Colonel Despard: the Life and Death of an English/irish Jacobin

Edward Marcus Despard's execution in 1803 for plotting to assassinate King George III ended a life of adventure and intrigue, and a career that encompassed the American Revolution, the Irish Rebellion of 1798, and the French Revolutionary Wars. In spite of having Admiral Nelson testify in his defense, Colonel Edward Marcus Despard went to the scaffold in 1803, accused of treason and plotting to assassinate King George III. Despard's execution ended a life of adventure and intrigue, and a career that encompassed the American Revolution, the Irish Rebellion of 1798, and the French Revolutionary Wars. A Protestant Irishman accused of plotting with a circle of conspirators within the Brigade of Guards to assassinate the King of England would seem to be of obvious interest to historians and biographers, but such has not been the case.Much of Despard's career took place in isolated parts of Central America and, later, within murky conspiratorial circles in Ireland and England. The difficulty of research and the dismissive attitude of a past generation of British historians has prevented the Despard case from getting the attention it deserves. Professor Conner has, over the course of several years, undertaken the meticulous research in Central America and the British Isles required to bring full details of Despard's career to light.During the American Revolution, Despard and a young Royal Naval officer named Horatio Nelson fought America's Spanish allies on territory that is now Belize and the Mosquito Coast of Nicaragua. At the end of the campaign, Despard remained behind as a colonial administrator. His championing of the grievances of local settlers and increasing criticism of slavery led to his recall in disgrace to England.Back in Britain, Despard became involved in the shadow world of Scottish and Irish nationalists and disgruntled laborers feeling the first effects of the Industrial Revolution. The French Revolution suddenly gave discontented dreamers in England the possibility of a real ally. The ensuing cycle of conspiracy, revolt and government crackdown is of more relevance than ever in today's troubled world, and is now being presented to a broader public by Clifford Conner and a new generation of researchers.Clifford D. Conner teaches at John Jay School of Criminal Law in New York. His previous writings on the era of the French Revolution include a biography of Jean-Paul Marat.