The Rt Hon Spencer Perceval
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 4 October 1809 – 11 May 1812
Preceded by	The Duke of Portland
Succeeded by	The Earl of Liverpool
Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office 26 March 1807 – 11 May 1812
Preceded by	Lord Henry Petty
Succeeded by	Nicholas Vansittart
Born	1 November 1762 Audley Square, London
Died	11 May 1812 Lobby of the House of Commons
Political party	Tory

Spencer Perceval (1 November 1762 – 11 May 1812) was a British statesman and Prime Minister. He is the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated. Spencer Perceval This image is in the public domain because its copyright has expired in the United States and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the the United Kingdom. ... October 4 is the 277th day of the year (278th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Year 1809 (MDCCCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... For the overture by Tchaikovsky, see 1812 Overture; For the wars, see War of 1812 (USA - United Kingdom) or Patriotic War of 1812 (France - Russia) For the Siberia Airlines plane crashed over the Black Sea on October 4, 2001, see Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 1812 was a leap year starting... William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, (April 14, 1738 - October 30, 1809) was a British Whig and Tory statesman and Prime Minister. ... The son of George IIIs close adviser Charles Jenkinson, 1st Earl of Liverpool and his part-Indian first wife, Amelia Watts, Robert Jenkinson was educated at Charterhouse School and Christ Church, Oxford. ... The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British cabinet minister responsible for all financial matters. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (86th in leap years). ... Year 1807 (MDCCCVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar). ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... For the overture by Tchaikovsky, see 1812 Overture; For the wars, see War of 1812 (USA - United Kingdom) or Patriotic War of 1812 (France - Russia) For the Siberia Airlines plane crashed over the Black Sea on October 4, 2001, see Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 1812 was a leap year starting... Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 3rd Marquess of Lansdowne (1780-1863), Son of the 1st Marquess by his second marriage, was born on 2 July 1780 and educated at Edinburgh University and at Trinity College, Cambridge. ... Nicholas Vansittart, 1st Baron Bexley (29 April 1766-8 February 1851), English politician, was the fifth son of Henry Vansittart (d. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... 1762 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... For the overture by Tchaikovsky, see 1812 Overture; For the wars, see War of 1812 (USA - United Kingdom) or Patriotic War of 1812 (France - Russia) For the Siberia Airlines plane crashed over the Black Sea on October 4, 2001, see Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 1812 was a leap year starting... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... The term Tory (from Irish Gaelic tóraighe, an outlaw or guerrilla fighter, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms — literally meaning pursued man) applied to the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... 1762 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... For the overture by Tchaikovsky, see 1812 Overture; For the wars, see War of 1812 (USA - United Kingdom) or Patriotic War of 1812 (France - Russia) For the Siberia Airlines plane crashed over the Black Sea on October 4, 2001, see Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 1812 was a leap year starting... The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the the United Kingdom. ... Assassin and Targeted killing redirect here. ...

Biography

Perceval was the seventh son of John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont by his second wife. His father, a close advisor of Frederick, Prince of Wales and King George III, had served briefly in the Cabinet as First Lord of the Admiralty, but died when Perceval was ten. John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont (1711-1770), was a British politician, political pamphleteer, and genealogist. ... The Prince Frederick, Prince of Wales (Frederick Louis; 1 February 1707 – 31 March 1751) was a member of the British Royal Family, the eldest son of King George II. He was born into the House of Hanover and, under the Act of Settlement passed by the English Parliament, Frederick was... George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 1738 – 29 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until 1 January 1801, and thereafter United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death. ... A cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ... Old Admiralty House, Whitehall, London, Thomas Ripley, architect, 1723-26, was not admired by his contemporaries and earned him some scathing couplets from Alexander Pope The Admiralty was historically the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. ...

