When a trusted estate trustee called at Staunton Harold Hall on January 18, 1760, to review accounts with his employer, he walked into a room where the Earl bolted the door behind him, demanded he kneel, and shot him at point-blank range. The trustee, John Johnson, died the next day—and the man who fired the pistol was Lawrence Shirley, the fourth Earl Ferrers, a wealthy aristocrat whose family traced its line back to the Norman Conquest. Lawrence Shirley was born on August 18, 1720, the eldest son of the Honorable Lawrence Ferrers, and came from a lineage of considerable antiquity and honor. The Shirley family name dated back to the time of William the Conqueror, and the first Lord Ferrers, Sir Robert Shirley, was given the title in 1711.
The family could also trace its ancestry to Robert Devereux, the second Earl of Essex, a nobleman at the court of Queen Elizabeth I who was executed for treason on February 25, 1601, after a failed attempt to overthrow the government. England at the time of Lawrence’s birth had a population of just over five million, with an estimated 700,000 living in London. The capital was becoming dirty, noisy, and overcrowded. But life for the aristocracy was very different.
The mid-18th-century aristocracy comprised around 150 enormously wealthy families who together owned about one-fifth of all the land in the country. Lawrence Shirley was part of that elite—and it seemed to suit him well. He received the finest education, attending the best schools before going on to Oxford University. But at age 20 he left his studies and the country entirely, moving to Paris, where he continued to conduct himself in an extravagant manner.
It was said that when under the influence of alcohol, he acted with all the wildness and brutality of a madman. In 1745, Lawrence inherited the title of Earl Ferrers from his uncle, the third Earl, who had been removed from office in 1742 because he was considered insane. The title brought great wealth, including large estates in Leicestershire, Derbyshire, and Northamptonshire. Lawrence chose to reside at Staunton Harold Hall, a very large and elegant property in northwest Leicestershire.
His behavior did not improve with his new responsibilities. From 1743, he had been conducting a relationship with a Mrs. Margaret Clifford, and by 1749 she had given birth to four illegitimate daughters. Lawrence had no plans to marry her, however.
In 1752, he married Mary Meredith, a 16-year-old noble lady and the youngest daughter of Sir Amos Meredith. Mary became Countess Ferrers, but the marriage was not a happy one. Mary was always mindful not to antagonize her husband, even though he often behaved very cruelly toward her. She knew the Ferrers family had a history of strange and eccentric behavior, and Lawrence was no different, particularly in his violent temper after drinking.
He also continued his relationship with Mrs. Clifford. Yet despite his outbursts and mood swings, he was perfectly capable of managing his business affairs and looking after his estates. Eventually, Mary decided she could no longer put up with his irrational and brutish manner, and she returned to live with her parents in the 1750s.
It was a most unusual step, but the Countess thought she had no choice. She was regarded as a lady remarkable for her patience and mild disposition, and during her six years of marriage people had often commented on her tolerant and charming nature. The Countess applied to Parliament for redress, and an Act was passed that allowed her to receive a maintenance payment from her husband’s estates through a separate trust administered by a court-appointed trustee. The unfortunate gentleman given the position was Mr.
John Johnson. He had been brought up on the Ferrers estates and was held in high regard for the regular manner in which he kept his accounts. He was also known to be a very honest and honorable gentleman. Mr.
Johnson did not want the position. He was only too aware of what a difficult man Earl Ferrers could be, and he was sure the Earl would become even more unbearable after Parliament awarded the monthly maintenance to the Countess. He declined the request, but after much persuasion he eventually agreed to act as trustee. Mr.
Johnson lived in a house that belonged to the Earl’s estate in north Leicestershire, only about half a mile from Staunton Harold Hall. He collected the rents from the tenant farmers before going to speak to the Earl, then settled the accounts placed under his care. At first the arrangement worked, but as months passed the Earl came to deeply distrust him. Ferrers believed Johnson and the other trustees had prevented him from receiving a lucrative coal contract.
He was also very displeased when he learned Johnson had paid the Countess £50 without his consent—even though Johnson did not need the Earl’s approval to pay the estranged wife the money the law required. The Earl began speaking to Johnson in a very derogatory manner, calling him a villain who was conspiring with those who did not favor him. He eventually told Johnson he must move from the house on the estate and could no longer farm on his land. Unknown to the Earl, he had no right to demand this, because the Act of Separation stated that Johnson, as a court-appointed trustee, could continue to live in the house and farm the lands.
This upset the Earl even more. The Earl’s household consisted of Mrs. Clifford and her four daughters, along with five male servants, a kitchen boy, and three maids. On Wednesday, January 18, 1760, Mr.
Johnson called at Staunton Harold Hall by appointment to go through the estate accounts with the Earl. At the same time, Mrs. Clifford and her daughters were going out for a walk. All the male servants had been sent on errands, so only the three maids were left in the house.
One of them, Elizabeth Burgland, answered the door and escorted Johnson to the Earl’s apartments. As Johnson entered, the Earl got out of his chair and bolted the door—a strange thing to do, but Johnson had become accustomed to his erratic behavior. The Earl then asked Johnson to settle his accounts. He became quite abrasive, told Johnson he was a villain, and demanded he kneel in front of him.
The Earl spoke in such a raised voice that the maids could hear every word. He then said, “Down on your knee. Declare that you have acted against Lord Ferrers. Your time is come; you must die.
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Earl Ferrers drew a pistol from his pocket and shot Johnson. Johnson fell backward, but then stood up and declared he was a trustee and the Earl must desist from any further violence. The Earl looked at him, calmly unbolted the door, and walked out. The maids rushed in, having heard the shots.
One immediately went to fetch a surgeon, a gentleman named Dr. Kirkland. Johnson was put to bed and treated. His daughter Sarah was also sent for.
