Edward Marcus Despard (1751–21 February 1803), was an Irish-born British colonel turned revolutionary, executed for High Treason. Year 1751 ( MDCCLI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 362 - Athanasius returns to Alexandria. 1245 - Thomas, the first known Bishop of Finland 1803 ( MDCCCIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world See also Treason, High treason in the United Kingdom High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's country
He was born in Queens County, Ireland, in 1751. County Laois (liːʃ Contae Laoise in Irish) formerly also Laoighis or Leix, is a County in the midlands of Ireland, Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world In 1766 he entered the British Royal Navy, was promoted to lieutenant in 1772, and stationed at Jamaica, where he soon proved himself to have considerable engineering talent. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services Jamaica (ˈdʒəˈmeɪkə} is an Island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length and as much as in width situated in the Caribbean Sea. Engineering is the Discipline and Profession of applying technical and scientific Knowledge and He served in the West Indies with credit, being promoted captain after the San Juan expedition (1780). The Caribbean (ˌkærəˡbiən kæ'rəbiən Cariben|Caraïben or Caraïben; Caraïbe or more commonly Antilles; Caribe is a Region consisting American war 1775–1778 Before France entered the conflict in 1778 the naval war consisted of many small operations In 1782 he commanded a successful expedition against the Spanish possessions on the Black River. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Black River is the capital of St Elizabeth Parish, in southwestern Jamaica. He was subsequently made Superintendent of the Bay of Honduras on the Mosquito Coast (present-day Belize). The Gulf or Bay of Honduras is a large inlet of the Caribbean Sea, indenting the coasts of Belize, Honduras and Guatemala. The Caribbean Mosquito Coast (or Miskito Coast) historically consisted of an area along the Atlantic coast of present-day Nicaragua, named after its native Belize (bəˈliːz formerly British Honduras, is a country in Central America.
He administered this British enclave until 1790 when, upon frivolous charges, he was suspended by Home Secretary Lord Grenville and recalled to England. The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the United Kingdom Home Office William Wyndham Grenville 1st Baron Grenville PC (25 October 1759 &ndash 12 January 1834 was a British Whig Statesman and Prime Minister England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland From 1790 to 1792 these charges were investigated, and he was suspended on half pay with his expenses from the Bay of Honduras withheld. Pursued by a further law suit from his enemies in the Bay, he was arrested and confined in the King's Bench debtor's prison from 1792 to 1794. A debtors' prison is a Prison for those who are unable to pay a Debt.
On his release he joined the London Corresponding Society. London Corresponding Society was a moderate-radical body concentrating on reform of the Parliament of Great Britain in the 1790s In 1798 was arrested on suspicion of involvement in the Irish Rebellion. Year 1798 ( MDCCXCVIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (Éirí Amach 1798 Turn Oot 1798 or 1798 rebellion as it is known locally was an uprising in 1798 lasting several months against the Habeas Corpus had been suspended in 1794, and Despard was held without trial for nearly three years in a succession of prisons, notably Coldbath Fields Prison in Clerkenwell, until he was released without charge in 1801. Habeas corpus (ˈheɪbiəs ˈkɔɹpəs ( Latin: command that you have the body is the name of a legal action or Writ, through which a person can seek relief Coldbath Fields Prison (later also known as Clerkenwell Gaol) was a Prison in the Clerkenwell areas of the City of London, originally built during Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington.
In late 1802 he was named by government informers and disaffected soldiers as a member of a conspiracy engaged in a plot to seize the Tower of London and Bank of England and assassinate George III. Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower) is a historic monument in central London The Bank of England (formally the Governor and Company of the Bank of England) is a state-owned institution and the Central bank of the United Kingdom George III (George William Frederick 4 June 1738 George III's long reign was marked by a series of military conflicts involving his kingdom much of the rest of Europe and places The evidence was thin but Despard was arrested and prosecuted by Attorney General Spencer Perceval, before Lord Ellenborough, the Lord Chief Justice. In most Common law jurisdictions the Attorney General, or Attorney-General, is the main legal advisor to the government and in some jurisdictions may in addition Spencer Perceval, KC (1 November 1762 &ndash 11 May 1812 was a British statesman and Prime Minister. Edward Law 1st Baron Ellenborough ( 16 November, 1750 &ndash 13 December 1818) English Judge, was born at Great The Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales was historically the second-highest judge of the Courts of England and Wales, after the Lord Chancellor. Despite a dramatic appearance by Lord Nelson as character witness on his behalf, Despard was found guilty by the jury of high treason, and sentenced, with six of his fellow-conspirators (John Wood and John Francis, both privates in the army, carpenter Thomas Broughton, shoemaker James Sedgwick Wratton, slater Arthur Graham, and John Macnamara),[1] to be hanged, drawn and quartered. Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson 1st Viscount Nelson 1st Duke of Bronté, KB (29 September 1758– 21 October 1805 was a British Under British law high treason is the crime of disloyalty to the Sovereign amounting to an intention to undermine their authority or the actual attempt to do so To be hanged drawn and quartered was the penalty once ordained in England for the crime of High treason.
These were the last men to be so sentenced in England, although prior to execution the sentence was commuted to simple hanging and beheading, amid fears that the draconian punishment might spark public dissent. Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death Decapitation (from Latin, caput, capitis, meaning head or beheading, is the cutting off of the head of a person or animal Despard was executed on the roof of the gatehouse at Horsemonger Lane Gaol, in front of a crowd of at least 20,000 spectators, on 21 February 1803. Horsemonger Lane Gaol (also known as the Surrey County Gaol or the New Gaol) was a Prison located close to modern-day Newington Causeway in
References
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911 is a 29-volume reference work that marked the beginning of the Encyclopædia Britannica The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone
Bibliography
Conner, Clifford D. , "Colonel Despard: The Life and Times of an Anglo-Irish Rebel" (Combined Publishing 2000)
Jay, Mike, The Unfortunate Colonel Despard (Bantam Press 2004)
| Government offices | ||
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| Preceded by James Lawrie |
Superintendent of British Honduras 1787–1790 |
Succeeded by Peter Hunter |
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