The Trials of the King of Hampshire: Madness, Secrecy and Betrayal in Georgian England

Synopsis

The 3rd Earl Of Portsmouth Voted In The House Of Lords, Took County Positions, Invited Jane Austen To His Balls, Counted William Cobbett As One Of His Hampshire Neighbors And Had Lord Byron As His Best Man At His Second Marriage. Then, At The Age Of Fifty-five, His Own Family Launched A Case Citing Him As A Danger Not Only To The Peerage But To Himself. Historian Elizabeth Foyster Invites Us Into The Jury Box For The Lengthiest, Most Expensive And Vastly Controversial Lunacy Commission Ever Heard, Including Accusations Of Abductions, Sodomy, Blackmail And Domestic Violence. Heir -- The Gift -- 'very Backward Of His Age, But Good Temper'd And Orderly' -- 'alarm'd At The Hesitation In His Speech' -- `the Laughing Stock Of The School' -- 'one Of The Most Sensible Women In The Kingdom' -- 'his Want Of Ordinary Caution' -- 'our Family Greatly Indulges Secrecy' -- Husband -- 'she Was More Like A Mother To Him Than A Wife' -- 'lord Portsmouth Surpassed The Rest In His Attentive Recollection Of You' -- 'he Must Have Been Quite A Natural' -- 'black Jobs' -- 'i Was Never With A Gentleman Of That Kind Before' -- The 'company Keeper' -- A Lack Of 'proper Feeling' -- Cuckold -- Mad, Bad And Dangerous To Know? -- 'this Unfortunate And Devoted Girl' -- 'heir Apparent' -- Three In A Bed -- 'that Cursed Woman' -- 'so Long As He Was Sane, He Took No Part In Politics' -- He 'always Expressed Much Anxiety About His Lady's Health' -- The King Of Hampshire -- King -- The Plan -- Family Letters. Elizabeth Foyster. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.