The Trial of Charles Random de Berenger, Sir Thomas Cochrane, commonly called Lord Cochrane, the Hon. Andrew Cochrane Johnstone, Richard Gathorne Butt, Ralph Sandom, Alexander M'Rae, John Peter Holloway, and Henry Lyte for A Conspiracy / In the Court of King's Bench, Guildhall, on Wednesday the 8th, and Thursday the 9th of June, 1814

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

21027

Title

The Trial of Charles Random de Berenger, Sir Thomas Cochrane, commonly called Lord Cochrane, the Hon. Andrew Cochrane Johnstone, Richard Gathorne Butt, Ralph Sandom, Alexander M'Rae, John Peter Holloway, and Henry Lyte for A Conspiracy / In the Court of King's Bench, Guildhall, on Wednesday the 8th, and Thursday the 9th of June, 1814

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

A gripping 1814 courtroom drama detailing the trial of Admiral Lord Cochrane and associates accused of conspiring to manipulate government stock prices by spreading false rumors of Napoleon's death and Allied victory in Paris.

Summary up to 500 words

On February 21, 1814, a high-profile conspiracy trial unfolded in the Court of King's Bench at the Guildhall in London, involving the famous naval commander Sir Thomas Cochrane, commonly known as Lord Cochrane, alongside the Hon. Andrew Cochrane Johnstone, Richard Gathorne Butt, Ralph Sandom, Alexander M'Rae, John Peter Holloway, and Henry Lyte. The prosecution, led by the Attorney General, charged the defendants with conspiring to defraud the public by artificially inflating the price of government funds. The scheme relied on circulating a fabricated letter, known as the 'Dover letter,' which falsely claimed that Napoleon Bonaparte had been killed by Cossacks and that Allied forces had entered Paris, signaling an imminent peace. The indictment detailed how Charles Random de Berenger, posing as 'R. Du Bourg,' wrote and dispatched this counterfeit letter from Dover to Admiral Thomas Foley at Deal. Simultaneously, other defendants, including Alexander M'Rae and Henry Lyte, traveled from Dartford to London disguised as military officers, wearing white cockades and laurel-decorated carriages to lend credibility to the rumor. The prosecution argued that these actions were designed to induce the public to believe peace was near, causing stock prices to rise. The defendants, who held significant shares in government securities like Omnium and Consols, would then sell their holdings at these inflated prices, cheating investors out of substantial sums. The trial proceedings, taken in shorthand by William Brodie Gurney, presented a dramatic narrative of deception and disguise. Witnesses testified to the identity of the disguised conspirators, noting the uniformity of their stories despite minor discrepancies in descriptions of their attire. The defense argued that the defendants did not know the precise financial interests of the primary conspirators, suggesting separate conspiracies rather than a single unified plot. However, the court found the evidence overwhelming. The jury returned a guilty verdict, and the defendants were sentenced. The trial stands as a rare, verbatim glimpse into early 19th-century British legal history, highlighting the intense public interest in the war's outcome and the complex legal mechanisms of conspiracy.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Biography
• History