Laurence Braddon (died 29 November 1724), was an English politician and writer. He believed that

Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex (13 July 1683), also spelt Capel, of Cassiobury House, Watford, Hertfordshire, was an English statesman. Early life He was the son of Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham (executed in 1649) by his wif ...

was murdered, and was found guilty of a number of crimes committed in the process of attempting to prove this.

Biography

Braddon was the second son of William Braddon of Treworgy, in

St Gennys St Gennys () is a coastal civil parish and small settlement in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village of St Gennys is about southwest of Bude.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 190 ''Bude & Clovelly'' It is on high ground ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

and studied law at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

. He was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in 1681. When

died in the Tower in 1683, Braddon believed that he had been murdered, and worked to collect sufficient evidence to prove the murder. He set on foot inquiries on the subject in London, and when a rumour reached him that the news of the earl's death was known at

Marlborough Marlborough or the Marlborough may refer to: Places Australia * Marlborough, Queensland * Principality of Marlborough, a short-lived micronation in 1993 * Marlborough Highway, Tasmania; Malborough was an historic name for the place at the sou ...

on the very day of, if not before, the occurrence, he posted off. When his action became known at court, he was arrested and put under restraint. For a time he was let out on bail, but on 7 February 1683/4 he was tried with

Hugh Speke Hugh Speke (1656 – c. 1724) was an English writer and agitator. Life He was a son of George and Mary Speke of Whitelackington, Somerset. His father was a member of the Green Ribbon Club, the Whig organization founded in 1675, and was a suppor ...

at the king's bench on the accusation of conspiring to spread the belief that the Earl of Essex was murdered by some persons about him, and of endeavouring to

suborn In American law, Scots law, and under the laws of some English-speaking Commonwealth nations, subornation of perjury is the crime of persuading or permitting a person to commit perjury, which is the swearing of a false oath to tell the truth in a ...

witnesses to testify the same. Braddon was found guilty on all the counts, but Speke was acquitted of the latter charge. The one was fined 1,000 pounds and the other 2,000 pounds, with

sureties In finance, a surety , surety bond, or guaranty involves a promise by one party to assume responsibility for the debt obligation of a borrower if that borrower defaults. Usually, a surety bond or surety is a promise by a person or company (a ''sure ...

for good behaviour during their lives. Braddon remained in prison for five years until the landing of William III, when he was liberated. He was called to the bar in 1693 and for some time worked at his profession. In February 1695 he was appointed solicitor to the wine licence office, a place valued at 100 pounds per annum. He died on Sunday, 29 November 1724.

Writings

Most of Braddon's works relate to the death of the Earl of Essex. The "Enquiry into and Detection of the Barbarous Murther of the late Earl of Essex" (1689) was probably by him, and he was the author of "Essex's Innocency and Honour vindicated" (1690), "Murther will out" (1692), "True and Impartial Narrative of the Murder of Arthur, Earl of Essex" (1729), as well as " Bishop Burnet's late History charg'd with great Partiality and Misrepresentation" (1725) in the bishop's account of this affair. Braddon also published "The Constitutions of the Company of Watermen and Lightermen", and an "Abstract of the Rules, Orders, and Constitutions" of the same company, both of them issued in 1708. "The Miseries of the Poor are a National Sin, Shame, and Danger" was the title of a work (1717) in which he argued for the establishment of guardians of the poor and inspectors for the encouragement of arts and manufactures. Five years later he brought out "Particular Answers to the most material Objections made to the Proposals for relieving the Poor". The report of his trial was printed in 1684, and reprinted in " Cobbett's

State Trials In English law, the term ''state trials'' primarily denotes trials relating to offences against the state. In practice it is a term often used of cases illustrative of the law relating to state officers or of international or constitutional law. ...

", ix. 1127–1228, and his impeachment of Bishop Burnet's "History" is reprinted in the same volume of Cobbett, pp. 1229–1332.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Braddon, Laurence Year of birth missing 1724 deaths Politicians from Cornwall Fellows of the Royal Society Writers from Cornwall English politicians 18th-century English writers 18th-century English male writers