Bloody Assizes

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The Bloody Assizes were a series of trials in September 1685 in the aftermath of the Battle of Sedgemoor, which ended the Monmouth Rebellion in England. The site of the trials survives almost unchanged — the Oak Room of the Antelope Hotel, Dorchester, Dorset.

King James II sent the infamous Judge Jeffreys to round up and try the defeated supporters of the rebel Duke of Monmouth. About 1,300 people were found guilty. Most were transported abroad, while some suffered drawing and quartering.

The ruthlessness of the event resulted in the name of the "Bloody Assizes". They are still remembered in the South West of England.

Approximately 320 people were put to death after pleading guilty because they were promised mercy.

Judge Jeffreys, disguised as a common seaman, was subjected to an anti-Catholic "mob" in 1688 before the Glorious Revolution. He was rescued, but his death soon after was thought to be from injuries sustained during that encounter. There is some opposition to this assumption.