He attended Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was impressed by the evangelical Anglican movement. In later life Perceval became an expert on Biblical prophecy and wrote pamphlets relating prophecies which he had discovered. Perceval became a barrister on the Midland circuit, where he found it difficult to obtain sufficient work until aided by family connections. Through his mother's family he was appointed as a Deputy Recorder of Northampton, and he was later made a Commissioner of Bankrupts and given a legal sinecure worth £119 annually. Perceval acted for the Crown in the prosecutions of Thomas Paine (1792) and John Horne Tooke (1794), and wrote pamphlets supporting the impeachment of Warren Hastings. It has been suggested that Houses of Harrow School be merged into this article or section. ... Full name The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity Motto Virtus vera nobilitas Virtue is true Nobility Named after The Holy Trinity Previous names King’s Hall and Michaelhouse (until merged in 1546) Established 1546 Sister College(s) Christ Church Master The Lord Rees of Ludlow Location Trinity Street... The University of Cambridge (usually abbreviated as Cantab. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... Prophecy in a broad sense, is the prediction of future events or the speaking of divine words (divine Revelation) through chosen human messengers (prophets). ... English barrister A barrister is a lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions who employ a split profession (as opposed to a fused profession) in relation to legal representation. ... Northampton Guildhall, built 1861-4, E.W. Godwin, architect Northampton is a large market town and a local government district in central England on the River Nene, and the county town of Northamptonshire, in the English East Midlands region. ... Notice of closure stuck on the door of a computer store the day after its parent company, Granville Technology Group Ltd, declared bankruptcy (strictly, put into administration - see text) in the UK. Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of a individuals or organizations to pay their... A sinecure (from Latin sine, without, and cura, care) means an office which requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. ... Thomas Paine Thomas Paine (Thetford, England, 29 January 1737 – 8 June 1809, New York City, USA) was a pamphleteer, revolutionary, radical intellectual, and deist. ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... John Horne Tooke (June 25, 1736 - March 18, 1812), was an English politician and philologist. ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Warren Hastings (December 6, 1732 - August 22, 1818) was the first governor-general of British India, from 1773 to 1786. ...

Perceval's brother Lord Arden served in William Pitt the Younger's government, which led to his being noticed. He was considered in 1795 as a possible Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant for Ireland but rejected the idea of a political career. However he accepted nomination as MP for Northampton in 1796, when the proprietor's heir was ineligible, as a family trust. He made several speeches fiercely attacking Charles James Fox and revolutionary politics, which impressed Pitt, who apparently considered him as a possible successor. He was appointed Solicitor of the Ordnance in 1798. William Pitt the Younger (28 May 1759 – 23 January 1806) was a British politician of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. ... 1795 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Northampton was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Northampton which existed until 1974. ... Year 1796 (MDCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Charles James Fox Statue of Charles James Fox in Bloomsbury Square, erected 1816. ... 1798 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Perceval had no sympathy for Pitt's resignation over Catholic relief after the Act of Union with Ireland. He was therefore promoted in Addington's government to be Solicitor General from 1801, and then to Attorney General from 1802. However, Perceval did not agree with Addington's general policies (especially on foreign policy), and confined himself to speeches on legal issues. When he did defend the government, he was vituperative. He retained office when Pitt returned in 1804. While Perceval instigated prosecutions of radicals, he also reformed the laws on transportation to Australia. Catholic Emancipation was a process in Great Britain and Ireland in the late 18th century and early 19th century which involved reducing and removing many of the restrictions on Roman Catholics which had been introduced by the Act of Uniformity, the Test Acts and the Penal Laws. ... The Right Honourable Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, PC (30 May 1757–15 February 1844) was a British statesman, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1804. ... Her Majestys Solicitor General for England and Wales, often known as the Solicitor General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law. ... The Union Jack, flag of the newly formed United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ... In most common law jurisdictions, the Attorney General is the main legal adviser to the government, and in some jurisdictions may in addition have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions. ... --69. ... 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

At Pitt's funeral in January 1806, Perceval was one of the emblem bearers. He went into opposition when the new government included Fox, and made many effective speeches against the 'Ministry of All the Talents'. He was especially vehement in his opposition to Catholic emancipation. When the Ministry fell, the Duke of Portland put together a shaky coalition of senior Tories with Perceval as Chancellor of the Exchequer and Leader of the House of Commons. With Portland aged, unwell and a figurehead, Perceval was effectively Prime Minister. He even lived at 10 Downing Street for most of the time, despite buying Elm Grove -- a large comfortable house at Hanwell 8 miles north west of London and former home of the Bishop of Durham -- in 1808 . ^[1] 1806 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom 1806-1807. ... William Henry Cavendish Cavendish-Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland, (April 14, 1738 - October 30, 1809) was a British statesman and Prime Minister. ... The term Tory (from Irish Gaelic tóraighe, an outlaw or guerrilla fighter, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms — literally meaning pursued man) applied to the Tory Party, the ancestor of the modern UK Conservative Party. ... The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British cabinet minister responsible for all financial matters. ... The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons. ... Hanwell is a town situated in the London Borough of Ealing in west London, between Ealing and Southall. ...

