The 1823 insanity trial of the earl of Portsmouth was a cause celebre,involving sex, greed and an obsession with funerals. His grand-grand-grand-grand-grandson tells of family shameIf one of the main character witnesses to prove your sanity is Lord Byron – “crazy, and nefarious and dangerous to know” – then it is always going to be a struggle to persuade people you are a model of lucid propriety.
But the Commission of Lunacy writ brought against the earl of Portsmouth in 1823 was far from a clear-cut case. Was this aristocrat merely a foolish eccentric who liked to set aside a broom between his legs to chase his servants around the house,or was he a dangerous and sadistic lunatic, a threat not just to his household but to the entire established order?No Wallop emerges from this gothic tale with any glory but this is an enjoyable portrait of a grand character of the age Related: Can a brain scan uncover your morals? Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com