THE TRIAL OF JAMES CARNEGIE OF FINHAVEN, For the Murder of Charles Earl of Strathmore, On the 9th May 1728 Extracted out of the Records of the Court of Justiciary

Rebound Hardcover. Carnegie of Finhaven is famous for his trial for the murder of Charles Lyon, 6th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, which resulted in the "not guilty" verdict becoming a recognised part of Scottish law and established the right of Scottish juries to judge the whole case and not just the facts - a right known as jury nullification, which endowed Scots with the verdicts : "proven", "not proven" and "not guilty" which remain contentious to this day. A very important trial in the history of the Scottish legal system and a very rare 1st edn. 125pp. 8vo. Tastefully rebound black cloth/gilt title. Browned pp. but in very good condition. From the library of true crime writer, Wilfred Gregg, with his personal b/plate. Extremely rare.