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Witchcraft and infanticide were the charges levelled against young maidservant Judith Catchpole at the General Provincial Court in Patuxent County, Maryland on September 22nd, 1656. Since the case hinged on whether she had been pregnant, an all-female jury was assembled -\xa0the first in colonial America.\nSeven married women and four single women physically examined her - and found her not guilty of the crimes.\xa0Which were pretty obviously B.S.\nIn this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly uncover the first and only instance of men being excluded from a jury in England; consider the views of the New York judge in the 1920s, who warned of fainting fits and emotional outbursts if women were permitted as potential jurors; and ask whether men or women are more likely to be swayed by sexy witnesses...\nFurther Reading:\n\u2022 \u2018Judith Catchpole Trial: 1656\u2019 (Encyclopedia.com): https://www.encyclopedia.com/law/law-magazines/judith-catchpole-trial-1656\n\u2022 \u2018OUR JURY SYSTEM AGAIN UNDER FIRE; One Judge Calls Verdicts of "Twelve Good Men And True"\u2019 (New York Times, 1927):\nhttps://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1927/07/24/95455867.html\n\u2022 \u2018What is JURY OF MATRONS?\u2019 (The Audiopedia, 2017): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr6wc4ZRXHs&t=30s\nFor bonus material and to support the show, visit\xa0Patreon.com/Retrospectors\nWe'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts:\xa0podfollow.com/Retrospectors\nThe Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.\nTheme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Emma Corsham.\nCopyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2021.\n#1600s #Crime #UK\n Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices