Sidney Faithorn Green convicted for Ritualist practices

Background. Sidney Faithorn Green, born in Kent in 1841, served as incumbent of St John the Evangelist, Miles Platting, Manchester. In May 1877, Bishop Fraser learned Green used incense and unlawful vestments. A petition from parishioners in May 1878 accused him of false doctrine. The Church Association took up the case in December 1878, charging Green under the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874.

Trial and Conviction. On 14 June 1879, the case was tried before James Plaisted Wilde, Baron Penzance, who upheld the charges against Green. The venue is identified as the Court of Arches in the legacy row, but the passage specifies the trial was before Baron Penzance, who acted as a judge under the Public Worship Regulation Act. The Arches Court is an ecclesiastical court, but Penzance's role here reflects the specific judicial machinery of the Act.

Legal Consequences. Following the conviction, a monition was issued in August 1879. In November 1879, Lord Penzance notified the Court of Chancery of Lancaster of Green's contempt. A writ de contumace capiendo was issued in March 1880, leading to Green's arrest and imprisonment in Lancaster Castle. Legal challenges to the costs and imprisonment continued through 1881.