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The Trials of the King of Hampshire: Madness, Secrecy and Betrayal in Georgian England
Every family has its skeletons, but in 1823 the grand Wallop family was about to share theirs with the world. The 3rd earl of Portsmouth was a peculiar man but, by most accounts, a harmless one. An aristocrat of enormous wealth, he kept company with England’s most famous names, inviting Jane Austen to balls and having Lord Byron as chief witness to his second marriage. For the first fifty years of his life he had moved with ease in high society, but at the age of fifty-five his own family set out to have him declared insane.
Elizabeth Foyster invites us into Freemasons’ Hall for the most extraordinary, expensive and controversial British insanity trial ever heard. Amid accusations of abductions, sodomy, blackmail and violence, jurors have to decide if Portsmouth is just a shy, stammering eccentric with foolish habits or a sinister madman attempting to mask his dangerous and immoral nature. Both provocative and heart-rending, The Trials of the King of Hampshire goes beyond the fate of a single man to question Georgian society and examine the treatment of the mentally ill and disabled both then and now.
Elizabeth Foyster invites us into Freemasons’ Hall for the most extraordinary, expensive and controversial British insanity trial ever heard. Amid accusations of abductions, sodomy, blackmail and violence, jurors have to decide if Portsmouth is just a shy, stammering eccentric with foolish habits or a sinister madman attempting to mask his dangerous and immoral nature. Both provocative and heart-rending, The Trials of the King of Hampshire goes beyond the fate of a single man to question Georgian society and examine the treatment of the mentally ill and disabled both then and now.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published October 21, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
November 19, 2016
When I was reading Diane Atkinson's 'The Criminal Conversation of Mrs Norton' earlier in the year, there was a tangential reference to her estranged husband's connection to the controversial insanity trial of the Earl of Portsmouth, and I was keen to learn more about that case. A man on trial to prove his sanity or lack thereof, and a peer of the realm no less? Tell me more! So I was delighted to hear of the publication of this book and made a note to get my hands on it as soon as I could.
And what a story it is! You could write a Victorian melodrama that Dickens or Wilkie Collins would be proud about a story like this. A man with title, wealth and position, almost everything a man in Georgian England could want, except the wits to appreciate it, the Earl of Portsmouth spent his entire life with almost every member of his extended family trying to control or manipulate him. He was twice subjected to a Commission of Lunacy by his own brother, Portsmouth's designated heir in the event that he died without issue - and his brother was determined that he would, to the point of marrying him to a woman too old to bear children and then reviving the lunacy argument when Portsmouth was manipulated by his own solicitor into marrying the latter's daughter. Newton, Portsmouth's brother, was keen to maintain the family wealth and estates and was horrified at the thought of his brother driving both into rack and ruin through his incapacity and lack of understanding. To publicly declare Portsmouth, the family must truly have been desperate - as this was an era when mental illness was something to be ashamed of and kept hidden, notwithstanding the famous 'madness of King George' III.
The question of Portsmouth's sanity, inevitably, runs throughout this book, and Foyster marshals the evidence for and against so exhaustively as to confuse any reader. Chapters are devoted to his relationships with his servants, with his family, both his wives, his innocent about sex, his brutality and casual cruelty to animals and staff, his enjoyment of manual labour, his morbid fascination with funerals, his tantrums and childish behaviour. And yet at the same time Portsmouth could host balls and mingle in society, attend church, brush paths with Lord Byron and Jane Austen, take his place in the House of Lords, with few questions that he seemed sane enough to do so.
So was Portsmouth insane, or just of limited intelligence? At the remove of nearly three hundred years it is impossible to say - and I imagine it was just as impossible back then, knowing so much less about mental illness and intelligence as they did. At the very least he deserved compassion and understanding and received so little of both. One can't help but feel that being his parents' first-born was his greatest misfortune.
