1855 Victorian High Treason trials

This article is part of a series on the
Eureka Rebellion
Eureka Stockade Riot by John Black Henderson, 1854
Timeline Military leaders Siege
Origins Australian gold rushes Chartism Revolutions of 1848 Thomas Hiscock Victorian gold rush
Ideologies Chartism and the Eureka Rebellion Loyalism and the Eureka Rebellion Republicanism and the Eureka Rebellion
The Eureka Rebellion Anti-Gold Licence Association Ballarat Reform League Bendigo Petition Charles Doudiet Charles La Trobe Edward Thonen Eureka Flag Eureka Stockade (fortification) Forest Creek Monster Meeting Fredrick Vern Henry Ross James Scobie John Basson Humffray John King (police officer) John Manning (journalist) Miner's licence Nationalities at the Eureka Stockade Peter Lalor Robert Nickle (British Army officer) Robert William Rede Captain Henry Christopher Wise Sir Charles Hotham Suffolk Regiment William Wright 40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot
High Treason trials Archibald Michie Butler Cole Aspinall Henry Samuel Chapman Henry Seekamp John Joseph John Manning Raffaello Carboni Sir Redmond Barry William à Beckett William Stawell 1855 Victorian High Treason trials
Legacy Australian nationalism Eureka Jack Mystery Eureka Rebellion in popular culture Eureka Stockade Memorial Park Eureka Stockade Monument Len Fox The Eureka Stockade (1855 novel) William Bramwell Withers
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The 1855 Victorian High Treason trials took place between 22 February – 27 March in the aftermath of the Battle of the Eureka Stockade. The goldfields commission recommended a general amnesty for all on the runs from the fallen Eureka Stockade. Instead, thirteen of the rebels detained were eventually indicted for High Treason. The juries all returned a verdict of not guilty by a jury, and the indictment against Thomas Dignum was withdrawn. On 23 January, the trial of Ballarat Times editor Henry Seekamp resulted in a finding of guilt for seditious libel, and a month later, he was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of six months. The trials have been described as farcical, and the colonial secretary would rebuke Governor Sir Charles Hotham over prosecuting the Eureka rebels for the lofty offence of High Treason.