Prejudiced By A Mistake?

This statement appeared in The Morning Post on Saturday 13 December 1823. It interests me for two reasons.

Firstly, James confirms that the George Harvey d'Egville living in Atherstone is indeed his brother. It's the first firm evidence that I've found and it shifts an assumption to a fact. I'd a lurking suspicion that the George of Atherstone might not be a connection of the famous James and less famous George at all. We do know that there were other Harvey d'Egvilles in the United Kingdom at the time and their connection, if any, is a mystery.

Secondly, the man who was wrongly hanged for murder in Barbados has either taken or was given the forenames that were current in the Harvey d'Egville family. We know that there was a Peter Hervez d'Aigueville who married at Portsea in the 1770s and a family who were active in East Anglia a little while afterwards. While the statistical odds of two people who share the same name meeting at a party are much less than one might think these names are quite rare.

I'm uncertain whether from what we know of James' character that we should believe this is a credible denial.

The Morning Post Saturday 13 December 1823
The British Library Board

John Wilson Indicted for the Murder of Louis Bartolomichi

Or always pay your tailor's bill.

The account of this trial on 28 May 1800 is available among the proceedings of the Old Bailey.

When Counsel was asked the whereabouts of the murder weapon, a short sword, he replied,

Mr. Gurney. No, my Lord; unfortunately Mr. Degville, after the Coroner's Inquest, conceiving there was an end of the inquiry, broke it to pieces.
Court. That was extremely wrong.
Mr. Gurney. He is a foreigner, my Lord.

One suspects that Mr. Gurney may have been a patriot like Mr. Weeks. It seems to demonstrate that being a 'foreigner' is justification for wrongdoing as being an imbecile might be.