And what a story it is! You could write a Victorian melodrama that Dickens or Wilkie Collins would be proud about a story like this. A man with title, wealth and position, almost everything a man in Georgian England could want, except the wits to appreciate it, the Earl of Portsmouth spent his entire life with almost every member of his extended family trying to control or manipulate him. He was twice subjected to a Commission of Lunacy by his own brother, Portsmouth's designated heir in the event that he died without issue - and his brother was determined that he would, to the point of marrying him to a woman too old to bear children and then reviving the lunacy argument when Portsmouth was manipulated by his own solicitor into marrying the latter's daughter. Newton, Portsmouth's brother, was keen to maintain the family wealth and estates and was horrified at the thought of his brother driving both into rack and ruin through his incapacity and lack of understanding. To publicly declare Portsmouth, the family must truly have been desperate - as this was an era when mental illness was something to be ashamed of and kept hidden, notwithstanding the famous 'madness of King George' III.
The question of Portsmouth's sanity, inevitably, runs throughout this book, and Foyster marshals the evidence for and against so exhaustively as to confuse any reader. Chapters are devoted to his relationships with his servants, with his family, both his wives, his innocent about sex, his brutality and casual cruelty to animals and staff, his enjoyment of manual labour, his morbid fascination with funerals, his tantrums and childish behaviour. And yet at the same time Portsmouth could host balls and mingle in society, attend church, brush paths with Lord Byron and Jane Austen, take his place in the House of Lords, with few questions that he seemed sane enough to do so.
So was Portsmouth insane, or just of limited intelligence? At the remove of nearly three hundred years it is impossible to say - and I imagine it was just as impossible back then, knowing so much less about mental illness and intelligence as they did. At the very least he deserved compassion and understanding and received so little of both. One can't help but feel that being his parents' first-born was his greatest misfortune.
December 18, 2016
It must be exciting for any historian to discover a little known story with a huge collection of documentation to enable a detailed reconstruction. And there's no doubting that the story of the 3rd Earl of Portsmouth's alleged madness is fascinating even if it tells us what we probably already know about the greed and ruthlessness of the Georgian upper and middle classes. In addition it has a supporting cast that includes Jane Austen and her family, Lord Byron and Queen Caroline.
My difficulty with it is that Elizabeth Foyster drowns the reader under the sheer weight of her documentation which she then exacerbates by playing around with the time scale of the narrative to create suspense. The result is a history that loses impact by being too strung out and repetitious (particularly when it involves descriptions of Portsmouth's manic behaviour).
It's still well worth reading but, like so many books these days, could have done with some judicious editing.
My difficulty with it is that Elizabeth Foyster drowns the reader under the sheer weight of her documentation which she then exacerbates by playing around with the time scale of the narrative to create suspense. The result is a history that loses impact by being too strung out and repetitious (particularly when it involves descriptions of Portsmouth's manic behaviour).
It's still well worth reading but, like so many books these days, could have done with some judicious editing.
September 9, 2016
I received this book courtesy of Oneworld Publications through the Goodreads First Reads Program.
Bringing up a developmentally disabled child would never be easy. The 2nd Earl of Portsmouth and his wife, Urania, couldn't completely hide the fact that their son, John Charles, couldn't keep up with his class, but he had to learn to function in aristocratic society. Someday John Charles would become the 3rd Earl of Portsmouth. In addition to the family reputation he would control the family estate. His parents couldn't do anything about that. Arrangements were made, both for Viscount Lymington's education and for his younger brother Newton's inheritance. After Lymington becomes the 3rd Earl his mother continues to exert her influence. The book's subtitle - Madness, Secrecy and Betrayal in Georgian England - let's you know things aren't going to go smoothly. Eventually there is a Commission of Lunacy to determine Portsmouth's competence. And, much like today, the press is delighted.
Elizabeth Foyster has constructed her book so that the story of Portsmouth's life and the question of his lunacy are presented together. It puts the reader in the position of the jury and propels the story. There was a vast amount of testimony and it came from servants and field hands as well as doctors, lawyers and those in Portsmouth's social circles. Could he appear to be socially adept and be a lunatic? Could a sane man act in the bizarre ways some described? And then there are the motives of the other people involved. There was a lot riding on the outcome. It's all shocking, some of it is shameful. The man at the center is as complicated and contradictory as any of us. The press is delighted.
Foyster gives enough background to English life in the early 1800's to give a reader some understanding of the differences as well as similarities to life today. The book is more than an account of a sensational trial, it is a biography of a man whose life was not his own.
