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The Trials of the King of Hampshire
The Trials of the King of Hampshire: Madness, Secrecy and Betrayal in Georgian England | Elizabeth Foyster
4 posts | 1 read | 3 to read
Every family has its skeletons, but in 1823 the grand Wallop family was about to share theirs with the world. The 3rd earl of Portsmouth was a peculiar man but, by most accounts, a harmless one. An aristocrat of enormous wealth, he kept company with Englands most famous names, inviting Jane Austen to balls and having Lord Byron as chief witness to his second marriage. For the first fifty years of his life he had moved with ease in high society, but at the age of fifty-five his own family set out to have him declared insane. Elizabeth Foyster invites us into Freemasons Hall for the most extraordinary, expensive and controversial British insanity trial ever heard. Amid accusations of abductions, sodomy, blackmail and violence, jurors have to decide if Portsmouth is just a shy, stammering eccentric with foolish habits or a sinister madman attempting to mask his dangerous and immoral nature. Both provocative and heart-rending, The Trials of the King of Hampshire goes beyond the fate of a single man to question Georgian society and examine the treatment of the mentally ill and disabled both then and now.
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Kajohnson
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I will ride the high of this book haul for MONTHS. MONTHS I TELL YOU

Kajohnson @ErinSueMreads I‘ve read it!! So good and well told 🙌🏻🙌🏻 2y
Erinsuereads Yesssss it's amazing. If you like medical books blood sweat and tea is another fabulous one, though is modern not historic 2y
Kajohnson @ErinSueMreads I do! Yayyyy thank you for the rec 🥰 2y
Erinsuereads Welcome! 2y
12 likes5 comments
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jenniferw88
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I don't know why I tried to do #tbrbingo - these aren't even the first books I've bought since compiling my cards! @WhatDeeReads

nickimags I tried a Christmas bingo last year and lousy at it 😁 6y
WhatDeeReads Not everyone who does #TBRBingo does the book buying ban part. It‘s ok 6y
TheLibrarian I didn't do the book buying ban part for #TBRbingo 6y
106 likes3 comments
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LauraBrook
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My morning reading/fridge-cleaning-avoidance was interrupted by a visit from my favorite girls! It's Reesie! Her mom, one of my BFFs, stopped by with a coffee for a quick visit. An excellent surprise and a nice way to spend an hour or so outside. Now, back to reading. I mean fridge cleaning! 😉

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LauraBrook
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While I am by no means an Austen scholar, I've never heard of George, Jane's brother, in more than a passing way until right now. Looks like he was essentially erased from the family tree bc of his apparent epilepsy.
Also, I've never heard of this reason for Cassandra burning Jane's letters before, though it makes sense if they were trying to save face.
#themoreyouknow

LeahBergen This book sounds great (I already had it stacked). 👍🏼 7y
LauraBeth Wow - interesting! 7y
LauraBrook @LeahBergen @LauraBeth It is interesting, but it's pretty heavy on tiny details. Having a hard time finding a reading speed and figuring out what I can just skate right past and get on with it. But it's darned good! (And nice to read about the time period and have the whole Austen family pop up every now and then.) 7y
44 likes1 stack add3 comments