The Infamous Life of John Church, the St. George's Fields Preacher: From His Infancy Up to His Trial and Conviction, with His Confession, Sent in a Letter to the Rev. Mr. L--, Two Days After His Attack on Adam Foreman, at Vauxhall, with Clerical Remarks by the Same Gentleman; To Which Is Added, His Love Epistles to E**** B****. Together with Various Other Letters, Particularly One to Cook, of Vere-Street Notoriety.

In early 19th century London, John Church was found as an infant beside a church and rose to become a preacher in St. George's Fields. But the man who delivered sermons on Gospel righteousness harbored a secret life of scandal that would eventually destroy him. This contemporaneous account chronicles Church's notorious career and spectacular downfall - from his questionable practices as a self-proclaimed minister to the attack on Adam Foreman at Vauxhall that led to his trial and conviction. What elevates this beyond simple exposé are the documents themselves: Church's confession, dispatched to a clergyman just two days after the assault, and his passionate love letters to E**** B**** that reveal the private man behind the pulpit. Written when the scandal was still fresh and shocking, this is no sanitized history but rather the original tabloid sensation - a portrait of religious hypocrisy in an era when the clergy held enormous social power. The contrast between Church's preaching and his personal conduct makes for grimly compelling reading, capturing a Victorian obsession with fallen men of the cloth.