It was under Perceval that William Wilberforce passed his Bill abolishing the slave trade. When Napoleon Bonaparte embargoed British trade under the Continental System, Perceval drafted Orders in Council to retaliate against foreign trade. However his anti-Catholic bigotry showed with his opposition to the government grant to Maynooth College. The government was continuously riven with splits and when the Duke of Portland suffered a stroke in August 1809 there was intense manoeuvring between Perceval and George Canning over who should take over. Perceval won out with the support of Viscount Castlereagh. William Wilberforce (24 August 1759 – 29 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist, and abolitionist who was the leader of the parliamentary campaign against the slave trade. ... The Buxton Memorial Fountain, celebrating the emancipation of slaves in the British Empire in 1834, London. ... Napoleon I Bonaparte, Emperor of the French, King of Italy, Mediator of the Swiss Confederation and Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution, the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from... The Continental System was a foreign-policy cornerstone of Napoleon I of France in his struggle against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland during the Napoleonic Wars. ... An Order-in-Council is an executive order issued in Commonwealth Realms operating under the Westminster system. ... St Patricks College, Maynooth is the National Seminary for Ireland, a college and seminary often called Maynooth College located at Maynooth, Ireland - official established as the Roman Catholic College of St Patrick. ... Year 1809 (MDCCCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... George Canning (11 April 1770-8 August 1827) was a British statesman and politician who served as Foreign Secretary and, briefly, Prime Minister. ... Lord Castlereagh Foreign Secretary 1812–1822 Robert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of Londonderry, KG, GCH, PC (18 June 1769 – 12 August 1822), known until 1821 by his courtesy title of Viscount Castlereagh, was an Anglo-Irish politician born in Dublin who represented the United Kingdom at the Congress of Vienna. ...

Unable to include Canning and his allies, Perceval's administration was notable mostly for its lack of most of the more important statesmen of the period. He had to serve as his own Chancellor after obtaining six refusals of office. The government sometimes struggled in the House of Commons, being defeated in motions critical of both foreign and economic policy. He remained adamantly opposed to reform of the electoral system. The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

Perceval found himself having to cope with the final descent of King George III into madness. Though Perceval feared that the Prince Regent would dismiss his government, the Prince abandoned the Whigs and confirmed Perceval in office. Later attempts by the Prince to entice others to join the Ministry were unsuccessful. Perceval pursued the Peninsular War doggedly and always defended it against those who prophesied defeat. George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 1738 – 29 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until 1 January 1801, and thereafter United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death. ... George IV (George Augustus Frederick) (12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death. ... The Whigs (with the Tories) are often described as one of two political parties in England and later the United Kingdom from the late 17th to the mid 19th centuries. ... Combatants Spain United Kingdom Portugal French Empire The Peninsular War was a major conflict during the Napoleonic Wars, fought on the Iberian Peninsula by an alliance of Spain, Portugal, and Britain against the Napoleonic French Empire. ...

Final years and assassination

A painting depicting the assassination of Perceval. Perceval is lying on the ground while his assassin, John Bellingham, is surrendering to officials (far right)

The Orders in Council against trade which Perceval had instituted in 1807 became unpopular in the winter of 1811 with Luddite riots breaking out. They were also a cause of the War of 1812 with the United States of America. Perceval was forced to concede an inquiry by the House of Commons. Image File history File linksMetadata Assassination_of_Spencer_Perceval. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Assassination_of_Spencer_Perceval. ... Year 1807 (MDCCCVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar). ... 1811 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Luddites were a social movement of English textile workers in the early nineteenth century who protested — often by destroying textile machines — against the changes produced by the Industrial Revolution, which they felt threatened their livelihood. ... Combatants United States Native Americans Great Britain, Canadian provincial forces First Nations Peoples Commanders James Madison Henry Dearborn Jacob Brown Winfield Scott Andrew Jackson George Prevost Isaac Brock† Tecumseh† Strength •U.S. Regular Army: 35,800 •Rangers: 3,049 •Militia: 458,463* •US Navy & US Marines: (at start of war...

On May 11, 1812, Perceval was on his way to attend the inquiry when he was shot through the heart in the lobby of the House of Commons by a merchant called John Bellingham who was seeking government compensation for his business debts. He died instantly, and Bellingham gave himself up to officers. He was found guilty and hanged a week later. May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (132nd in leap years). ... For the overture by Tchaikovsky, see 1812 Overture; For the wars, see War of 1812 (USA - United Kingdom) or Patriotic War of 1812 (France - Russia) For the Siberia Airlines plane crashed over the Black Sea on October 4, 2001, see Siberia Airlines Flight 1812 1812 was a leap year starting... John Bellingham (c. ...

