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Spencer Perceval |
British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval was shot dead in the
House of Commons lobby on May 11, 1812. Two hundred years later, his murder
remains the only assassination of a British prime minister in history.
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John Bellingham |
John Bellingham was a Liverpool businessman, his early life
is largely unknown, he was born in St Neots, Huntingdonshire, in the late
1790s, and about 1800 he went to Arkhangelsk, Russia as an agent for importers
and exporters. He returned to England in 1802, and was a merchant broker in
Liverpool.
Bellingham entered the House of Commons lobby around 5 p.m.
on May 11, 1812, he sat down on the bench next to the fireplace.
John Bellingham had been arrested in Russia on charges of
insurance fraud in 1804, and he spent more than five years festering in
rat-infested jails, surviving at times on just bread and water. His appeals to
the British ambassador and the foreign office were ignored, however, Russian
authorities eventually dropped the charges. Bellingham returned to his family
in Liverpool, he was now bankrupt and a broken man. He continued to lobby the
British government for financial compensation for his suffering and the loss of
his business, but his letters went unanswered, he travelled to London in
January 1812 to personally petition his case.
Bellingham sat in the House of Commons, angry in his belief
that the British government had denied him justice, he focused his rage on
Spencer Perceval. At about 5:15 p.m.
Bellingham saw the Tory Prime Minister Spencer Perceval, cross into the lobby.
Without saying a word, he walked toward the prime minister, pulled one of the
two duelling pistols he had concealed in his overcoat and pumped a shot
directly into the chest of the leader of the world’s most powerful country. The
large lead ball instantly pierced the prime minister’s heart. Perceval put his
hand to his chest and, according to eyewitness accounts, gasped “I am
murdered!” before falling to the ground. The politician was carried to a nearby
room, his white waistcoat scarlet, he, was propped up in a sitting position on
a table. Minutes later, a surgeon arrived and pronounced the prime minister dead.
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An illustration of the shooting from the Telegraph |
Bellingham, did not attempt to escape after firing the fatal
shot. Instead, he simply returned to his seat with the smoking gun literally
still in his right hand. He offered no resistance and was taken into custody
and placed in a prison cell inside Parliament.
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Plan Of The House of Commons Lobby at the time of the assassination |
The assassin was escorted out of Parliament in handcuffs
hours after the assassination and large crowd that had swelled outside
Parliament cheered upon seeing Bellingham. The crowd even tried to assist the
shooter’s escape by throwing open the doors of the hackney coach that was to
transfer him to Newgate Prison. Sir Samuel Romilly, a member of Parliament,
recounted in his memoir that
“the most savage expressions of joy and
exultation were heard, accompanied with regret that others, and particularly
the attorney-general, had not shared the same fate.”
The lack of national mourning testified just how divisive a
figure Perceval had been in Britain since becoming prime minister in 1809.
During his tumultuous time in office, he pursued war against Napoleon, and his
continuation of efforts to impede American trade with France would soon help to
ignite the War of 1812. The high taxes imposed by Perceval to fund the military
ventures strained an economy already crippled by French naval blockades. Driven
by his religious convictions, Perceval also strangled the illegal slave trade
that had been an economic lifeline to port cities such as Bellingham’s hometown
of Liverpool. While many with deep animosity toward Perceval celebrated
his passing, justice for Bellingham was swift. Just four days after the
assassination, he stood trial in London’s historic courthouse, the Old Bailey.
When Bellingham addressed the court, he recounted his experiences in Russia to
the court and said that his action, while necessary and justified, did not
spring from any personal malice toward the prime minister. He is quoted as
saying
“The unfortunate lot had fallen upon him as the leading
member of that administration which had repeatedly refused me any reparation,”
He added rather chillingly,
“I trust this fatal catastrophe will be warning
to other ministers. If they had listened to my case, this court would not have
been engaged in this case.”
The jury, took less than 15 minutes to render its
verdict: guilty. Bellingham was once again thrown in a prison cell, existing on
bread and water. This time, however, not for long. On May 18, 1812, just a
week after the sensational murder, Bellingham hanged from the gallows the
executioner was William Brunskill. Robert Banks Jenkinson, earl of
Liverpool, soon became prime minister, and the stability of his 15-year rule
stood in contrast to the rocky tenure of his predecessor. Perceval faded into
obscurity, and while he ranks high among Britain’s forgotten prime ministers,
he may always be remembered for his violent end.
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Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool |
Percival was succeeded byRobert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of
Liverpool KG PC (7 June 1770 – 4 December 1828) he was a British politician and
the longest-serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He was 42 years old
when he became premier in 1812, which made him younger than all of his
successors. As Prime Minister, Liverpool became known for repressive measures introduced
to maintain order; but he also steered the country through the period of
radicalism and unrest that followed the Napoleonic Wars.
Link
Sources
Liverpool Library
Liverpool Records Office
Gov.UK
By Robert F Edwards