Margaret Nicholson
Encyclopedia
Margaret Nicholson was an Englishwoman who assaulted King George III
. Her futile and somewhat half-hearted attempt on the King's life became famous and was featured in one of Shelley's
first works: Posthumous Fragments of Margaret Nicholson
, published in 1810.
in County Durham
to a barber called George Nicholson. At the age of 12, she was found a place as a maid, and from then worked as a servant in various notable households, including those of Sir John Sebright
and Lord Coventry. She showed no sign of mental illness. Before 1783, she was dismissed from her employment after a love affair with a fellow servant, and she seemed to fall on hard times. Her lover left her, and she supported herself through needlework, lodging in a house in Wigmore Street
. She was described as "below the middle size, and of a very swarthy complexion".
On 2 August 1786, Nicholson approached the King as he alighted from a carriage at St. James's Palace
on the pretext of presenting him with a petition, which was actually a blank piece of paper. As he received the supposed petition, she made two lunges at his chest with an ivory-handled dessert knife before she was brought under control. George, apparently fearing that she would be unjustly handled for such a pitiful attack, was reported as saying "The poor creature is mad; do not hurt her, she has not hurt me."
A search of her lodgings yielded a series of bizarre and clearly delusory letters in which she claimed to be the rightful heir to the throne. The newspapers assumed that Nicholson's insanity was brought on by melancholia over her lover's desertion. She was examined in the chamber of the Board of Green Cloth
by Prime Minister
and Chancellor of the Exchequer
William Pitt the Younger
, Home Secretary
Lord Sydney
, Foreign Secretary
Lord Carmarthen
, Sir Francis Drake
, and Mr. Justice Addington. It was discovered that in July she had sent petitions to the King regarding her claim to the throne. In her reply to questions from Addington, she claimed to be a virgin, but also claimed to be the mother of Lords Mansfield
and Loughborough
, both of whom were older than she was. Her landlord, a stationer called Jonathan Fiske, stated that she was industrious and sober, and earned her living at needlework, making mantuas
. She denied wanting to assassinate the King, and said she only intended to scare him. The noted physician Dr John Munro, who was already well-known for his testimony in the murder trial of Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers
, certified her insane and she was committed to Bethlem Royal Hospital
for life under the Vagrancy Act 1744 on the order of the Home Secretary, Lord Sydney. She died there 42 years later.
Popular depictions of Nicholson ranged from mad old spinster to romanticised heroine. In 1810, Percy Bysshe Shelley
and Thomas Jefferson Hogg
wrote and published a slim volume of burlesque poetry named after her, Posthumous Fragments of Margaret Nicholson
. Rather than use their own names, the book pretended to be poems of Nicholson's own composition "edited by her nephew, John FitzVictor" and published after her death. In fact, she was still alive and living in Bethlem Hospital.
Nicholson's incarceration in Bethlem Hospital was extrajudicial, and George's political opponents depicted it as the act of a tyrant bypassing the rule of law. It was also opposed by hard-line conservatives, who thought it overly generous. However, on the whole it was seen as an act of humane kindness on George's part because a trial for treason
was substituted with a hospital placement. In succeeding years, the introduction of "not guilty by reason of insanity", the Criminal Lunatics Act 1800
, and the trial of another insane assailant, James Hadfield
, formalised the treatment in Britain of insane persons accused of crimes.
Her attack on George III is shown in the film The Madness of King George
, where she was played by Janine Duvitski
.
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
. Her futile and somewhat half-hearted attempt on the King's life became famous and was featured in one of Shelley's
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
first works: Posthumous Fragments of Margaret Nicholson
Posthumous Fragments of Margaret Nicholson
Posthumous Fragments of Margaret Nicholson was a collection of poetry published in November, 1810 by Percy Bysshe Shelley and his friend Thomas Jefferson Hogg while they were students at Oxford University. The pamphlet was subtitled: "Being Poems found amongst the Papers of that Noted Female who...
, published in 1810.