^[2]

Perceval's body lay in 10 Downing Street for five days before burial. He is buried at St Luke's Church in Charlton, south-east London. Charlton is a place in south-east London, in the London Borough of Greenwich, sandwiched between east Greenwich and the Woolwich Dockyard area of west Woolwich. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

Spencer Perceval's administration, October 1809 - May 1812

• Spencer Perceval - First Lord of the Treasury, Leader of the House of Commons, Chancellor of the Exchequer and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
• Lord Eldon - Lord Chancellor
• Lord Camden - Lord President of the Council
• Lord Westmorland - Lord Privy Seal
• Richard Ryder - Secretary of State for the Home Department
• Lord Bathurst - Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and President of the Board of Trade
• Lord Liverpool - Secretary of State for War and the Colonies and Leader of the House of Lords
• Lord Mulgrave - First Lord of the Admiralty
• Lord Chatham - Master-General of the Ordnance
• Lord Harrowby - Minister without Portfolio

The First Lord of the Treasury is the head of the commission exercising the ancient office of Lord High Treasurer in the United Kingdom, usually but not always the Prime Minister. ... The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons. ... The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British cabinet minister responsible for all financial matters. ... The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a sinecure office in the British government. ... John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon (4 June 1751-13 January 1838), Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, was born at Newcastle. ... The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor and prior to the Union the Chancellor of England and the Lord Chancellor of Scotland, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom, and its predecessor states. ... John Jeffreys Pratt, 2nd Earl and 1st Marquess Camden (11 February 1759-8 October 1840), only son of the 1st Earl, was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge. ... The Office of Lord President of the Council is a British cabinet position, the holder of which acts as presiding officer of the Privy Council. ... John Fane, 10th Earl of Westmorland (1 June 1759 - 15 December 1841) was a British Tory politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, who served in most of the cabinets of the period, primarily as Lord Privy Seal. ... The Lord Privy Seal or Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal is one of the traditional sinecure offices in the British Cabinet. ... Richard Ryder (1766-1832) was a British Tory politician who served as Home Secretary under Spencer Perceval. ... The Secretary of State for the Home Department (the Home Secretary) is the chief United Kingdom government minister responsible for law and order in England and Wales; his or her remit includes policing, the criminal justice system, the prison service, internal security, and matters of citizenship and immigration. ... Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst (22 May 1762 - 27 July 1834), the elder son of the second earl. ... The position of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs was created in the United Kingdoms governmental reorganization of 1782, in which the Northern and Southern Departments became the Home and Foreign Offices. ... The President of the Board of Trade the title of a cabinet position in the United Kingdom government. ... Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool (June 7, 1770 - December 4, 1828) was a British statesman, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1812 to 1827. ... The Secretary of State for War and the Colonies was a British cabinet level position responsible for the army and the British colonies (other than India). ... Leader of the House of Lords is a function in the British government that is always held in combination with a formal Cabinet position, most often Lord President of the Council, Lord Privy Seal or Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. ... Henry Phipps, 1st Earl of Mulgrave (14 February 1755 - 7 April 1831) was a British statesman and politician. ... The First Lord of the Admiralty was a British government position in charge of the Admiralty. ... John Pitt, 2nd Earl of Chatham (9 October 1756 - 24 September 1835) was the eldest son of Pitt the Elder, and elder brother to Pitt the Younger. ... The Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO) was an important British military position before 1855, when its duties were largely abolished. ... Dudley Ryder, 1st Earl of Harrowby (1762-1847), the eldest son of Nathaniel Ryder, 1st Baron Harrowby (d. ... A Minister without Portfolio is a government minister with no specific responsibilities. ...

Changes

• December, 1809 - Lord Wellesley succeeds Lord Bathurst as Foreign Secretary. Bathurst continues at the Board of Trade.
• May, 1810 - Lord Mulgrave succeeds Lord Chatham as Master-General of the Ordnance. Charles Philip Yorke succeeds Mulgrave as First Lord of the Admiralty.
• March, 1812 - Lord Castlereagh succeeds Lord Wellesley as Foreign Secretary.
• April, 1812 - Lord Sidmouth succeeds Lord Camden as Lord President. Camden remains in the cabinet as a minister without portfolio.

References

1. ^ Neaves, Cyrill (1971). A History of Greater Ealing. United Kingdom: S. R. Publishers, p95. ISBN 0-85409-679-5. 
2. ^ Prime Ministers and Politics Timeline, BBC History