The Earl spoke to her without remorse, telling her that if her father died, he would take care of the family—provided they did not prosecute him. He then spent the next few hours drinking and eventually fell asleep. Johnson was taken back to his own house, but his condition did not improve, and the next day he died. With the news of the death of such a popular and well-respected gentleman, local people made their way to Staunton Harold Hall to confront the Earl.
He would not come out, locking the doors and remaining inside. But he could not stay there forever. When he thought it safe to go out, he was confronted by a collier named Mr. Curtis, who disarmed him.
He was then arrested and taken to the local public house, where he was guarded for the night. The following Monday he was taken to jail in the city of Leicester, having already been found guilty of murder by a hastily arranged coroner’s court. Despite his crime, the fourth Earl Ferrers was a person of rank. He could not be tried in a court in Leicester; he could only face justice in the court of his peers.
Two weeks later he was taken to London in his own carriage, accompanied by strong guards. He was put before the House of Lords, where on February 14 he was committed to the custody of Black Rod and then taken to be locked up in the Tower of London. During his time in the Tower, he was for the most part courteous and polite, behaving as a gentleman and member of the nobility should. But sometimes he would open his waistcoat, make strange noises, and use other gestures.
The guards believed this showed that he was somewhat insane. Mrs. Clifford and the three maids had also made the journey to London, but she was not permitted to see the prisoner. On April 16, 1760, after spending two months and two days in the Tower of London, the trial of Lawrence Shirley, fourth Earl Ferrers, began.
The fact that he had murdered John Johnson, an appointed trustee of the courts, was never in dispute. The Earl did not try to justify the shooting even though he firmly believed Johnson to be a villain. Instead, he claimed he shot him because he was insane. If he could prove this to the courts, he would not be held accountable for his actions.
The claim had merit. His uncle, the third Earl Ferrers, had been removed from office in 1742 as he was considered not of sound mind, and many local people believed the fourth Earl to be the same. The Earl conducted his own defense and did so very well, showing a clear knowledge of the law. Witnesses were presented who confirmed that in their opinion the defendant was insane.
One, Mrs. Elizabeth Williams, the wife of the local publican, told the court she had known the Earl for many years and that he never appeared like any other gentleman. She said he would look at pictures on the wall and tear them down, shout at people for no reason, and was always musing and talking to himself. Whenever the Earl ordered coffee, she would give him a cup and a coffee pot, but instead of pouring the coffee into the cup he would drink it straight out of the pot’s spout.
She said he shouted at everyone and would walk around cursing people. When asked if he was sober when doing these things, she replied, “As sober as I am now. ” She said the whole town considered him a madman. The Earl made an eloquent speech to his peers, saying, “Witnesses have been called to prove my insanity—to prove an unhappy disorder of mind, and which I am grieved to be under the necessity of showing.
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Despite the many local witnesses, his insanity plea was dismissed by the judge. The Earl then confessed that he had only submitted that defense to oblige his family and had himself always felt somewhat ashamed to do it. At the end of the trial, the peers found the defendant guilty, and Lawrence Shirley, fourth Earl Ferrers, was sentenced to death by hanging, in accordance with the Murder Act passed by Parliament in 1752. The Act stated that the sentence of death must be delivered immediately following the guilty verdict, thus limiting any opportunity for appeals or bargaining for a more lenient sentence.
Immediately meant within two days of sentencing, except if that would be a Sunday, in which case the sentence was carried out the following Monday. The Act also stated that the body of the hanged criminal would be denied a decent burial and would be dissected or publicly hung in giblets and left to rot. Convicted criminals awaiting execution were to be kept in solitary confinement and fed only bread and water, with no visitors except members of the clergy. However, in consideration of the fourth Earl’s rank, not all of this applied.
His execution date was put back until Monday, May 5, so he was able to get his affairs in order. During this time he made a will. He left £1,300 to Mr. Johnson’s children, £1,000 to each of his four natural daughters, and £60 a year to Mrs.
Clifford for the rest of her life. His will, however, was not valid, as a condemned man had no right to determine the disposition of his property. On May 5, 1760, 39-year-old Lawrence Shirley, the fourth Earl Ferrers, was transported from the Tower of London to the scaffold at Tyburn. He was dressed in a light-colored suit embroidered with silver—the same suit he had worn on his wedding day eight years earlier.
Due to his status, he was allowed to travel to Tyburn in his own carriage. The execution of a person of such noble blood was a very rare occurrence, and a large crowd turned out to witness the event. The crowd was so large that the carriage took two and three-quarter hours to travel the four miles to Tyburn. It was said that during this time the Earl remained very calm but was anxious to have the whole thing over with.
Before his execution, he told the sheriff he had written to the king to ask if he might be executed in the same place as his ancestor Robert Devereux, the second Earl of Essex, as he did not want to die at a place appointed for the execution of common felons. His Majesty King George II had refused the request. When asked if he had anything to say, the Earl replied, “Oh God, forgive me all my errors, pardon all my sins. ” He then told the sheriff where he desired his body to be buried.
Lawrence Shirley, fourth Earl Ferrers, was then hanged. Following the execution, his body was taken to the Barber Surgeon’s Hall in Monkswell Street for public exhibition and dissection. Three days later, on Thursday, May 8, the body was released to his friends for interment. The Earl was initially buried in St.
Pancras Church. However, in 1782 his body was removed and taken to Staunton Harold Hall, where it was placed in the family vaults. Although the Earl’s will was deemed not valid, it is believed that his requests for compensation following his death were carried out.
Lawrence Shirley, fourth Earl Ferrers, was the last English nobleman—and the last peer—to be executed in Britain.