By JESSICA Baldwin = Associated Press Writer

LONDON (ap) George Washington went on trial Thursday for treason against the British crown a mock trial in which his lawyer argued that the American revolution was a case of self- defense.

Actor Bill Sommerlield, resplendent in 16th-century garb, portrayed Washington, the first U.S. president.

Sommerfield and the actors portraying Thomes Jefferson' and Benjamin Franklin are members of the Royal Pickwickians of Philadelphia, a troupe that combines acting with historical research.

Jefferson and Franklin gave testimony at the trial, which pitted pin-striped American lawyers against their British counterparts in wigs and gowns.

Harold Braff, a New Jersey trial lawyer and one of the team defending the conmander-in-chief of the American Revolutionary Army, said the British were the ones who declared war on the colonists hurting them economically and depriving them of liberties.

If the British leadership had played their cards right there would have been no revolution," he said.

The colonialists weren't interested in severing the relationships. They felt a loyalty to the king but they were unwilling to have to accept laws from Parliament," said Braff.

Actor Bill Barker, playing Jefferson, spoke softly in a southern accent and sported a blue ribbon holding his ponytail. He told the court he was the governor of Virginia and an author of the Declaration of Independence.

Franklin, played by Robert Gray, testified that he had traveled to England to try to reach a compromise with King George III and Parliament.

Prosecuting Washington under the Treason Act of 1351 was Sydney Kentridge, the human rights lawyer who defended Steven Biko in South Africa.

About 280 spectators paid $34 each to watch the trial. The money will be given to the International Scholarships for Young Lawyers fund.

The mock trial came about after Lord Golf, a member of the House of Lords made the treason charge at a June meeting of the American Inns of Court Foundation.

Lawyers from llinois and New Jersey took up the challenge and traveled to historic Lincoln's Inn for the trial, which is to be shown on British and U.S. television.

The lawyers agreed to limit the number of objections so that the program will make good drama," said Lanny Kurzweil, a member of the defene team.

The case was heard by three judges: Senior Law Lord, Lord Bridge of Harwich, Sir Patrick Neill, a British appellate judge and U.S. Federal Judge A. Sherman Christensen of Utah.

The Inn, an oasis of Georgian office buildings and tidy gardens in central London, was founded in the 14th century. It is the oldest of four Inns of Court that train and admit barristers, lawyers allowed to plead cases in court.

Barristers-in-training must spend 18 months following senior barristers through the courts and the Inns, so-called because many barristers used to work and live there.

The American Inns of Court Foundation, with 128 Inns in 38 states, works to bring the same tutorial methods to the U.S. legal system, matching young lawyers with senior advocates and jurists, said the foundation's president, Sherman Cohn.