The Death of Lord Londonderry
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Focus The death of Lord Londonderry Robert Franklin obert Stewart, 2nd Marquess of been ‘the last straw’.3 Leigh (1951) so that he or she comes to believe in the RLondonderry, better known to put forward the the diagnosis of blackest of thoughts and fears. Between his contemporaries and to history melancholia, a term then used to signify these extremes are conditions in which as Viscount Castlereagh, committed major depressive illness, and made lowered mood is understandable in suicide on 12 August 1822, at the age the important point that the stories terms of the patient’s personality and the of fifty-three, when Foreign Secretary were likely to have been based on the type and intensity of the stresses acting and Leader of the House of Commons. symptoms of the illness.4 Hyde (1959) on that personality, and others in which He was one of the great statesmen of agreed with Marriott, but went further: the state of mind is not understandable his age: as Chief Secretary in Ireland, he in his opinion, Londonderry’s delusion but there is no loss of touch with reality; had ensured the passage of the Act of that he risked disgrace was based on it is common to regard all the states Union, and resigned when the prospect reality, and this was ‘acting powerfully and conditions with which psychiatry of emancipation held out to Catholics on his mind and driving him to suicide’.5 has to deal as existing at some point in order to ease its passage was blocked Henry (1970) favoured a diagnosis of on a continuum. Whether or not some by George III; as Secretary of State for involutional depression, a term then of these states or conditions can be War, he had stood against Napoleon as used to signify major depressive illness considered illnesses is debatable, and surely as the generals and admirals, some appearing for the first time in the must depend on the definition of illness of whom he had put in their places; as involutional period of life. Dr Henry also in use; it would be perverse, however, Foreign Secretary, he worked to form stressed the point, made by Leigh, that not to regard loss of touch with reality, the alliances that finally brought about the delusions present were sufficiently involving delusions and sometimes Napoleon’s defeat and contributed largely explained by the illness.6 Hinde hallucinations, as pathological. The to the peace of Europe thereafter; he was (1981) took the balanced view that existence of a genetic factor, as indicated not a good public speaker, but tact and whether or not Londonderry was being by a family history, in the causation of courtesy made him a successful Leader of blackmailed the most likely explanation the type of depression in which the most the House of Commons. It is likely that for his suicide was his illness, which serious symptoms occur adds validity he would have become Prime Minister she called ‘severe psychotic depressive to the claim that it is an illness by any if he had lived, but his reputation illness’,7 emphasising the loss of touch definition.The Tenth Revision of the was established. Such was his name with reality. But that the overriding International Classification of Diseases throughout Europe that his suicide was importance of mental illness in the lists what has been referred to as major bound to cause shock and speculation. case is not yet fully recognised is made depressive illness as ‘severe depressive clear in recent publications. It is worth episode with psychotic symptoms’ or The problem restating Leigh’s and Henry’s opinion in ‘recurrent depressive disorder, current It was found at the inquest that other words: Londonderry’s suicide was episode severe with psychotic symptoms’. Londonderry was ‘not of sound mind’ caused by his beliefs, and his beliefs were when he killed himself,1 and this finding caused by mental illness. Presentation has never been seriously challenged: There are many accounts of he had lost touch with reality and was Depression as an illness Londonderry’s illness, but the most deluded in a paranoid sense, in that he The range of disturbances of mood reliable sources are those of the men was convinced, against the evidence, included under the rubric of depression and women who were closest to him, that there was a conspiracy against is wide: at one extreme some particularly his half-brother, Charles him. In spite of this, the issue of mental might include the transient state of Stewart, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry, illness has been clouded by stories of unhappiness experienced by the most the Duke of Wellington, Mrs Arbuthnot scandalous behaviour and blackmail. stable of people in unhappy situations; and Princess Lieven. Alison (1861) made little of these at the other is a persistent state of The onset of the illness was gradual: stories.2 Marriott (1936) was prepared depression in which no aspect of life can changes in him were noticed weeks tentatively to accept the blackmail story, be enjoyed or holds