incapacity to hold or enjoy any: and Finally, all Damages accruing, and Impos’d, as a Punishment for some Offence. . . .

The Penalty ought to bear Proportion to the Malice, and Influence of the Offence, but with respect to the Offender too: for the same Punishment (unless it be Death it self) is not the same Thing to several Persons; and it may be proper enough to Punish One Man in his Purse, Another in his Credit; a Third in his Body, and All for the same Offence.

Those punished could range from “Advisers, Authors, Compilers, Writers, Printers, Correcters, Stitchers, and Binders of unlawful Books and Pamphlets: together with all Publishers, Dispersers and Concealers of them in General: [to] all Stationers, Posts, Hackny-Coachmen, Carryers, Boat-men, Mariners. Hawkers, Mercury-Women, Pedlers, and Ballad-Singers.” This was a period in which habeus corpus was often denied, a dubious right that judges—under the king’s influence—did not have to grant.

 

 

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