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The Infamous Life of John Church, the St. George's Fields Preacher: From His Infancy Up to His Trial and Conviction, With His Confession, Sent in a Letter to the Rev. Mr. L--, Two Days After His Attack on Adam Foreman, at Vauxhall, With Clerical Remarks by the Same Gentleman; to Which Is Added, His Love Epistles to E**** B****. Together With Various Other Letters, Particularly One to Cook, of Vere-Street Notoriety. — John Shaqi

Religion

The Infamous Life of John Church, the St. George's Fields Preacher: From His Infancy Up to His Trial and Conviction, With His Confession, Sent in a Letter to the Rev. Mr. L--, Two Days After His Attack on Adam Foreman, at Vauxhall, With Clerical Remarks by the Same Gentleman; to Which Is Added, His Love Epistles to E B. Together With Various Other Letters, Particularly One to Cook, of Vere-Street Notoriety.

Name: The Infamous Life of John Church, the St. George's Fields Preacher: From His Infancy Up to His Trial and Conviction, With His Confession, Sent in a Letter to the Rev. Mr. L--, Two Days After His Attack on Adam Foreman, at Vauxhall, With Clerical Remarks by the Same Gentleman; to Which Is Added, His Love Epistles to E**** B****. Together With Various Other Letters, Particularly One to Cook, of Vere-Street Notoriety.
Author: Anonymous

Anonymous

Church, J. (John), approximately 1780-approximately 1825; Church, J. (John), approximately 1780-approximately 1825 -- Trials, litigation, etc.; Trials (Sodomy) -- England

Then follows a letter from Wm. Clarke of Ipswich, a young man between 19
and 20 years of age, which contains an account of attempts too horrid to
be published.  The written confession (frightful indeed it is) of this
poor simple young man, whose mind was bewildered by the canting
exhortations of Church; and the whole of his statements corroborated by
the oral testimony of Mr. Wire, who resides at Colchester, and knows
Clarke very well.  The circumstances related by Clarke would have
furnished ample grounds for a criminal prosecution had he made his
complaint _immediately_ after the _assault_ was committed:—but suffering
under the influence of ignorance and fear, he kept it a secret too long,
and afterwards accepted of a pound note from Church.  A case was laid
before two eminent barristers, to have their opinion whether such a
prosecution could be carried on with any prospect of conviction.  Their
opinion, in writing, is, that after the long concealment of a Charge, a
Jury would pay no attention to his evidence, unless he was confirmed in
his story by other evidence.

          _Extract from the Confession of Wm. Clark_, _of Ipswich_.

    Having been called by Providence to Colchester, I went to hear John
    Church preach in a barn, was invited to Mr. Abbott’s; was prevailed
    upon to sleep with John Church; I did sleep with him three nights;
    after being enticed to many imprudencies, I was under the necessity
    to resist certain attempts, which, if I had complied with, I am
    fearful must have ruined both soul and body; the crime is too horrid
    to relate.

                                                            WILLIAM CLARK.

    RICHARD PATMORE
    J. ELLISON
    C. WIRE
    H. T. WIRE
    Witnesses.

    P.S.—This took place in March last, 1812.

The peace of this poor lad’s mind however is completely destroyed, so
fatally has the event preyed upon him;—so far so as to fill the bosom of
his aged father with such a spirit of indignation and revenge, that he
actually came up to London with a full determination to be the death of
him who had thus ruined the peace of his beloved son, while the mother’s
mind was not less distracted than that of the father.  In consequence of
this, the father entered J. Church’s meeting house, with two loaded
pistols, one in each pocket; but under the excess of agitation, he
fainted away, and was carried out of the place.

The following will cast some light on the preceding:

                                       _Colchester_, _September_ 16, 1812.

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