Hearne v Stowell explained

Hearne V. Stowell
Court:Nisi Prius Court, Liverpool
Date Decided:1841
Related Actions:lawsuit
Keywords:Libel

Hearne v. Stowell was an 1841 court case held in the Nisi Prius Court, Liverpool Assizes pertaining to a case of libel in Manchester, England. The case is a prominent case of an inter-clergy lawsuit and is cited both as an example of anti-Catholic sentiment in the United Kingdom in the mid 19th century [1] and as a sample of libel precedent.[2] Hugh Stowell, an Anglican preacher, alleged that Daniel Hearne, a Catholic priest, had forced a man to crawl down a street for penance. Hearne sued for libel and while the court case was resolved in his favour, it was later reversed by the Queen's Bench.

Notes and References

  1. https://books.google.com/books?id=I1AuTbAg3j4C&dq=Hearne+v+Stowell+libel&pg=PA116 Popular anti-Catholicism in Mid-Victorian England By Denis G. Paz
  2. [Bacon's Abridgement|A New Abridgment of the Law with Large Additions and Corrections by Bacon et al]