Bringing up a developmentally disabled child would never be easy. The 2nd Earl of Portsmouth and his wife, Urania, couldn't completely hide the fact that their son, John Charles, couldn't keep up with his class, but he had to learn to function in aristocratic society. Someday John Charles would become the 3rd Earl of Portsmouth. In addition to the family reputation he would control the family estate. His parents couldn't do anything about that. Arrangements were made, both for Viscount Lymington's education and for his younger brother Newton's inheritance. After Lymington becomes the 3rd Earl his mother continues to exert her influence. The book's subtitle - Madness, Secrecy and Betrayal in Georgian England - let's you know things aren't going to go smoothly. Eventually there is a Commission of Lunacy to determine Portsmouth's competence. And, much like today, the press is delighted.
Elizabeth Foyster has constructed her book so that the story of Portsmouth's life and the question of his lunacy are presented together. It puts the reader in the position of the jury and propels the story. There was a vast amount of testimony and it came from servants and field hands as well as doctors, lawyers and those in Portsmouth's social circles. Could he appear to be socially adept and be a lunatic? Could a sane man act in the bizarre ways some described? And then there are the motives of the other people involved. There was a lot riding on the outcome. It's all shocking, some of it is shameful. The man at the center is as complicated and contradictory as any of us. The press is delighted.
Foyster gives enough background to English life in the early 1800's to give a reader some understanding of the differences as well as similarities to life today. The book is more than an account of a sensational trial, it is a biography of a man whose life was not his own.
May 13, 2024
[2017] Elizabeth Foyster's first publication is a truly wonderful book. An extremely well researched, well written account of a man (The 3rd Earl of Portsmouth, 1767-1853) who had an extraordinary life. His childhood of wealth, privilege and innocence is beautifully described - with such clarity that the subject, his family and position come alive and you experience that rare sense of emersion in the time and place. John, the young man was not very bright, mentally disabled and/or mentally ill. He was also a product of the age, social mores and circumstance and was indulged, then held back by his mother, married to a older women who was essentially his nurse and then given a attendant and then eventually declared 'insane'.
The themes of madness, secrecy, betrayal and Georgian England (the book's sub-title) are the threads that interweave throughout the book - all skilfully creating a story of such pathos and tragedy which grips you and is - despite the years that separate - emotionally draining. I absolutely loved the style - simple clear description build the picture and describe the story - with just the right amount of context, background and explanation. Some of the issues were painful to read - exploitation of the vulnerable, humiliation, possible sexual abuse and actual animal and financial abuse. The abuse of position and his abuse by servants. The history of preoccupation with the bizarre, possible sexual deviance - his need to be loved - all played out in a tale well told.
The content was fascinating and the process of telling the story was brilliantly done - just the right amount of movement between periods. There is the correct amount of circumstantial information - even with interesting asides like the trial of Queen Caroline the author resists the urge to go off the subject for longer than it is necessary to do so. There are a couple of things that I personally would have liked, although there are small nit-picking issues and didn't spoil the book. On page-5 she says '...Coulson acquired the Ramsey Abbey and Abbots Ripton estates near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire'. This error really clanged. Huntingdon is, of course, the county town of Huntingdonshire. The second thing that 'left me wanting more' was the limited analysis of what was actually wrong with John. In fairness, she explains she didn't feel qualified and that in the past 'academics' have misdiagnosed famous historical figures. But the fact that he didn't fit neatly into an explanation - he was said to be retarded, but had excellent grasp of some academic subjects. He was said to be mentally ill, but could for long periods act with decorum in the complex Georgian social world could have been discussed.
All in all - this was an excellent read and I strongly recommend anyone with an interest in Biography with a twist to read it.
The themes of madness, secrecy, betrayal and Georgian England (the book's sub-title) are the threads that interweave throughout the book - all skilfully creating a story of such pathos and tragedy which grips you and is - despite the years that separate - emotionally draining. I absolutely loved the style - simple clear description build the picture and describe the story - with just the right amount of context, background and explanation. Some of the issues were painful to read - exploitation of the vulnerable, humiliation, possible sexual abuse and actual animal and financial abuse. The abuse of position and his abuse by servants. The history of preoccupation with the bizarre, possible sexual deviance - his need to be loved - all played out in a tale well told.
