Why Spencer Perceval Had to Die: The Assassination of a British Prime Minister

by Andro Linklater

At approximately 5:15pm on the afternoon of May 11, 1812, Spencer Perceval, the all-powerful Prime Minister of Great Britain, was fatally shot at short range in the lobby of Parliament. His assailant was John Bellingham, a man who blamed his government for not intervening when he was unjustly imprisoned in Russia. The killer made no effort to escape in the confusion; remarkably, he firmly believed he would not only be exonerated, but applauded, for his action. But he was not to enjoy relief; a week later, granted the briefest of trials that trampled his right to due process, he was hanged.In A Political Killing, Andro Linklater examines Bellingham's motives against the dramatic events of his time with the eye of a skilled forensic examiner and the determination of the finest detective. Though small in stature and quiet by nature, few prime ministers have enjoyed Perceval's power; he was also Chancellor of the Exchequer, and as such, in a time of economic disaster caused by the naval blockade against Napoleon's France, which he endorsed, Perceval nonetheless made the decision to sustain Wellington's army in Spain against Napoleon; sent troops to Ireland to compel the loyalty of dissident Catholics; and raised taxes to new heights to finance his activities. Bellingham's act opens a fascinating window onto the western world at the height of the Napoleonic Wars and the start of the War of 1812. At the same time, Linklater investigates, as nobody appears ever to have, the movements and connections of John Bellingham to answer the same questions that have been asked ever since JFK's Did he act alone? And if not, who aided him, and why?

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, British Literature, True Crime

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2012

Reviews

[QOH · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd book with entirely too much soul-gazing.

It's a superficial and sensational history of a complicated event, and in order to provide the necessary background, there's a lot of tension between the history and background (Orders in Council, slave trade, the politics that made Perceval PM) and conjecture and odd, sweeping statements.

The only British PM ever assassinated was poor Spencer Perceval, the family man, Evangelical-leaning Conservative stick-in-the-mud, on May 11, 1812. The assassin was John Bellingham, an accountant and would-be businessman with grievances against the government.

As a fiction editor, point of view errors drive me crazy. One place I never expect to see them is in a work of non-fiction. I don't ever want to read that someone was a "typically stubborn, flinty-souled Yankee trader" because that's a judgment, not an observation. (Also, that's my New England heritage being tossed around like a pejorative.)

Another statement -- "The conflict in John Bellingham's nature between the beautiful and the sublime became extreme" -- is not only ridiculous, it's all invention. Who knows what Bellingham had in his nature? In a work of non-fiction, I don't want to read conjecture. I want to read history. Facts. Sources.

Not soul-gazing.

There were enough minor errors, like describing the Prince Regent's wife Caroline as an attractive woman (she wasn't), or describing American settlers as "moving onto the prairies" that I found myself doubting other recitations of facts.

The idea that Bellingham wasn't a lone shooter is intriguing. If there's any real evidence for it, I didn't see it in this work. It could be that by the time I reached the end, I was doubting the veracity of everything I was reading (unless a direct quote).

The potential for a very interesting book was here -- it would have required more research, better editing, and better weaving together of the facts, as well as toning down the grandiose value judgments.

I did learn some new things, and the notes were useful. So there's that. I'd probably give this 2.5 stars, but am rounding up to 3.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

On Monday 11th May, 1812, John Bellingham headed to the House of Commons to assassinate the Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval. He was late. As we later learn, John Bellingham was a man for whom things rarely went to plan. However, he did kill the PM as he headed into the entrance lobby and was immediately seized. I have to admit that I knew nothing about this crime, but the author recreates both the murder and the times with great detail in this fascinating account of the assassination of a British Prime Minister.

Spencer Perceval was Prime Minister during a turbulent time. After the French Revolution, Napoleon was waging war in Europe. A naval blockade had been imposed on France; the US and the French had their own embargos. Trade worldwide had slowed to a trickle and there was economic recession, unemployment, social distress and the threat of war. Perceval was a man of strong beliefs, who opposed the slave trade and believed in respectable public and private behaviour during the reign of a notoriously dissolute Prince Regent. Happily married with many children, Perceval was respected by his peers and loved by his family.

This book looks at the aftermath of the assassination, how it was perceived in the country, the trial of Bellingham and his reasons for wanting to kill the PM. We are taken from trading in Archangel, to slave traders in Liverpool, through the lives of both Bellingham and Perceval, examining who benefited from the removel of the Prime Minister, what motives there could be, looking at Luddites, radicals, Catholics and slave trade abolition along the way. This really is a very well written, informative and interesting read, which examines the consequences of Perceval's death and finishes by telling us what happened to all the people involved in the events surrounding the assassination. Lastly, I read the kindle edition of this book and the illustrations were included.

