William Davies Shipley

(b. Oct. 5, 1745, Midgham, Berkshire – d. 1826, St Asaph, Denbighshire, Wales )

Gender: M

William Davies Shipley (1745-1826) was Dean of St Asaph for nearly fifty-two years, from 1774 until his death. In August 1784 he was convicted of seditious libel, but a few months later discharged without punishment. The charge arose after he read at a public meeting in January 1783 an anonymous pamphlet entitled The Principles of Government, in a Dialogue between a Scholar and a Peasant, which advocated political reform; he then arranged for copies to be printed with his own amendments. Thomas FitzMaurice, brother of the former Prime Minister the Earl of Shelburne, was instrumental in bringing about the prosecution. The trial was due to be held in Wrexham in September 1783, but was postponed. The Society for Constitutional Information retained the famous barrister Thomas Erskine to defend Shipley, and the judge convicted him despite the fact that the jury found he was guilty of publishing only, and not of libel. Erskine brought an appeal to the Court of King’s Bench and Lord Mansfield, the Lord Chief Justice, ruled that the publication was not criminal. Shipley’s discharge was greeted with public celebration in London and in North Wales. His notoriety nevertheless put an end to his achieving further preferment within the Church.

Also known as:

William Davies Shipley

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