The content was fascinating and the process of telling the story was brilliantly done - just the right amount of movement between periods. There is the correct amount of circumstantial information - even with interesting asides like the trial of Queen Caroline the author resists the urge to go off the subject for longer than it is necessary to do so. There are a couple of things that I personally would have liked, although there are small nit-picking issues and didn't spoil the book. On page-5 she says '...Coulson acquired the Ramsey Abbey and Abbots Ripton estates near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire'. This error really clanged. Huntingdon is, of course, the county town of Huntingdonshire. The second thing that 'left me wanting more' was the limited analysis of what was actually wrong with John. In fairness, she explains she didn't feel qualified and that in the past 'academics' have misdiagnosed famous historical figures. But the fact that he didn't fit neatly into an explanation - he was said to be retarded, but had excellent grasp of some academic subjects. He was said to be mentally ill, but could for long periods act with decorum in the complex Georgian social world could have been discussed.
All in all - this was an excellent read and I strongly recommend anyone with an interest in Biography with a twist to read it.
March 26, 2025
What a strange book. Gripping, but not a pleasant read. The story is that of the third earl of Portsmouth, about whom two formal investigations of his sanity (Commissions of Lunacy) took place. The earl was reported by some people who knew him to be sane, though "weak in understanding". But most people, and particularly his servants, who saw more of him, thought he was insane. He was obsessed with funerals and liked to attend them and laugh; on one occasion he tried to get into a villager's house to watch a child die. He liked to meet working-class women for the purpose of getting them to bleed him. He was cruel to his servants and anyone who had less power than him. Because of the enormous wealth of his estates, he was exploited by his family and others. He was abducted twice by different people who wanted power over him. He was married off by his family to a woman too old to have children, who controlled him reasonably kindly. After her death, his grasping solicitor - with the assistance, oddly, of Lord Byron - married him to his daughter, who physically abused him and brought her lover to live with them. After the Commission had ruled, he spent the last thirty years of his long life on his estate at Hurstbourne Park in Hampshire, where he seems to have been reasonably happy, awaiting his coronation as king of Hampshire (he said he had upholsterers working on a throne).
September 27, 2017
I hadn't heard of this before and I felt sorry for the 3rd Lord of Portsmouth as it was obvious that while he was mentally challenged I came away thinking he wasn't totally mad as his younger brother finally managed to have him labelled. I found the Hanson family to be despicable and deplorable as John Hanson had been the Portsmouth family's solicitor and knowing all the family's secrets used it against them by marrying his daughter, Mary Ann, to Lord Portsmouth. She and her lover were quite cruel to him. In bringing a Commission of Lunacy against Portsmouth, things didn't quite work out as planned for his younger brother, Newton, who had been groomed as the heir to the lordship. It was the most expensive insanity trial ever heard at a guinea a minute and many of the witnesses were discredited because the were either Portsmouth's peers and it was felt that he would behave and be able to pass as sane in their company or members of the lower class who weren't deemed fit to pass judgement on their betters. His family should have at least given him a tombstone to mark his existence and his nephew should have been given credit for what he did for his uncle
April 15, 2020
Extremely good, for so many reasons! Madness, arranged marriages, adultery, politics, imprisonment, kidnappings, cameos by Jane Austen AND Lord Byron - now there's an unlikely juxtaposition - the filthy rich, inheritance, blood-letting, crooked lawyers, wicked ladies, saintly wives, imperious mothers...
Was he or wasn't he? Was the Third Earl of Portsmouth insane? Was he merely simple? Was he the victim or at least partially the villain? The story is so well told that you find yourself changing your opinion more than once. There are just a couple of truly sympathetic characters, and just a couple of outright villains, but for the most part it's a grotesque story, true, but peopled by ordinary people making the kinds of decisions one is apt to make in an extraordinary situation.
It's ALSO interesting to see a man in the sort of position that monied wives sometimes found themselves in at the time; accused of madness in order to take control of their property.
Great read. I can't imagine how salacious and interesting it was at the time.