[Maura Heaphy Dutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written account of a surprisingly forgotten episode of British history, the first and only assassination of a British Prime Minister. PM Spencer Perceval was shot and killed in the lobby of Parliament by a mentally unbalanced Liverpool businessman who thought that killing the PM would force a court to compensate him for his business losses.

In a hurried trial - John Bellingham, the assassin, was executed less than one week after the murder - the defense's attempt to plead insanity was rejected, but Linklater's account makes it clear that Bellingham really was unhinged by the business setbacks he had suffered. He also puts those setbacks, and the extreme action Bellingham took to get "justice," in the context of Perceval's government policies. Bellingham may have been a deranged man with a grudge, working alone, but Linklater makes further interesting and plausible claims about who probably bankrolled his "mission."

Added 23/11/2018: fascinating account of the reconstruction of the face of John Bellingham, using his skull. https://gizmodo.com/gaze-upon-the-rec...

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This non-fiction work is about the assassination of Prime Minister Spencer Perceval in 1812, and about the man who was found guilty of the crime of murder. It is a very thorough book, giving details and insight as to why the man who killed the Prime Minister did so. I very much enjoyed the book.

The book begins with the assassination of Perceval, who in 1812 was not only the Prime Minister (a post he had held since 1809), but he was also the First Lord of the Treasury, Leader of the House of Commons, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. The assassin was one John Bellingham, who was a merchant with a very methodical cast of mind. In 1804 he was working as an export representative in Archangel, Russia, when a rival managed to get him put in jail. Once out of jail, he went to St. Petersburg and attempted to have the Governor-General of Archangel impeached, which got him put in prison again. By the time he got home to England in 1809, he was destitute, and absolutely certain that the English Government should grant him compensation for his imprisonment. His wife talked him into dropping the issue. Early in 1812, Bellingham returned to London, taking his cause to every level of government, printing his cause on pamphlets delivered to every member of Parliament, and even going to 10 Downing Street; in every case he was told that Government would not take up what they regarded as a civil issue. On May 11th, 1812, Bellingham shot Perceval to death in the lobby of the House of Commons; when the word reached the populace, there were wild demonstrations of glee that Perceval was dead. Four days later Bellingham was charged with the murder; his defense was that he had not committed murder, but only taken the logical next step in his efforts to obtain compensation for his injuries; Bellingham was so certain that he would be acquitted that he wrote his wife he would be home the next day after being set free. He was found guilty, and hanged on May 18th, 1812, exactly one week after the assassination.

The meat of the book explains not only why the populace went wild when the word of the assassination was made public, but why a great many people were deeply enraged by the policies of Spencer Perceval. It is worth noting that the War of 1812 was declared by the United States over Perceval’s expansion of the Orders in Council, which had banned trade with France but were also used against American shipping. Word of the Repeal of the Orders, which occurred in June 1812, did not reach America until August 1812, by which time the War of 1812 was well under weigh. History has pretty much relegated Perceval to a footnote, which is a shame; and I loved reading this book.

[Gerry Connolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Andro Linklater’s Why Spencer Perceval Had to Die the author sets out to convince us that the only assassination of a British Prime Minister involved a conspiracy of Liverpool merchants and slave traders. In this endeavor he fails. The assassin, John Bellingham a Liverpool merchant who pursued an obsessive grievance from time in a Russian prison, was witnessed in the act of killing Perceval, apprehended on the spot, tried, convicted and hanged. He freely confessed to what he viewed as a necessary political act and avowed he acted alone even to the sheriff on the day of his hanging. He did have some access to funds in the weeks prior to the crime but no concrete evidence existed of a cabal that hired him to do the deed. Perceval was powerful but unpopular for imposing trade sanctions and ending slave trading. His policies led to the War of 1812 with America which commenced shortly after his death. An overlooked but consequential chapter on British history.

[Bob Duke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure that the case that the assassination of Spencer Perceval was aided by others is convincingly made. However it is clear that the prosecution of John Bellingham was hasty with government of the day being fearful of revolution and wished to have the matter expedited as quickly as possible. This did not allow some matters that may or may not have involved a greater conspiracy to fully investigated. Bellingham was clearly a man who was mentally unstable and it is possible that he could have been used as an instrument of those who had a lot to lose in the trade with America and effective action taken against the slave trade. The book provides some good background to the politics of the time.

[Emilija · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 48%.

I found this book to be a massive disappointment. I was expecting an actual historical book, but this was a popular history book attempting to change the belief that Spencer Perceval was assassinated by a singular man to the idea that he was assassinated by a group of pro-slave trades who used John Bellingham as a patsy. There was conspiracy theories about every political assassination, but Linklater doesn't bring any of his points together into a cohesive conspiracy theory. The author was prone to quite a lot of rambling which made this book into a messy read and quite a struggle to actually read.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everyone thinks that William Wilberforce was the only driving force behind abolition, Wellington defeated the Luddites and Churchill was the only wartime premier. Why? Because all anyone remembers about Spencer Percival is that he was shot dead.

