I swear by almighty river: an ancient practice is making a comeback in Britain's courts | Tim Adams

When a juror was sworn in on a cupful of water from the Roding he made modern historyThe barrister Paul Powlesland, who has acted for climate protesters, was called to jury service last week, and made judicial history by taking an oath on the thing most holy to him - not an ancient book, but a cupful of water from his local river in north-east London: "I swear by the River Roding, from her source in Molehill Green to her confluence with the Thames," he said, "that I will faithfully try the defendant and give a true verdict according to the evidence."Powlesland explained that he wanted to promote the idea of the sacredness of nature, and its place in the legal system. "I hope that many others follow suit," he said, "and animism is soon found more regularly in our courts." Continue reading...