ABSTRACT
There is no simple reason why the trial of Voysey in 1871 is the last successful trial for heresy in the history of the Church of England. What becomes apparent is that both the unpredictability of outcome and the challenge of defining wrong doctrine in court have played their part in the abandonment of judicial proceedings as a response to overambitious intellectual enquiry. The heyday of heresy trials in the Church of England was surprisingly brief, opening with the 1843 case of Sanders v Head and concluding with those of Noble v Voysey in 1871 and Sheppard v Bennett in 1871–72. Frederick Oakeley adopted the peculiar position that he held "all Roman doctrines" and would encourage anyone else to do so, but that he would not teach them, and would encourage fellow Roman-believers to remain part of the Church of England.