Life
Nicholson was born in Stockton-on-TeesStockton-on-Tees
Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in north east England. It is the major settlement in the unitary authority and borough of Stockton-on-Tees. For ceremonial purposes, the borough is split between County Durham and North Yorkshire as it also incorporates a number of smaller towns including...
in County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
to a barber called George Nicholson. At the age of 12, she was found a place as a maid, and from then worked as a servant in various notable households, including those of Sir John Sebright
Sir John Sebright, 6th Baronet
Lt-Gen Sir John Saunders Sebright, 6th Baronet, , was the sixth Sebright baronet, and an officer in the British Army. Sir John was the son of Sir Thomas Sebright, 4th Baronet and Henrietta Dashwood....
and Lord Coventry. She showed no sign of mental illness. Before 1783, she was dismissed from her employment after a love affair with a fellow servant, and she seemed to fall on hard times. Her lover left her, and she supported herself through needlework, lodging in a house in Wigmore Street
Wigmore Street
Wigmore Street is a street in the City of Westminster, in the West End of London, England. The street runs for about 600 yards parallel and to the north of Oxford Street between Portman Square to the west and Cavendish Square to the east....
. She was described as "below the middle size, and of a very swarthy complexion".
On 2 August 1786, Nicholson approached the King as he alighted from a carriage at St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace
St. James's Palace is one of London's oldest palaces. It is situated in Pall Mall, just north of St. James's Park. Although no sovereign has resided there for almost two centuries, it has remained the official residence of the Sovereign and the most senior royal palace in the UK...
on the pretext of presenting him with a petition, which was actually a blank piece of paper. As he received the supposed petition, she made two lunges at his chest with an ivory-handled dessert knife before she was brought under control. George, apparently fearing that she would be unjustly handled for such a pitiful attack, was reported as saying "The poor creature is mad; do not hurt her, she has not hurt me."
A search of her lodgings yielded a series of bizarre and clearly delusory letters in which she claimed to be the rightful heir to the throne. The newspapers assumed that Nicholson's insanity was brought on by melancholia over her lover's desertion. She was examined in the chamber of the Board of Green Cloth
Board of Green Cloth
The Board of Green Cloth was a board of officials belonging to the Royal Household of England and Great Britain. It took its name from the tablecloth of green baize that covered the table at which its members sat....
by Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
and Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
, Home Secretary
Home Secretary
The Secretary of State for the Home Department, commonly known as the Home Secretary, is the minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom, and one of the country's four Great Offices of State...
Lord Sydney
Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney
Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney PC , was a British politician who held several important Cabinet posts in the second half of the 18th century...
, Foreign Secretary
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
Lord Carmarthen
Francis Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds
Francis Godolphin Osborne, 5th Duke of Leeds KG, PC , styled Marquess of Carmarthen until 1789, was a British politician...
, Sir Francis Drake
Sir Francis Samuel Drake, 1st Baronet
Rear Admiral Sir Francis Samuel Drake, 1st Baronet was the fourth son of Sir Francis Henry Drake, 4th Baronet, and Anne Heathcote. He was baptised on 14 September 1729, at Buckland Monachorum, Devonshire. He was Rear Admiral of the Red. He was created a Baronet on 9 July 1782, for bravery in...
, and Mr. Justice Addington. It was discovered that in July she had sent petitions to the King regarding her claim to the throne. In her reply to questions from Addington, she claimed to be a virgin, but also claimed to be the mother of Lords Mansfield
William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield
William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, SL, PC was a British barrister, politician and judge noted for his reform of English law. Born to Scottish nobility, he was educated in Perth, Scotland before moving to London at the age of 13 to take up a place at Westminster School...
and Loughborough
Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn
Alexander Wedderburn, 1st Earl of Rosslyn was Lord Chancellor of Great Britain from 1793 to 1801.-Life:He was the eldest son of Peter Wedderburn , and was born in East Lothian....