This excellent book picks apart the far more interesting story of WHY the Prime Minister was shot and the underpinning complex political, military and undemocratic legal wrangling that made it, at least in the eyes of the perpetrator, inevitable. Recommended

[Nick Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating little book that made me realise how little I knew about Spencer Perceval, apart from his being the only British PM to be assassinated. I'm not sure I really believe in the conspiracy the author blames for his death, but it is a good and informative read. And he may be right.

[Thomas PRB · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy reading through this book and I think it was for the most part well written! there were just a few sections in which Linklater's argument seemed speculative. Still recommend giving it a read though!

[Matthew Gilmore · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible book. Linklater is so hostile to religion and conservatism (and religious conservatism) that he has no perspective on his subject.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and well-paced book on a topic I had never heard of.

[aqmir alhamdi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overwhelmed with the backstory but it was a good educational read ☺️

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF
I found this book quite long and after 35% I gave up because I was getting bored of it so I didn't see the point finishing it.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book caught my eye at the library. Having never heard of Perceval, or of any assassination of a British PM, I thought it was a novel. Halfway through reading this speculative history of Perceval’s murder, or more accurately, his assassin, I realized my first thought wasn’t far wide of the mark.
Perceval was shot point-blank in the chest and the assassin, John Bellingham, immediately took responsibility. There was an inquiry, a committal, a trial and a hanging of the man who claimed sole responsibility for the murder - which he considered simply as an act of justice for himself. Before the trial ended, the government was able to assure itself that their man was a lone wolf and not part of a wider political plot to bring down the government or foment a revolution.

Linklater casts doubt on their assessment. Adopting a time-honored tradition, he follows the money, and the trail leads to.... Well, I’m not going to put in a spoiler except to say that his investigations lead us into the heart of the economic woes suffered by ordinary Britons, but especially traders, by the British government’s efforts - apparently hammered into place by Perceval’s obstinacy and religious beliefs - to control the Atlantic trade and, specifically, to uphold its bans on the slave trade.

Linklater presents a cogent theory that is spoiled, I think, by his novelistic techniques. He gives us psycho-babble to explain Bellingham’s deluded thought process - Perceval’s murder was a “sublime” act à la the contemporary Romantic movement in art, architecture and poetry. The assassin’s father was an artist and therefore this beauty versus the sublime dichotomy was embedded in his son’s psyche??? A serious s-t-r-e-t-c-h, and yet the author repeatedly refers to it. He also casts a famous Bow Street runner as his surrogate detective. Linklater suggests that had this brilliant man, one John Vickery, been given the brief he would have followed the same money trail that leads Linklater to his own slightly dodgy conclusions.

Linklater also comments that Bellingham’s timing was tragically off. Had he “shot the Prime Minister in April, the news would have reached the United States in time to prevent the outbreak of war” in 1812. Perhaps. But given the complications of international diplomacy and national imperatives, perhaps not.

Amusing quote culled from Wikipedia:

A contemporary MP Henry Grattan, used a naval analogy to describe Perceval: "He is not a ship-of-the-line, but he carries many guns, is tight-built and is out in all weathers".

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

On May 11, 1812, Spencer Perceval, the prime minister of Great Britain, was fatally shot in the lobby of Parliament by John Bellingham, a Liverpool businessman. Spencer Perceval is the only British prime minister to be assassinated. Perceval had deeply divided the British public. Some loved him others hated him for his fight against the lucrative slave trade and driving Britain into a war with the United States despite the economic consequences to both countries. Bellingham was not alone in blaming Perceval for economic ruin and he claimed to have killed Perceval "as a matter of justice," and believed he would not only be exonerated, but also applauded for his action. But Bellingham was granted the briefest of trials that trampled his right to due process, he was hanged.

Author Andro Linklater examines the records including recently discovered correspondence and personal records to convincing show there was a conspiracy. Linklater shows the prime ministers personal and public life and discusses the economic and political climate of the time. He believes while Bellingham clearly fired they shot, he did not act alone.

