April 7th Anniversary
  of the
1670 Penn Mead Trial and  Bushell Case

The trail of William Penn and William Mead, and the subsequent arrest and fine of the juror Edward Bushell is important in English law for defining the rights and protection of jurors.

Summary excerpt from Wiki:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushel's_Case

William Penn  and William Mead had been arrested in August 1670 for violating the Conventicle Act, which forbade religious assemblies of more than five people outside the auspices of the Church of England.

The jury found the two "guilty of speaking in Gracechurch Street" but refused to add "to an unlawful assembly". The infuriated judge charged the jury that they "shall not be dismissed until we have a verdict that the court will accept". ... The jury modified the verdict to "guilty of speaking to an assembly in Gracechurch Street", whereupon the judge had them locked up overnight without food, water or heat. …Finally, after a two-day fast, the jury returned a not guilty verdict. The judge fined the jury for contempt of court for returning a verdict contrary to their own findings of fact and removed them to prison until the fine was paid. … 

Edward Bushel, a member of the jury, nonetheless refused to pay the fine. Bushel petitioned the Court of Common Pleas for a writ of habeas corpus. Sir John Vaughan, Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas…  ruled in November 1670 that a jury could not be punished simply on account of the verdict it returned, but that individual jurors could still be punished if it could be demonstrated that they had acted improperly.

This case is of Quaker nonviolent resistance to unjust application of the law continues to guide Friends in their speaking out and resisting injustice. Quaker Support for Climate Action Friends in London send an open invitation to come to Gracechurch Street, London on the 7th of April 2024 at 11am to take part in a celebration and remembrance of the importance of the Penn/Mead events.
Their statement and web page for the event:
"It was thus one of the most successful acts of civil disobedience in British history. It is proof of the impact that the Quaker way of discernment put into action can have, and continues to have on our national and international life. These events and the trial that followed resulted in the jury system that does so much to protect our civil rights today. But the government and courts are now actively undermining our right to fair trial by Jury, by limiting what defendants can say in court. These gains should not be lost lightly."
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-penn-and-mead-re-enactment-tickets-845898885337?aff=oddtdtcreator