Love and Madness

by Martin Levy

In eighteenth-century England the aristocracy dominated the imagination, their exploits -- and misdeeds -- discussed, debated, and gossiped about in the salons and parlors of London. Now author Martin Levy vividly re-creates one of the most shocking and scandalous events of the period, in a riveting true tale of passion, obsession, murder, and courtroom drama.

On a spring evening in the year 1779, a young woman emerged from London's Covent Garden Theatre amid a grand swirl of lords and ladies, their servants and coachmen. From out of the shadows a man emerged, dressed in a black suit. He raised a pistol and fired one fatal shot point-blank into the woman's head. A sudden and brutal murder, it was all the more shocking because of the identities of those involved. The victim was Martha Ray, famed aficionada of fashion and the arts, and longtime live-in mistress of the Earl of Sandwich, high-ranking minister to King George III. The assailant was James Hackman, a respected Anglican minister and Martha Ray's former lover.

It was a savage crime that rocked both British high society and the church, and inflamed the interest and imagination of such renowned personages as Samuel Johnson and James Boswell, noted biographer and lover of prostitutes and executions. And it resulted in a courtroom extravaganza unique in the annals of legal proceedings -- where passion was the motive, the madness of "momentary phrenzy" the mitigating circumstance . . . and love the ultimate justification for a crazed act of murder.

With consummate skill, author Martin Levy brings to breathtaking life the sights and sounds of an unparalleled era in history -- when hangings were public entertainment and debauchery was a popular pastime of the wealthy and the titled -- and expertly unravels the mystery behind a truly sensational slaying. Fascinating, startling, edifying, and entertaining, Love and Madness is a brilliant tale of crime and punishment as vivid and compelling as the headlines of today.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, True Crime, Biography, 18th Century, British Literature, European History

268 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Sarah W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book highlights the eighteenth-century murder of an earl's mistress and the maddening love which led to it. The author delves into the lives of Martha Ray, the Earl of Sandwich, and Martha's murderer James Hackman. Hackman had been rebuffed in his marriage proposal to Martha, an event he was ultimately unable to accept and led to his murder of Martha and attempted suicide. A fascinating insight into this case and how the 18th-century society viewed love, madness, and execution.

[Caro Kinkead · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting subject, but dry going. Great for information or those researching the period, but not for light reading.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martha Ray was born in 1746. Her father was a corset maker, and her mother was a servant for a noble family. She was considered to be a talented singer and a beautiful girl. She began an affair with John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, moving in with him when she was seventeen. The Earl supported her in completing her education, as well as fathering nine children. Only five survived. While the Earl was legally married, his wife was suffering from mental illness, and he lived as a married couple with Martha Ray. Martha was murdered at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England on April 7, 1779. She was 32 years old.

I bought this book at my favorite local used bookstore. I can't remember how much I paid for it, but it was worth whatever I did pay. This book was well researched, and very interesting. I love old murder cases, and I also love books about royals and nobles. Marth wasn't either, but her proximity to nobility as a mistress of a noble is interesting. I really enjoyed this book.

[Dawn Ashenbrenner · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn't very compelling. As others have mentioned, it was written like a dissertation. I did like the chapter on the history of love sickness, in fact I think a whole book on that subject would be great!

[Yooperprof · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love and Madness has a remarkably low overall rating. For my part, I did think the discussion of the "case" was somewhat thin, but it was fine for an overview, and it's not really that bad to finish a book thinking that maybe it should have been longer.

Oddly enough, author Martin Levy never comments on the attribution of the invention of the sandwich to the long-term lover of the murder victim.

[Luci · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a very matter of fact historical narrative about a crime of passion. Realistically nothing too exciting sets this murder apart and the book reads like a dissertation with primary sources reproduced in back.

[Bleachedblackcat · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok, rambles a bit in places but not in a way that holds your attention like some writers can. But an ok read

[Tristan Robin Blakeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This short book was interesting. A dissertation on an 18th century murder that captured the fancy of London society and was the topic of many articles at the time. The murder of a singer, the mistress of the Earl of Sandwich, being murdered by a clergyman who was in love with her was as tantalizing a piece of criminal gossip then as it would be today.

I very much liked that this was *not* a novelization of the case. There are no made up conversations or internal monologues of the participants presented as facts. It is a true true-crime story. There was much to learn about the history of "love sickness" (at one time thought to be a malady only suffered by men) and I thought the chapter on that issue could make a fascinating book of its own. I also enjoyed learning about the way executions were performed in that time period, and how very different they were from the executions held today in the U.S.

I would recommend this book to anybody interested in true-crime, history, historical crime and/or social matters historically. It's not suspenseful or thrilling, so if you're looking for a good crime caper or thriller, this isn't it! But, for a well-researched and related story, it's a good read - and as I mentioned in the beginning of the review, a fast one. At a mere 200 pages, it clips along and you're finished before you know it!

[Joanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was carefully researched, but in the end, it just wasn't all that interesting. The author didn't tell the story in a way that made the time period come to life or that made me care about the Earl of Sandwich or his murdered mistress all that much. Perhaps someone with more of an interest in the time period would be more intrigued.

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

even though religiously researched, Levy is ultimately successful in detailing the unfortunate role of women in the 1770s London. I personally found interesting the chapter on public hangings during this time and the subsequent anatomical "research" afterwards.

[Kit Kincade · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is weird to randomly choose to read two books in a relatively short period of time about the same topic that contradict each other. John Brewer's book on the subject I find more compelling than this one, and I wonder if this would be the case if I had picked up this one first.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A scholarly work, like a dissertation-expanded

[Vickie Sigler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not an easy read, but an interesting story.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read. People had more sympathy for the murderer (a clergyman), than his victim (a woman).