Was he or wasn't he? Was the Third Earl of Portsmouth insane? Was he merely simple? Was he the victim or at least partially the villain? The story is so well told that you find yourself changing your opinion more than once. There are just a couple of truly sympathetic characters, and just a couple of outright villains, but for the most part it's a grotesque story, true, but peopled by ordinary people making the kinds of decisions one is apt to make in an extraordinary situation.
It's ALSO interesting to see a man in the sort of position that monied wives sometimes found themselves in at the time; accused of madness in order to take control of their property.
Great read. I can't imagine how salacious and interesting it was at the time.
March 12, 2017
I was lucky enough to receive a free copy of this book through Goodreads Giveaways. I have to admit at first I was very close to adding this book to my 'couldn't finish' pile. However, I soon become engrossed in the story of the life and society of John Charles Wallop. The book balances the unearthed arguments and evidence very well - and like many of those alive at the time I couldn't say for certain whether the 3rd earl of Portsmouth was a 'lunatic' or just 'weak minded'. The book is crammed with perverse, sly and underhand persons, with a perhaps a smattering of kind hearted folk. Team this with an incredibly dysfunctional family and polarised opinions, leads to a very interesting read!
December 2, 2023
With today's understanding of neurodiversity and mental illness, it is tempting to analyze the 'mad' behaviour of John Charles Wallop 3rd Earl of Portsmouth (1767-1853). Elizabeth Foyster avoids this enticement and refrains from passing judgment, wisely leaving the reader to form their own opinion. Using family letters, journals and contemporary accounts, Foyster paints us a picture of this little-understood and often maligned member of the Georgian aristocracy. To provide context, she adroitly depicts societal expectations, marriage and family life of the nobility, and the legal system of the era.
August 13, 2017
This book is Georgian England meets Serial or Making a Murderer. Don't get me wrong- it's not the plot or the content that reminded me of our latest real-life who-done-it obsession, it's the trial where you, the reader, are the jury. It's the meticulous gathering of evidence and the presentation of both sides of the case. So don't expect suspense or high drama- it is Georgian England with all it's propriety and manners, after all. But still an interesting view of class and society from the perspective of one man's troubled life.
September 3, 2019
Quite the quirkiest slice of history I have ever read.
Brilliantly told, this sadly true tale superbly exposes the rotten underbelly of British ‘society’, its falsehoods, greed, deceit, and fear of individualism.
You can’t help but feel for the main character - more sinned against than sinning, I fear.
A thoroughly enjoyable story with some truly hideous characters.
A fabulous read.
Brilliantly told, this sadly true tale superbly exposes the rotten underbelly of British ‘society’, its falsehoods, greed, deceit, and fear of individualism.
You can’t help but feel for the main character - more sinned against than sinning, I fear.
A thoroughly enjoyable story with some truly hideous characters.
A fabulous read.
May 16, 2025
What an incredible story of a man who was misunderstood and taken advantage of. I found the story in part amusing, in part sad and always fascinating. He didn’t fit into society in the way that was expected of a man of his social status. If he was a man of the lower classes, he probably might have just been able to do his own thing although still be regarded as unusual. I’m pleased that his story has been told at long last and in a respectful manner.
September 23, 2025
Elizabeth Foyster has produced an impressively researched book, and she has organized the historical material into a brisk, compelling narrative without sacrificing history to fiction. The three-star rating was given because I found the subject matter itself so hard to take. With the exception of the protagonist's saintly first wife, all of the major characters are quite repellant in one way or another, and by the end of the book I just wanted to get away from all of them.
November 21, 2017
A well written history book about a little known figure and family, at least I had never heard of them and I am shocked that I hadn't with all the eventful things they got up to! It also reveals society at this time. I can imagine the story of this family as a drama. I received this book from a Goodreads First reads giveaway in exchange for an honest review.
July 20, 2018
An interesting read about an extraordinary life. Although the jumping around of dates and overuse of the name "Portsmouth" frustrated me at times, I was still able to get over that and enjoy the book. I could really sympathise with John Charles Wallop aka 3rd Earl of Portsmouth. The way he was treated by his family and others was truly atrocious! Fascinating!
