Cato Street Conspiracy

The Cato Street Conspiracy was a plot to murder all the British cabinet ministers and the Prime Minister Lord Liverpool in 1820. The name comes from the meeting place near Edgware Road in London. The police had an informer; the plotters fell into a police trap. Thirteen were arrested, while one policeman, Richard Smithers, was killed. Five conspirators were executed, and five others were transported to Australia.

Cato Street Conspiracy
Part of the Revolutions during the 1820s
The arrest of the Cato Street conspirators.
Date22-23 February 1820
Location
Cato Street, London
Caused by
  • Death of George III
  • Implementation of the Six Acts
GoalsOverthrow of the Government
Methods
Resulted inConspiracy foiled
Parties

 United Kingdom

Committee of Public Safety
Lead figures

George IV
Robert Jenkinson
Dudley Ryder
Richard Birnie
Frederick FitzClarence

Arthur Thistlewood  
William Davidson  

Number
14 police officers
27 conspirators
Casualties
Death(s)1 police officer
Arrested13 conspirators
Charged5 executed
5 exiled

How widespread the Cato Street conspiracy was is uncertain. It was a time of unrest; rumours abounded. Malcolm Chase noted that "the London-Irish community and a number of trade societies, notably shoemakers, were prepared to lend support, while unrest and awareness of a planned rising were widespread in the industrial north and on Clydeside."

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.