Today marks the 250th anniversary of Robert Jones’s conviction.
On this blog, Jones is best known for his Treatise on Skating—the oldest known book about ice skating—and his skates, which I tried to reproduce. Jones is also known for child molestation. Today day in 1772, he was convicted of molesting Francis Henry Hay, a 12.5-year-old boy.
Jones’s book on skating was published in the same year as his trial, possibly during the trial. The popularity and visibility of the trial helped advertise his book. It’s possible that this popularity is why the book has survived so long.
To commemorate this milestone, my edition of A Treatise on Skating is now available as a free pdf from Skating History Press.
[…] fundamentals, like what kind of skates to use. Still, it’s very interesting to compare with Robert Jones’s book from 18 years […]