The trial of Laurence Earl Ferrers, for the murder of John Johnson, before the Right Honourable the House of Peers. In Westminster-hall, in full Parliament, on Wednesday the 16th, Thursday the 17th, and Friday the 18th of April, 1760: on the last of which days, judgment for murder was given against him ... / [Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers].

  • Shirley, Laurence, 4th Earl Ferrers, 1720-1760.
Date:
1760
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The trial of Laurence Earl Ferrers, for the murder of John Johnson, before the Right Honourable the House of Peers. In Westminster-hall, in full Parliament, on Wednesday the 16th, Thursday the 17th, and Friday the 18th of April, 1760: on the last of which days, judgment for murder was given against him ... / [Laurence Shirley, 4th Earl Ferrers]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    you to conduct your attention to the courfe of evidence that will be given.—In doing that I fhall make it my endeavour, and I hope I (hall fucceed in it, to omit, even at the hazard of interrupting the connexion of the ftory, every circumftance that I do not believe the witneffes will give you an account of: and after I have ftated the facts, I fhall then detain you but a little while from hearing the witneffes themfelves, upon •whole teftimony your judgement mvjft be formed, upon the nature of the evidence, and the quality *of this offence charged upon the defendant. Gentlemen, my Lord Grofvenor was married in the year 176+ to Mifs Harriot Vernon : me had made her appearance in the world but a few months before that marriage, was very young, of a family refpectable, features engaging, of a fortune not inconfiderable. My Lord Grofvenor had made propofals to her, and accordingly the fettlements made at the marriage were adequate to his fortune, fuch as became him to make, and confequently were very ample. For fome time, and I truft a confiderable time, they lived together in that happy fituation which may be fuppofed to proceed from a marriage where the motive upon his fide had been merely affection, and that had produced a change of fituation extremely advantageous to her, and there were feveral children born to them, and the increafing family was attended with great fatisfaction to the friends upon all fides, ■which is naturally the cafe where there is a confiderable fortune and an ancient family to be fupported. Gentlemen, it is impomble for me to ftate to you, and I believe it is impoflible for the evidence, to trace at what particular period his Royal Highnefs the Duke of Cumberland's intimacy with Lady Grofvenor commenced; you will find how- ever, in the courfe of the winters 1768 and 1769, that his Royal Highnefs's meetings ■with Lady Grofvenor were conftant, and fo public as not to efcape the blame of almoffc every perfon at every public place; for at every public affembly wherever Lady Grofvenor was the Duke certainly came, and at all the public places where Ihe went the Duke was certainly with her. He followed her from place to place with fuch inceffant perfeverance, and wasfo conftant in the time of coming where fhe was, and going where fhe was to come, that it became the jeft of their footmen before it had even reached to be the fcandal of the town. It may eafily be imagined how very dan- gerous to a woman's virtue that fort of follicitation muft be which is always an advocate for her vanity, and where the rank of the perfon is a fure means of removing all obftru&ions, by keeping other acquaintance and perfons at adiftance from the relpecl that is due to them. Gentlemen, this was the cafe in this affair: from the time Lady Grofvenor had become the determined object of his Royal Highnefs's attention, her acquaintance, her company, and her connexions and correfpondence, became only fuch as were agreeable to the Duke; and from the natural deference due to the royal family, I am afraid in fome inftances it would give the Duke of Cumberland wifhes that it would not in any thing be unlawful for him to hold thofe connexions. In the courfe of the winter the Duke's attention to Lady Grofvenor had been fo far fuccefsful, that you will find in the fpring 1769 they no longer confined themfelves to fuch occafions of meeting as public places, and other places of general refort, fuch as thehoufes of fuch perfons as were in their parties might afford them, but there were many frequent private vifits, and the return of a fine fcafon gave them an opportunity of walking out with lefs obfervation ; and the witneffes will give you an account of their meeting in Kenfington gardens, under different circumftances of difguife, on purpofe for going there, which circumftances will appear in the fequel of this bufmefs, which cauied fufpicions in the minds of thofe that attended her, who took particular notice of them, and will give a very ftrong proof of the opportunities they had of obferving the Duke and Lady Grofvenor. During the winter and the fpring months in i;.6g, Lady Grofvenor had been very intimate with a lady whofe name cannot now be concealed, the Countefs Donhoff. The Duke had many meetings in different parties at that lady's houfe. In the month of May the Countefs Donhoff had occafion to go out of town for fome little time; when fhe was out of town Lady Grofvenor one evening ordered her coach and fervants to the Countefs's houfe: there was, you will find by the evidence, no perfon in that houfe but a maid fervant, left to take care of the houfe, who then lived ip it with her hufband. When they came to the Countefs Donhoff's door, the maid appeared, and faid her lady was out of town : Lady Grofvenor look'd out of the coach, and would not take the anfwer from her fervants, but told the maid fhe knew the Countefs would be in town that evening, and me would come into the houfe and wait for her: then fhe got out of her coach, difmiffed her fervants, and ordered them not to return till eleven o'clock that evening. The maid was furprifed at it; but, knowing her to be an acquaintance of her lady, took it for granted it was. proper, and fhe fhew'd her up (lairs into the drawing room of the Countefs, where you will find, and 2 that