Post by Catsmate on Jun 8, 2016 14:03:39 GMT
The fifteenth of May has seen some interesting events, battle have been fought (Resaca in 1864, Frankenhausen in 1525 and Poljana in 1945), the Netherlands surrundered to Germany (1940), the first McDonalds opened (also 1940), the Moscow Metro opened, Sputnik 3 and 4 and Mercury-Atlas 9 were launched (1958, 1960, 1963 respectively), Kepler completed his work on his laws of planetary motion and the Treaty of Westphalia was signed (1648).
However this post is about none of these events. Instead it's about a summers day in London when a monarch was inconvenienced by two, entirely separate, assassination attempts.
On the fifteenth of May 1800 King George III went to Hyde Park to review the troops (in this case the 1st Foot Guards). During the review a blank fusillade was to be fired, but in the event a live shot was fired which narrowly missed the King. Exactly what happened has never been adequately explained; initially it was said that a live round had been fired accidentally (in place of a 'blank' paper cartridge) but this is not particularly credible given the difference in size and mass of the two. Who fired the shot, if it was one of the soldiers or someone else has never been established. The press were persuaded to support the accident account.
The incident didn't seem to perturb king George and he carried on for the rest of the day.
That evening he visited the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, accompanied by Queen Charlotte, several other members of the royal family and various officials and servants (including the Lord Chamberlain). They were there to see a comedy by Colley Cibber (actor-manager, playwright and later Poet Laureate) the details of which haven't survived.
What happened next is best left to Michael Kelly, the musical director of the theatre at the time:
The shots, two in all, were fired by a former soldier named James Hadfield, who was promptly disarmed and siezed by the orchestra. He was taken into the music room under the stage, where he was examined by the Duke of York, Richard Brinsley Sheridan (the theatre's manager) and Sir William Addington, a magistrate. The audience demanded that Hadfield be brought on the stage, but Kelly succeeded in calming them with the assurance that he was in safe custody and that, if he were brought forward, he might have the chance to escape.
Despite a recommendation from Lord Chamberlain that he leave in case a further assassin was present, George III was determined to remain, and saw the performance.
Kelly again wrote:
Though the play suffered:
The play ended with a repetition of 'God save the King' to which Kelly had added extra verse, written on the spur of the moment, by Sheridan.
Hadfield was tried for attempted treason but acquitted due to his evident insanity, though he denied actually firing at theKing, claiming he was a good enough shot to have missed deliberately. He's been discharged from the army after suffering severe injuries at the Battle of Tourcoing in 1794; he'd taken at least eight sabre blows to the head. He's conspired with Bannister Truelock to plan the assassination; both men ended up in Bethlem Royal Hospital.
Game use.
I'd see this as a background incident rather than the main focus of a scenario. Perhaps the party is in London to take in the Season (or they've missed their actual destination). I can see the Sixth Doctor attempting to instill some culture in Peri by showing her Georgian London and then retiring, defeated, by the twin assassination attempts. Or perhaps one of the attempts is used as cover for a more competent attempt to kill George III.
Comments? Ideas? Suggestions?
However this post is about none of these events. Instead it's about a summers day in London when a monarch was inconvenienced by two, entirely separate, assassination attempts.
On the fifteenth of May 1800 King George III went to Hyde Park to review the troops (in this case the 1st Foot Guards). During the review a blank fusillade was to be fired, but in the event a live shot was fired which narrowly missed the King. Exactly what happened has never been adequately explained; initially it was said that a live round had been fired accidentally (in place of a 'blank' paper cartridge) but this is not particularly credible given the difference in size and mass of the two. Who fired the shot, if it was one of the soldiers or someone else has never been established. The press were persuaded to support the accident account.
- Their was significant disaffection among the troops, principally over the elimination of their 'beer allowance'. The guard wasn't searched at the time. Rumours of an assassination attempt abounded.
The incident didn't seem to perturb king George and he carried on for the rest of the day.
That evening he visited the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, accompanied by Queen Charlotte, several other members of the royal family and various officials and servants (including the Lord Chamberlain). They were there to see a comedy by Colley Cibber (actor-manager, playwright and later Poet Laureate) the details of which haven't survived.
What happened next is best left to Michael Kelly, the musical director of the theatre at the time:
When the arrival of the King was announced, the band, as usual, played 'God save the King'. I was standing at the stage-door, opposite the royal box, to see His Majesty. The moment he entered the box, a man in the pit, next the orchestra, on the right hand, stood up on the bench, and discharged a pistol at our august Monarch, as he came to the front of the box.
Never shall I forget His Majesty’s coolness - the whole audience was in an uproar. The King, on hearing the report of the pistol, retired a pace or two, stopped, and stood firmly for an instant; then came forward to the very front of the box, put his opera-glass to his eye, and looked round the house, without the smallest appearance of alarm or discomposure.
Never shall I forget His Majesty’s coolness - the whole audience was in an uproar. The King, on hearing the report of the pistol, retired a pace or two, stopped, and stood firmly for an instant; then came forward to the very front of the box, put his opera-glass to his eye, and looked round the house, without the smallest appearance of alarm or discomposure.
Despite a recommendation from Lord Chamberlain that he leave in case a further assassin was present, George III was determined to remain, and saw the performance.
Kelly again wrote:
'God save the King' was then called for, and received with shouts of applause, waving of hats, &c. During the whole of the play, the Queen and Princesses were absorbed in tears; - it was a sight never to be forgotten by those present.
Never was a piece so hurried over, for the performers were all in the greatest agitation and confusion.
The play ended with a repetition of 'God save the King' to which Kelly had added extra verse, written on the spur of the moment, by Sheridan.
Hadfield was tried for attempted treason but acquitted due to his evident insanity, though he denied actually firing at theKing, claiming he was a good enough shot to have missed deliberately. He's been discharged from the army after suffering severe injuries at the Battle of Tourcoing in 1794; he'd taken at least eight sabre blows to the head. He's conspired with Bannister Truelock to plan the assassination; both men ended up in Bethlem Royal Hospital.
Game use.
I'd see this as a background incident rather than the main focus of a scenario. Perhaps the party is in London to take in the Season (or they've missed their actual destination). I can see the Sixth Doctor attempting to instill some culture in Peri by showing her Georgian London and then retiring, defeated, by the twin assassination attempts. Or perhaps one of the attempts is used as cover for a more competent attempt to kill George III.
Comments? Ideas? Suggestions?