, both of whom were older than she was. Her landlord, a stationer called Jonathan Fiske, stated that she was industrious and sober, and earned her living at needlework, making mantuas
Mantua (clothing)
A mantua is an article of women's clothing worn in the late 17th century and 18th century. Originally a loose gown, the later mantua was an overgown or robe typically worn over stays, stomacher and a co-ordinating petticoat....
. She denied wanting to assassinate the King, and said she only intended to scare him. The noted physician Dr John Munro, who was already well-known for his testimony in the murder trial of Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers
Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers
Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers was the last member of the House of Lords hanged in England.The 4th Earl Ferrers, descendant of an ancient and noble family, was the eldest son of Hon. Laurence Ferrers, himself a younger son of the Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers-a descendant of Robert...
, certified her insane and she was committed to Bethlem Royal Hospital
Bethlem Royal Hospital
The Bethlem Royal Hospital is a psychiatric hospital located in London, United Kingdom and part of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Although no longer based at its original location, it is recognised as the world's first and oldest institution to specialise in mental illnesses....
for life under the Vagrancy Act 1744 on the order of the Home Secretary, Lord Sydney. She died there 42 years later.
Legacy
George enjoyed a boost in popularity after the attack, and received congratulatory messages from all over the kingdom. His calm forbearance and progressive attitude to the insane were praised. He wrote that after "the interposition of Providence in the late attempt on my life by a poor insane woman" he "had every reason to be satisfied with the impression it has awakened in this country". Nevertheless, as a result of the attack, the security surrounding the King was increased from 4 guards to 11.Popular depictions of Nicholson ranged from mad old spinster to romanticised heroine. In 1810, Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
and Thomas Jefferson Hogg
Thomas Jefferson Hogg
Thomas Jefferson Hogg was a British barrister and writer best known for his friendship with the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Hogg was raised in County Durham, but spent most of his life in London. He and Shelley became friends while studying at University College, Oxford, and remained close...
wrote and published a slim volume of burlesque poetry named after her, Posthumous Fragments of Margaret Nicholson
Posthumous Fragments of Margaret Nicholson
Posthumous Fragments of Margaret Nicholson was a collection of poetry published in November, 1810 by Percy Bysshe Shelley and his friend Thomas Jefferson Hogg while they were students at Oxford University. The pamphlet was subtitled: "Being Poems found amongst the Papers of that Noted Female who...
. Rather than use their own names, the book pretended to be poems of Nicholson's own composition "edited by her nephew, John FitzVictor" and published after her death. In fact, she was still alive and living in Bethlem Hospital.
Nicholson's incarceration in Bethlem Hospital was extrajudicial, and George's political opponents depicted it as the act of a tyrant bypassing the rule of law. It was also opposed by hard-line conservatives, who thought it overly generous. However, on the whole it was seen as an act of humane kindness on George's part because a trial for treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
was substituted with a hospital placement. In succeeding years, the introduction of "not guilty by reason of insanity", the Criminal Lunatics Act 1800
Criminal Lunatics Act 1800
The Criminal Lunatics Act 1800 was a British Act of Parliament that required and established a set procedure for the indefinite detention of mentally ill offenders...
, and the trial of another insane assailant, James Hadfield
James Hadfield
James Hadfield or Hatfield attempted to assassinate George III of the United Kingdom in 1800 but was acquitted of attempted murder by reason of insanity....
, formalised the treatment in Britain of insane persons accused of crimes.
Her attack on George III is shown in the film The Madness of King George
The Madness of King George
The Madness of King George is a 1994 film directed by Nicholas Hytner and adapted by Alan Bennett from his own play, The Madness of George III. It tells the true story of George III's deteriorating mental health, and his equally declining relationship with his son, the Prince of Wales, particularly...
, where she was played by Janine Duvitski
Janine Duvitski
Janine Duvitski is an English actress, known for her roles as Jane Edwards in Waiting for God and Pippa Trench in One Foot in the Grave. She also created and played the role of Angela in Mike Leigh's play Abigail's Party.-Personal life:Duvitski was born in Nottingham. Her father was Polish...
.