Out of the stacks: When bankruptcy was a capital offence
We ran into an intriguing blog post this week that got us digging in the stacks for the case in question, and we found it! Our copy of An Authentic Narrative of the Proceedings Under a Commission of Bankruptcy Against John Perrott… is in two parts and is disbound. Aside from some discoloration on the title pages of both parts, it’s a really clean copy that looks like it could have come off the press fifty years ago instead of 258 years ago. The type is clear, with a few initial capitals, and lots of tables which give a full summery of Perrott’s accounts, but the two quotes on the title pages (one by Dryden & the other from Young) really steal the show and add a fantastic flair of the dramatic for the popular audience it was intended for.
The general narrative surrounding Mr. Perrott, his crimes, and ultimately his execution is that of a man who lost his fortune, then defrauded his creditors, siphoned what money he had left to his mistress, and finally failed to ‘fully cooperate’ with the bankruptcy commission. To get all the details of this fascinating case we recommend Professor Emily Kadens’ 2010 article in the Duke Law Journal.