The Assassination of the Prime Minister: John Bellingham and the Murder of Spencer Perceval

By David C. Hanrahan

Book Overview

On Monday, 11 May 1812, John Bellingham made his way to the Palace of Westminster. In the lobby leading to the House of Commons, he took out a concealed pistol and shot the Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval. There was no mystery about the killer's identity, but why did he do it? Captured in this dramatic story are all the ingredients of a thriller: suspense, revenge, personal tragedy, and murder. At the heart is the extraordinary story of how an honest businessman ended up imprisoned in a rat-infested Russian jail for six years, refused all help by his own government. Unable to obtain the justice he thought was his due, Bellingham did the only thing he could to express his outrage and achieve a kind of natural justice. David C. Hanrahan's lively and colorful narrative does full justice to this extraordinary tale of neglect and obsession. He paints a convincing and moving picture of Bellingham's desperation and explores the reasons for the ambassador's failure to take any action to help him as well as the indifference shown by the government to his petitions once he had managed to get back home.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0750944005
• ISBN13: 9780750944007
• Release Date: November 2008
• Publisher: Sutton
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.0" x 0.9" x 6.0"