June 30, 2021
A fascinating book about the third Earl of Portsmouth, a nobleman who may or may not have been insane. The narrative is framed around testimony presented during Portsmouth's lunacy trial and also explores general societal beliefs about mental health in the late Georgian period. I think my only real criticism was that the story was a bit repetitive and could have been edited down a bit.
August 13, 2023
John Charles Wallop, 3rd Earl of Portsmouth, was a peculiar man, though considered harmless. Yet, by the time he was 55, his own family set out to have him declared insane. The trial was one of the most controversial and expensive ones in Britain. Jurors heard charges of abductions, sodomy, blackmail, and violence.
February 10, 2024
This is a really good book about a complex story. Foyster does a great job contextualizing and documenting her story, without losing sight of the man at the center. I also really appreciated that she didn't try to diagnose Portsmouth, choosing instead to portray him as he was instead of trying to analyze.
July 19, 2025
The topic was very interesting to me. The author obviously did a lot of research and it was well footnoted. But... I got confused while reading. The timeline would jump around and at times I wondered what year/event she was discussing. But all-in-all a good read.
December 31, 2017
Interesting, unusual account of a history mystery of sorts. Includes cameos by Jane Austen and Lord Byron!
June 24, 2020
Fascinating look at the life of a English peer with a mental disability when society declared such people mad and locked them up and subjected them to some pretty hellish 'treatments.'
January 12, 2021
Quite simply excellent. There is a wealth of characters to keep track of, not just 'the king of Hampshire'. Clear evidence of much research in this book. Recommended.
September 27, 2016
This book caught my attention because I was very curious to know why an aristocratic family would "air their dirty laundry" to get a family member declared insane. The most obvious answer is they wanted to control the family land and money (which Lord Portsmouth could not do if declared insane). While reading, Portsmouth's life is presented while learning how this would impact his later trial. It was an interesting perspective, sometimes I got tired of the back and forth. It also make me look at his life very differently than I might have if his life had been presented, and than the trial.
When I finished the book, I was left feeling very sympathetic to Lord Portsmouth. His life was controlled by those around him. His personal life was put on trial because he was different than other people. I was left wanting a clearer answer to Portsmouth. Was he actually insane, or did he simply have peculiar habits that became known? I also wanted a very clear answer about his family. Did they truly think he was insane, or was it all personal motive? I do think it possible that the line on that might not be clear, but I would have liked the author to make a case one way or the other.
There was also a little information about how people declared insane were treated. I had expected a little more of that, but was glad that some mention of it was made. I think it is very important for the reader to understand why the trial and verdict made such a difference in the lives of those involved in it.
Overall, I found this book an interesting read. The title really catches people's attention. Several people I work with added this book to their reading list because they found it so intriguing. I would have liked some clearer arguments at a couple points, but understand that sometimes the facts are simply not known.
If you are interested in this time period or how mental illness used to be treated and viewed I recommend reading this book.
I received a free copy of this book from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.
When I finished the book, I was left feeling very sympathetic to Lord Portsmouth. His life was controlled by those around him. His personal life was put on trial because he was different than other people. I was left wanting a clearer answer to Portsmouth. Was he actually insane, or did he simply have peculiar habits that became known? I also wanted a very clear answer about his family. Did they truly think he was insane, or was it all personal motive? I do think it possible that the line on that might not be clear, but I would have liked the author to make a case one way or the other.
There was also a little information about how people declared insane were treated. I had expected a little more of that, but was glad that some mention of it was made. I think it is very important for the reader to understand why the trial and verdict made such a difference in the lives of those involved in it.
Overall, I found this book an interesting read. The title really catches people's attention. Several people I work with added this book to their reading list because they found it so intriguing. I would have liked some clearer arguments at a couple points, but understand that sometimes the facts are simply not known.
If you are interested in this time period or how mental illness used to be treated and viewed I recommend reading this book.
I received a free copy of this book from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.
February 10, 2017
I won an ARC of this biography through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer's group.
I put this one off a little bit. I had so many other books I had to get through and this one looked intimidating. But after a week or two I felt guilty, like I was avoiding a really nice person who didn't mean to be a little annoying, and I jumped in.
