A Full and authentic report of the trial of Jonathan Martin; at the Castle of York, on Tuesday, March 31, 1829, for setting fire to York Minister; with an account of the life of the lunatic; the destruction of the choir of York Cathedral, on the Second of February, 1829; the flight and apprehension of the incendiary; his examination and commitment to York city gaol; the proceedings at public meetings held at York, In Consequence of the Fire, &c. &c. Embellished with a striking likeness of Martin and a ground plan of the minister.

First edition. According to Worldcat only registred in 6 libraries worldwide. The eccentric and religious fanatic Jonathan Martin attempted to set light to York Minster. He was tried two months later, but was acquitted on the ground of insanity. His autobiography, first printed at Darlington in 1825, where Martin was then working in a tannery, recounted his experiences as a seaman, including his ‘wonderful escapes’ in the Battle of Copenhagen, and his conversion to Methodism. He was confined to a lunatic asylum after planning to test the faith of the Bishop of Oxford by shooting him after borrowing a pistol from his brother. He once escaped and was recaptured, but escaped again despite being chained, and only after a perilous journey across the roof of the asylum. He supported himself by writing an account of his life and hawking it around the countryside, mounted on an ass (in imitation of his Saviour), and dressed in matching sealskin coat and boots.