[Adebayo Oyagbola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although we know from the get go the name of the man who fired the fatal shot that killed Spencer Perceval, this is a whodunit in the classical sense. It sets out to discover the shadowy figures behind the presumed conspiracy to assassinate the prime minister. As conspiracy theories go, it is a highly unlikely story, one that converts the possible, at every turn, into not only the plausible or probable but, indeed, the proven. The narrative turns logic upside down and decides that because a scenario could have transpired it did happen, unless proof is shown that it did not. Nevertheless, the book has indisputable and unalloyed benefit. It sets out, as no other book I have read has done, an account not only of the parliamentary battles that led to the abolition of slavery but indeed of the practical steps that were required to give effect to the abolitionist's humane and 'providential fervour. It also shows how a humourless and witless belief in predestination may have been responsible for the defeat of the peril that Napoleon constituted. All told it is a book replete with arcane historical titbits but one that tells a weak story. Nevertheless, well worth reading.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read, although not the easiest history book I've ever read mainly because of the confusing narrative. Linklater doesn't explore the assassination of British Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval, in an always chronological process. Instead it covers the killing, the reasons for the killing, then the trial, then the reasons again, then the aftermath, then the reasons for the aftermath, then the reasons for the killing again (not particularly in that order, but I think you get the idea). That being said, the story is pretty amazing and the author makes some really interesting connections between what we know of the killing and what we perhaps should know, had people asked the right questions at the time. Part of me feels this inquiry is just conjecture (using the legal term) based on very few pieces of evidence, but I guess that's what historians are supposed to do when working with few pieces of evidence! Worth a read, but again not the easiest to piece together at times.

[Sean O'Hara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Is there any assassination that hasn't inspired some harebrained conspiracy? I'm sure there are books out there claiming Roscoe Conkling put Guiteau up to killing Garfield, and Octavius framed Brutus and Cassius. This is about as silly -- Bellingham was every bit as much of a deranged nutjob as Guiteau, with eerily similar motives, but Linklater insists that Liverpool merchants, upset with the curtailment of the slave trade and Perceval's antagonism towards the US, were somehow behind Bellingham's actions. Linklater's narrative often goes rambling through dark alleys in an attempt to build a case, but he absolutely fails to bring things together even at the most basic level of explaining what the conspirators are supposed to have done.

[Olivia Helling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe the author is right or maybe he's wrong about Bellingham's conspiracy. It did seem odd that a man who's completely broke could afford to support two households, his own boarding room and his family's.

What I really enjoyed was the politics and economics leading up to 1812. Perceval Spencer was trying to do a great thing by restricting the traffic of slaves (saving an estimated 40,000 a year) and was steeped in family values, he was a ruthless man when it came to his ideals. And very zealous in his religious beliefs.

Bellingham was also a bit strange, obsessed with his idea of justice. A business trade had gone bad, how exactly did the British government owe him a hundred thousand pounds?

Bellingham and Spencer were much the same -- dedicated to do what they felt was right.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book. It outlines the assassination of Britain's Prime Minister in 1812, who remains to date the only British PM ever to be assassinated and with luck, will remain so. At any rate, Linklater examines the assassination in great detail and comes up with a really intriguing theory as to the motives behind Perceval's murder, beyond the ones stated by his killer, John Bellingham. He links it pretty inexorably to the War of 1812. I recommend it if you're interested in the time period, the War of 1812, British government, the end of the British slave trade, or, you know, stuff. History stuff.

[Caroline Taggart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extraordinary account of the murder of an almost forgotten Prime Minister by a forgotten madman. But was he just a lunatic who believed passionately that the Prime Minister had failed to right a wrong? Or was John Bellingham pushed to commit this murder by vested interests who were deeply involved in the slave trade and the damage to their businesses done by war with France and threatened war with America?

I don't know the answer to this question, but Andro Linklater's case is engrossing and his portrayal of poor obsessed Bellingham very touching.

[Ellenw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book left me hungry for more. Of what I wasn't sure, but I wanted Linklater's depth, humor, sensitivity brought to every major event in history. If this is what he can do with the reasonably sut-and-dry history of Spencer Perceval's death then I am left to only imagine what he could do with any of the other mysteries of history. Also, Spencer Perceval sounds like a jerk. Just had to mention that. Linklater is very kind to the man so I have to get that information out somewhere.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audible version. Interesting discussion of the only successful assassination of a British Prime Minister in 1812. The author can't quite make the assassination a conspiracy, but shows that many elements of society--especially Liverpool merchants who traded with the US and slavers--had strong motives to get him out of the way.

[David Hurst · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story behind this book would have made a good plot for an historical novel, but this book is way too thin on evidence. For example, a specific American banker is accused of contracting for Spencer Perceval's murder, with no evidence except that he would have benefited. Slandering dead men with absolutely no data is not good enough.

Some of the factual history is interesting..

[Claire Baxter · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting to have the event and Bellingham's background put into the historical context of the war with Napoleon and approaching war with the US, and also the anti-slavery movement and I really liked the way it tied all those events together. As a narrative though I found my interest came and went. It didn't really hold me the whole way through and I found it easy to put it down.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the only British Prime Minister who was assassinated, and about the policies he adopted which led to his demise. A fascinating read about a seldom discussed topic of history. I really enjoyed it.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

hate this "new sytle" of foot notes

[Angus · Rating 3 out of 5]

.

[Cam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps a little dry in places, but a fascinating look at a forgotten part of British history.