Booty v Barnaby
Encyclopedia
Booty v. Barnaby is the name of a court case that lead from a supposed sighting of a ghost
to an action for slander being brought by Mrs. Booty, widow of a man known as Old Booty, against Captain Barnaby, a neighbor of Booty's, for saying that he had seen her deceased husband, a brewer
, driven into Hell
.
. Later, as they prepared to leave on the 15th, they saw two men running and Capt Barnaby cried out, "Lord bless me! the foremost man is Mr Booty my next door neighbour in London." He was in grey clothes with cloth buttons, and the man who was chasing him was dressed in black. They both ran into the mouth of the volcano and at instant there came a great noise. Capt Barnaby said "I do not doubt, but it is old Booty running into hell."
They arrived at Gravesend
on October 6th. After some discourse, Capt Barnaby's wife said "I can tell you some news, old Booty is dead." He answered, "that we all know: we all saw him run into hell." Mrs Barnaby related this to an acquaintance in London, who informed Mrs Booty of it. Mrs Booty was very much displeased and went to court about it. The Judge asked Mrs Booty what time her husband died. She told them and it agreed with the time in which the Captain and his crew saw him running.
She lost her suit, based on the statements of thirty witnesses who were there and their journals.
The Idler published two illustrations concerning Mr. Booty by George Cruikshank
in 1837.
A poem titled "Old booty! : A serio-comic sailor's tale." was published in 1830 by William Thomas Moncrieff
.
, Court of King's Bench
, Reign of James the Second
, 1687
Apparitional experience
In psychology and parapsychology, an apparitional experience is an anomalous, quasi-perceptual experience.It is characterized by the apparent perception of either a living being or an inanimate object without there being any material stimulus for such a perception...
to an action for slander being brought by Mrs. Booty, widow of a man known as Old Booty, against Captain Barnaby, a neighbor of Booty's, for saying that he had seen her deceased husband, a brewer
Brewer
Brewer may refer to:*Brewer, someone who makes beer by brewing*Brewer , a disambiguation page that lists people with the surname Brewer*Brewer, Maine, a city in southern Penobscot County, Maine, United States, near the city of Bangor...
, driven into Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
.
Events
On May 12, 1687, Captains Spinks, Barnaby, Bristow and Brewer with Mr Ball, a merchant of Wentworth, went to go shooting on StromboliStromboli
Stromboli is a small island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, off the north coast of Sicily, containing one of the three active volcanoes in Italy. It is one of the eight Aeolian Islands, a volcanic arc north of Sicily. This name is a corruption of the Ancient Greek name Strongulē which was given to it...
. Later, as they prepared to leave on the 15th, they saw two men running and Capt Barnaby cried out, "Lord bless me! the foremost man is Mr Booty my next door neighbour in London." He was in grey clothes with cloth buttons, and the man who was chasing him was dressed in black. They both ran into the mouth of the volcano and at instant there came a great noise. Capt Barnaby said "I do not doubt, but it is old Booty running into hell."
They arrived at Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
on October 6th. After some discourse, Capt Barnaby's wife said "I can tell you some news, old Booty is dead." He answered, "that we all know: we all saw him run into hell." Mrs Barnaby related this to an acquaintance in London, who informed Mrs Booty of it. Mrs Booty was very much displeased and went to court about it. The Judge asked Mrs Booty what time her husband died. She told them and it agreed with the time in which the Captain and his crew saw him running.
She lost her suit, based on the statements of thirty witnesses who were there and their journals.
Distortions
Some later versions have Booty as a baker, or a receiver.The Idler published two illustrations concerning Mr. Booty by George Cruikshank
George Cruikshank
George Cruikshank was a British caricaturist and book illustrator, praised as the "modern Hogarth" during his life. His book illustrations for his friend Charles Dickens, and many other authors, reached an international audience.-Early life:Cruikshank was born in London...
in 1837.
A poem titled "Old booty! : A serio-comic sailor's tale." was published in 1830 by William Thomas Moncrieff
William Thomas Moncrieff
William Thomas Moncrieff was an English dramatist.-Biography:He was born in London, the son of a Strand tradesman named Thomas. The name Moncrieff he assumed for theatrical purposes...
.
Case details
In the records at WestminsterWestminster (UK Parliament constituency)
Westminster was a parliamentary constituency in the Parliament of England to 1707, the Parliament of Great Britain 1707-1800 and the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801. It returned two members to 1885 and one thereafter....
, Court of King's Bench
Court of King's Bench (England)
The Court of King's Bench , formally known as The Court of the King Before the King Himself, was an English court of common law in the English legal system...
, Reign of James the Second
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
, 1687
- Sir Edward HerbertEdward Herbert (judge)Sir Edward Herbert , titular Earl of Portland, was an English judge who served as Chief Justice of the King’s Bench during the reign of James II.-Early life and career:...
- Chief Justice - WythensFrancis WythensSir Francis Wythens SL KC was a British judge and politician.-Life:Born to William Wythens and his wife Frances King, Wythens matriculated at St John's College, Oxford on 13 November 1650 before joining the Middle Temple on 27 November 1654...
, Holloway and WrightRobert Wright (judge)Sir Robert Wright was an English judge and Chief Justice of the King’s Bench 1687–89.-Early life:Wright was the son of Jermyn Wright of Wangford in Suffolk, by his wife Anne, daughter of Richard Bachcroft of Bexwell in Norfolk. He was descended from a family long seated at Kelverstone in Norfolk,...
, Justices
- Defendant - Captain Barnaby
- Complainant - Mrs. Booty