any interest, and or months before his death, but he and thought the threat of disgrace had the patient may lose touch with reality, was able to function at a high level of 20 The Historian / Winter 2007 Focus efficiency until the last week. Frederick the two men were close friends and amounted to a definite illness, whether Stewart, his nephew, writing on the colleagues. Wellington was one of a or not depressive. day after his death, said he had been party at dinner with Londonderry at his Another important factor in the ‘unlike himself for a long time; so much home in the country on 3 August, and background is the past history; it, too, was he altered in his way of speaking saw no sign of disturbance. He saw him can help to confirm the diagnosis. and doing any thing’.8 Princess Lieven, next at a meeting at the Ordnance Office Serious illnesses in 1801 and 1807 are writing on 2 June that year, reported in London on 6 August, when he was mentioned by several writers, but their an uncharacteristic outburst of anger, ‘very low’ and showed no interest in the relevance is difficult to determine after against the King and Lady Conyngham, proceedings. On 7 August the Cabinet two hundred years. It is interesting to who had offended Lady Londonderry, met to consider the instructions that find, however, that though the illness of followed by the partial explanation from Londonderry had drawn up for his own 1801 was described by Londonderry’s Charles Stewart that his brother had lost use at the meeting at Vienna to prepare contemporary Henry Hobhouse as faith in his friends and was a changed for the Congress of Verona; ‘he took no ‘brain fever’,16 Alison in 1861 was of man. ‘Lord Stewart burst into tears,’ part in the discussion’ and ‘appeared the opinion that the fever was due to wrote Madame de Lieven. ‘He told me very low, out of spirits and unwell’. Their ‘fatigue and anxiety of mind’,17 and that Lord Londonderry was broken- last meeting, which was on 9 August, Roland Thorne, in hisOxford Dictionary hearted, and that he had never seen a is described in the Memorandum in of National Biography article, stated that man in such a state.’9 Mrs Arbuthnot, the form of a copy of a letter from Londonderry was ‘depressed’. who had known him for many years and Wellington to Mr Arbuthnot, written It is true, of course, that fatigue and saw him frequently, had no reason to the same day. Wellington informed anxiety may be the effects rather than be alarmed until 5 August, but she did Arbuthnot that Londonderry had told the causes of feverish illnesses. Thorne, record in her journal the fact that he had him ‘the same story that he told you’, in the same article, also stated that the repeatedly complained of great tiredness that is the blackmail story; that he had illness of 1807 was accompanied by during the Session of Parliament that expressed the belief that Wellington’s ‘internal haemorrhaging’, and if that had ended on 6 August and that she had manner towards him on 7 August had was so there was little or no question found him ‘always languid and worn and shown that he ‘had heard something of mental disorder, except in as far out of spirits’.10 against him and believed it’; and that he as anxiety would have been caused. Early on 5 August Mrs Arbuthnot had told a garbled tale of having been Bartlett recorded another illness in was told by her husband that he had given word by some unidentified person 1819. ‘Castlereagh was ill for part consulted Londonderry about certain that his horses had been ‘ordered up’ of the session,’ he wrote, ‘and while blackmail letters that he had received, from the country, with his inference his own standing in Parliament was not because they were dangerous but that ‘there was so much against him that unshaken, he gave signs of tiredness because they were a nuisance, and that he ought to fly the country’. Wellington and lack of confidence’.18 Tiredness and the Foreign Secretary had surprised told Arbuthnot that Londonderry ‘cried lack of confidence may be considered him by taking them to be referring to excessively’ during this recital. non-specific symptoms, but they are himself. ‘On this day,’ she noted later, ‘as particularly common in depressive soon as he came into the room he took Background illness; more significant here is the my hand and entreated me in the most The most important factor in the fact that it was out of character for earnest manner to tell him if I had ever background is the family history: the Castlereagh (Londonderry) to display heard anything against his honour or presence of a positive family history signs of lack of confidence, particularly character.’11 He told her then that three is important since, in general, it helps when his standing in Parliament years before this he had received an to validate the concept of illness and, was unshaken, since the more out anonymous letter, threatening to reveal in particular, if relevant, it tends to of character are the signs of mental the fact that he had been seen going into confirm a particular diagnosis.