The Great Oyer Of Poisoning

Power, favour, and a corpse in the Tower. The Tower keeps its secrets. Andrew Amos gathers the Overbury affair history into a gripping account of the earl of Somerset trial, the poisoning murder trial that exposed jacobean court intrigue at the heart of Stuart rule. Set against Stuart era London and 17th century England, these proceedings reveal how ambition, patronage, and fear could bend lives and law.Drawn from contemporary manuscripts, this court records collection offers what many readers seek but rarely find: a complete trial transcript in the idiom of the day, framed with judicious context. You see counsel manoeuvre, officials hedge, and reputations collapse, as correspondence and public testimony collide in open court. As historical legal documents, the depositions, examinations, and procedural turns illuminate the machinery of justice as it operated in a Tower of London scandal, from the handling of witnesses to the pressure of politics. For legal history research, the volume is a reliable study in evidentiary practice and statecraft; for true crime historians, it is the unnerving pleasure of fact over conjecture, with the human stakes left intact. Its lasting significance lies in showing how a single case could ripple through public confidence and royal authority, making it essential to collectors of classic legal narratives as well as curious general readers.Republished by Alpha Editions in a careful modern edition, this volume preserves the spirit of the original while making it effortless to enjoy today - a heritage title prepared for readers and collectors alike.