ASSIZE JUDGES ATTEND CHURCH AT SWANSEA

The Glamorgan Summer Assizes opened at Swansea with full ceremony and solemnity, following crime figures published in the South Wales Daily Post in July 1936 — numbers that would shortly come before the Assize judges for trial. Mr. Justice Macnaghten, K.B.E., undertook the civil work, while Mr. Justice Du Parcq presided over the criminal court, facing a docket that included two alleged murder cases, alongside charges of fraud, breaking and entering, property offences, and several indecent offences.

A note of sadness marked the proceedings: the absence of Hon. Stephen Coleridge, long‑serving Clerk of Arraigns, whose passing left a respected vacancy. In his stead, Mr. Illtyd Allan, M.C., acted as Clerk of Assize, guiding the formalities with quiet efficiency.

Before the courts convened, the judges attended divine service at St. Mary’s Parish Church, accompanied by a distinguished civic procession. Present were the High Sheriff, Sir William James Thomas, Bart., the Under‑Sheriff, the Mayor, the Town Clerk, and other officials. Hymns and prayers were offered, the congregation rising as the judges entered and departed in traditional dignity.

From the church, the company proceeded to the court, where the serious business of the Assizes awaited — a reminder that beneath the pageantry lay the weight of justice, and the sombre matters Swansea’s courts were called upon to decide.