In this chapter of R.D. Blackmore’s The Maid of Sker, the verdict of the court is followed by the verdict of the crowd. “Public approbation.” The praise or approval of the people (gathered at 'The Jolly Sailor' in Newton for an evening's drinking and more generally as he goes about his business selling fresh fish) — becomes as powerful as any legal judgment. Blackmore captures how reputations rise or fall not just on evidence, but on gossip, applause, and the shifting moods of community opinion.

It’s a keen reminder that justice in Victorian society was never delivered in a vacuum — the voice of the people could be as loud as the gavel. Newspapers from as far as Hereford and Bristol are studied and discussed, as are the merits of the liquor and tobacco which come into Porthcawl with the weekly press from these far distant towns.