I learned immediately that this was a fast, easy ready with great detail. It's well written and explores as many sides to every aspect of the trial of the 3rd Earl of Portsmouth as it can. But unlike some books which can get mired and be a tough hang, this reads more like glides along, giving you all of the information you need but none of the stuff that makes you feel like you're reading the same sentence 3 times.
It took me only 3-4 days to read this one, and I found myself telling everyone about it. I usually don't talk about what I'm reading to my non-reader friends, but here I was talking about the story to my coworkers, my mom, everyone. This story has something in it that is of interest to everyone. It may be the time period and historical place, it may be the mental illness and how it was treated, the property disputes, or how a family treated an insane person back then. I would recommend this to pretty much everyone.
I put this one off a little bit. I had so many other books I had to get through and this one looked intimidating. But after a week or two I felt guilty, like I was avoiding a really nice person who didn't mean to be a little annoying, and I jumped in.
I learned immediately that this was a fast, easy ready with great detail. It's well written and explores as many sides to every aspect of the trial of the 3rd Earl of Portsmouth as it can. But unlike some books which can get mired and be a tough hang, this reads more like glides along, giving you all of the information you need but none of the stuff that makes you feel like you're reading the same sentence 3 times.
It took me only 3-4 days to read this one, and I found myself telling everyone about it. I usually don't talk about what I'm reading to my non-reader friends, but here I was talking about the story to my coworkers, my mom, everyone. This story has something in it that is of interest to everyone. It may be the time period and historical place, it may be the mental illness and how it was treated, the property disputes, or how a family treated an insane person back then. I would recommend this to pretty much everyone.
March 23, 2024
First rate fascinating book about an event that I am sure almost everyone is ignorant about - the insanity trials of the 2nd Earl of Portsmouth - but even more the book provides a fascinating look into the reality of how Georgian society worked - not simply the importance of money or fame, but the whole underlying class structure that put some people on top - no matter what their failings or foibles - but reduced those below to voices that could be dismissed without thought and whose persons could be abused with a shocking ease. It is also amazing to see how rife corruption and abuse of power - by solicitors and doctors - was so common and so protected.
If you enjoy Georgian history then you will love this book, and even if it is not your subject then I still recommend it because it is a first rate look at how our world worked and it will force you to avoid the clichés of simplistic thinking that tv costume dramas might lead one into about the past.
If you enjoy Georgian history then you will love this book, and even if it is not your subject then I still recommend it because it is a first rate look at how our world worked and it will force you to avoid the clichés of simplistic thinking that tv costume dramas might lead one into about the past.
October 9, 2016
As a lover of history and a native of Hampshire, this book could have been written for me. It's a completely fascinating insight into a rarely depicted side of Georgian and Victorian society. You couldn't really make it up if you tried. I'd never heard of the Wallop family, and only vaguely, the Earl of Portsmouth but what a disturbing story unfolds regarding his life, trial, family and friends. Some people of the time are familiar and much knowledge is gleaned about them.
A thoroughly enjoyable and informative read.
A thoroughly enjoyable and informative read.
September 6, 2016
Received a copy from Goodreads Giveaways.
A very long and arduous read. I appreciate the efforts involved in writing any book, but this is not a book I would have purchased on my own. Within the members of my reading club, we had similar mixed emotions. Extensive research, something that I would not have had exposure to. Respect the time and effort involved in the writing.
A very long and arduous read. I appreciate the efforts involved in writing any book, but this is not a book I would have purchased on my own. Within the members of my reading club, we had similar mixed emotions. Extensive research, something that I would not have had exposure to. Respect the time and effort involved in the writing.
September 12, 2016
I received this book as a goodreads giveaway.
Very interesting to look back on historical lives in a very
Personal way....not subjects covered in the usual history book.
Very interesting to look back on historical lives in a very
Personal way....not subjects covered in the usual history book.
November 5, 2016
This book started out so well, but fizzled out at the half-way point. The family of the Duke of Portsmouth attempt to declare him insane in order to protect their wealth and estates.
May 8, 2020
Interesting subject but tediously long treatment
The book is somewhat disjointed and gives the impression no editor ever read it all the way through for continuity.
The book is somewhat disjointed and gives the impression no editor ever read it all the way through for continuity.
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