On this day – February 23rd

Cato Street Conspiracy Exposed

Britain in the second decade of the 19th century was an increasingly divided society. The Corn Laws were passed in 1815, to the benefit of the great landowners and the detriment of the poor, forced to pay artificially high prices for bread. In August 1819 the Peterloo massacre demonstrated the growing popular support for radical reform. And shortly after Peterloo the ruling elite passed the Six Acts, limiting the right of public assembly, increasing stamp duty on newspapers and leaflets, and strengthening the laws against 'seditious libel'.

The most prominent voice was Arthur Thistlewood, who was eventually tricked by agent provocateur George Edwards into planning an attack on many cabinet members at a dinner to be held in the Grosvenor Square home of Lord Harrowby, Lord President of the Council – in fact Harrowby was out of London, and the whole thing including the newspaper item announcing the dinner was put up by Home Office officials.

A building in Cato Street was rented as a base for the expected large numbers of radicals who would join the attack (though only 27 materialised in the end).
The group, armed with pistols and swords ready to rush the mythical dinner, gathered from early on February 23, and met upstairs in the hayloft in the early evening. At 7.30pm the Bow Street Runners, tired of waiting for the Coldstream Guard unit which was supposed to back them up, rushed the building, overpowered the downstairs guard, and climbed to the upper floor. Here Thistlewood killed one of the policemen, Richard Smithers, before escaping through a rear window along with several of his comrades. They were all arrested, as were those who remained in the Cato Street stable.

In the hasty trial of the leaders; two of their number were persuaded to turn King's evidence, and on Mayday 1820, two days after being convicted, Thistlewood, Davidson, James Ings, Richard Tidd, and John Brunt were all hanged – originally they had been sentenced to be hanged drawn and quartered. Several of their colleagues were transported for life.

So the question is – where is (or was) Cato Street?

This article is from our news archive. As a result pictures or videos originally associated with it may have been removed and some of the content may no longer be accurate or relevant.