In British courts, beginning in 1823, a sentence of death recorded meant that the judge was abstaining from voicing a sentence of capital punishment in cases where the judge foresaw that a royal pardon would be forthcoming if a proper death sentence were to be issued. It was, in other words, a death sentence in name only, with no actual effect in law. Royal pardons for capital punishment had become routine at the time for most common crimes. A "death recorded" sentence allowed the judge to meet common law sentencing precedent while avoiding mocking by the sentenced or the public who realised...