4. The jury
How do you find the defendant John Mapp: Guilty or Not Guilty?
Jury service
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As jury, you now leave the court, going to a private back room called the Jury Room.
A Jury are not allowed to tell anyone what is said in a Jury Room, even after the trial has finished.
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![Notice reminding jurors of their responsibility not to reveal anything relating to what happens in the jury room [Opens in new window: image size 44kb]](../../images/cri_a05b.jpg)
This poster was hung on the wall of the jury room
Larger image, in a new window [44kb]
[Shropshire Archive reference: QC10]
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The Bailiff, who was in charge of the jury, was instructed to lock the jury in their room, "without Meat or Drink, Fire or Candle until they be agreed upon their Verdict" .
If a trial finished late at night, a jury would want to reach a quick decision, in order to go for their dinner! As a poet called Alexander Pope once wrote:
"Wretches hang that jurymen may dine".
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![A neatly handwritten note [Opens in new window: image size 19kb]](../../images/cri_a06b.jpg)
Oath sworn by the bailiff
Larger image and transcript, in a new window [19kb]
[Shropshire Archive reference: QC13/2]
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In this case, however, you may take as much time as you need to reach a fair decision.
Now is the time to answer the questions you should have been thinking about throughout the trial.
- What happened on the night of the murder?
- Did John Mapp behave suspiciously the day after the murder?
- Is there any evidence
which links him to the crime?
When you have answered these questions, make your final decision below:
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![Notice reminding jurors of their responsibility not to reveal anything relating to what happens in the jury room [Opens in new window: image size 44kb]](../../images/cri_a05a.jpg)