Bloody Assizes

The Bloody Assizes were a series of court sessions held in the West of England after the crushing defeat of Monmouth's Rebellion. "Assizes" was a general term for the courts that met outside of London; but Chief Justice George Jeffreys guaranteed that these would be forever known as "Bloody." Most of the top leaders of the Rebellion were able to escape punishment through bribery and favoritism; but as many as 320 were executed. Most of those executed had pled guilty under a promise of mercy. The hangman, "Jack Ketch", still remains a haunting figure in the history of our language.