George Edalji
Encyclopedia
George Ernest Thompson Edalji (March 1876 – 17 June 1953) was a solicitor from the West Midlands
who became world-famous in 1907 when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle campaigned to have him declared innocent of maliciously wounding a pony in 1903.
Edalji was the eldest of the three children of Shapurji Edalji and Charlotte Edalji (née Stoneham). His father was of India
n descent (a Parsi of Bombay), and his mother Scottish. Edalji became a solicitor
in Birmingham
, England
, in 1898. He had proved to be a capable student during law school, and won prizes from the Law Society
. He wrote the book Railway Law for the "Man in the train", which was "intended as a guide for the Travelling Public".
. His wrongful conviction led to the creation of England's Court of Criminal Appeal
in 1907. Nonetheless, despite the Home Office's conclusion that Edalji was innocent of slashing animals, the Home Office stood by the idea that Edalji was responsible for sending menacing letters in Staffordshire
during the summer of 1903. Long after the incident had faded from public memory, a fifty-seven year old labourer named Enoch Knowles confessed to having sent further offensive letters over a thirty-year period.
Edalji died at 9 Brockett Close, Welwyn Garden City, on June 17, 1953, from coronary thrombosis.
as Conan Doyle, Sam Dastor
as George Edalji, and Renu Setna
as the Reverend Edalji.
Julian Barnes
's 2005 novel Arthur & George
(ISBN 0-224-07703-1) recounts the entire episode in great detail, as does the non-fiction work Conan Doyle and the Parson's Son: The George Edalji Case (ISBN 1843862417). A new non-fiction book, Outrage: The Edalji Five and the Shadow of Sherlock Holmes by Roger Oldfield (ISBN 978 184386 601 5), sets the case within the context of the wider life-stories of the Edalji family as a whole.
West Midlands (region)
The West Midlands is an official region of England, covering the western half of the area traditionally known as the Midlands. It contains the second most populous British city, Birmingham, and the larger West Midlands conurbation, which includes the city of Wolverhampton and large towns of Dudley,...
who became world-famous in 1907 when Sir Arthur Conan Doyle campaigned to have him declared innocent of maliciously wounding a pony in 1903.
Edalji was the eldest of the three children of Shapurji Edalji and Charlotte Edalji (née Stoneham). His father was of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n descent (a Parsi of Bombay), and his mother Scottish. Edalji became a solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, in 1898. He had proved to be a capable student during law school, and won prizes from the Law Society
Law society
A Law Society in current and former Commonwealth jurisdictions was historically an association of solicitors with a regulatory role that included the right to supervise the training, qualifications and conduct of lawyers/solicitors...
. He wrote the book Railway Law for the "Man in the train", which was "intended as a guide for the Travelling Public".
Wrongful conviction
He was wrongly convicted of the eighth of the ''Great Wyrley Outrages', but cleared as the result of a campaign by Arthur Conan DoyleArthur Conan Doyle
Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle DL was a Scottish physician and writer, most noted for his stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, generally considered a milestone in the field of crime fiction, and for the adventures of Professor Challenger...
. His wrongful conviction led to the creation of England's Court of Criminal Appeal
Court of Criminal Appeal
The Court of Criminal Appeal is the name of existing courts of Scotland and Ireland, and an historic court in England and Wales.- Ireland :See Court of Criminal Appeal ...
in 1907. Nonetheless, despite the Home Office's conclusion that Edalji was innocent of slashing animals, the Home Office stood by the idea that Edalji was responsible for sending menacing letters in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
during the summer of 1903. Long after the incident had faded from public memory, a fifty-seven year old labourer named Enoch Knowles confessed to having sent further offensive letters over a thirty-year period.
Edalji died at 9 Brockett Close, Welwyn Garden City, on June 17, 1953, from coronary thrombosis.
In popular culture
The episode of the 1972 BBC anthology series The Edwardians about Conan Doyle centres on his involvement in the Edajli case. Written by Jeremy Paul and directed by Brian Farnham, it stars Nigel DavenportNigel Davenport
Nigel Davenport is an English stage, television and film actor.- Early life :Davenport was born Arthur Nigel Davenport, however he goes by the first name of Nigel. Davenport was born in Shelford, Cambridgeshire, the son of Katherine Lucy and Arthur Henry Davenport. Davenport's father was a bursar...
as Conan Doyle, Sam Dastor
Sam Dastor
Sam Dastor is an actor best known for his appearances in British television series.He is perhaps best remembered for playing Cassius Chaerea in the 1976 BBC adaptation of I, Claudius...
as George Edalji, and Renu Setna
Renu Setna
Renu Setna is a Pakistani actor, perhaps best known for his appearance as the shopkeeper Mr. Kittel in In Sickness and in Health.Setna made an appearance in the british BBC Sictom Only Fools And Horses, in the episode "Cash and Curry", where he played a con-artist who cons Del and Rodney out of Two...
as the Reverend Edalji.
Julian Barnes
Julian Barnes
Julian Patrick Barnes is a contemporary English writer, and winner of the 2011 Man Booker Prize, for his book The Sense of an Ending...
's 2005 novel Arthur & George
Arthur & George
Arthur & George is the tenth novel by English author Julian Barnes which takes as its basis the true story of the 'Great Wyrley Outrages.'-Plot introduction:...
(ISBN 0-224-07703-1) recounts the entire episode in great detail, as does the non-fiction work Conan Doyle and the Parson's Son: The George Edalji Case (ISBN 1843862417). A new non-fiction book, Outrage: The Edalji Five and the Shadow of Sherlock Holmes by Roger Oldfield (ISBN 978 184386 601 5), sets the case within the context of the wider life-stories of the Edalji family as a whole.