Trial by jury is an ancient English right, embedded in Magna Carta. It means that at the heart of every serious criminal trial, however obscure the circumstances, however complex the evidence, there will be an element of common sense – the common sense of ordinary fellow citizens, of you and me.

So it was a significant moment on January 5 when a jury acquitted the four people who had toppled the statue of Edward Colston, the Bristol slave-trader, into the harbour.

The jury evidently took the view that this was not a simple case of vandalism or hooliganism. This was facing up to the shameful side of our imperial history.

The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, defeated in the House of Lords in the early hours of Tuesday morning, seeks to increase the gravity of the crime and the severity of sentences for people who act as the ‘Bristol four’ acted.

Ironically, this means that they would have to be tried by jury – and any future jury might act as the Bristol jury did. And the Bill seeks to fetter other ancient English rights, including the right to protest.

Today is the feast day of Worcester’s great saint and former Bishop of Worcester, St Wulfstan, who began the building of our present cathedral. He died on January 19 1095.

One of his bravest actions was to go to Bristol (then in his diocese) and confront the slave-traders of his day.

He protested. He disrupted their trade. He threatened the economy of the city. His actions provoked some violence. He would certainly have fallen foul of the new Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

But he was successful. He put a stop to the Bristol slave-trade, at least for a time. And for that the Church made him a saint. We need more saints like him.