Creamware and an assassination: marking the death of Spencer Perceval in the Willett collection

200 years ago today, Spencer Perceval, the British Prime Minister, was shot dead in the lobby of the House of Commons. His assassin, John Bellingham, was motivated by a personal grievance against the government following a failed business venture and a period of imprisonment in Russia. Although of dubious mental health, Bellingham refused to submit a plea of insanity at his trial  and was executed just a week later, on 18 May 1812.

Perceval’s murder shocked the nation, and he remains the only British Prime Minister to have been assassinated. His death is marked by two pieces that can be seen in Brighton Museum’s Willett gallery. One, a Staffordshire creamware jug, depicts the murder  scene, with Bellingham looking down upon the collapsed Perceval.

‘The Death of Mr Perceval’, Staffordshire creamware jug, 1812 (DA328639)

The other piece, a creamware mug, carries a profile portrait of John Bellingham.

Creamware mug bearing portrait of John Bellingham Esq, 1812 (DA328640)

It may seem strange that such a violent event should find its way into items that would be used for the gentle act of serving tea. But the Willett collection demonstrates how popular pottery was often used to record social and political events of the time, and Perceval’s murder was clearly major news.

There is one small, perhaps rather tenuous local link to the aftermath of Perceval’s death. His widow, Jane, later married Henry Carr, the brother of Robert Carr, the Vicar of Brighton. As such, the Vicar of Brighton became a step-uncle to Perceval’s children.

Kevin Bacon
Digital Development Officer

Coronation Day 1953

Brighton Palais, now the Sea Life Centre

The Brighton History Centre will be presenting a free talk about life in Brighton in June 1953. Come and find out where you could have gone dancing, what films were on at Brighton’s many cinemas, where you could collect your ration books and, most importantly, which coronation festivities you could have taken part in.

Essoldo Theatre, North Street

The talk is free but limited to twenty people so it is best to book on 01273 296972.  It will take place at the Brighton History Centre (first floor of the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery) on Wednesday 30 May from 11 – 12 and will be repeated on the Wednesday 6 June at the same time.

Paul Jordan, Senior History Centre Officer

Emperor Haile Selassie on the West Pier

Haile Selassie on the West Pier, April 1938

Haile Selassie was the Emperor of Ethiopa from 1930 to 1974. In 1935 Ethiopia was invaded by Italian forces, and he left the country the following year. He spent most of his exile in Bath. During this time he visited other parts of England, including a visit to Brighton in April 1938. The Brighton and Hove Herald took several photographs of Selassie’s visit, including an image of him leaving the Royal Pavilion accompanied by his family. But this solemn portrait on the West Pier was the most dramatic and carefully composed.

Press photography often uses carefully composed images with subtle hints of the wider issues they illustrate. This is a very good example. By the late 1930s, Selassie had become an iconic victim of fascism. In June 1936 he had delivered a moving speech to the League of Nations describing the brutality of the Italian invasion of his country. This led him to be named Man of the Year by the influential US magazine Time.

This photograph supports Selassie’s iconic status. His black overcoat and hat, and his sorrowful expression, suggest a man in mourning for the loss of his country. The choice of location has a double purpose. The West Pier is an obvious landmark, and immediately ties Selassie to Brighton. But his choice of seat has an extra significance: as an emperor, Selassie should be seated on a throne. Having been forced from his country, he is reduced to sitting on a deckchair: cheap furniture for working class visitors.

Haile Selassie and family at the Royal Pavilion, 30 April 1938

Selassie was returned to power in 1941 after British and Ethiopian forces took control of Ethiopia during World War Two. He reigned the country until he was deposed in a coup in 1974. He died the following year. Although an Orthodox Christian, Selassie is claimed to be an incarnation of God by members of the Rastafari religion.

Kevin Bacon
Digital Development Officer