The Damnation Of John Donellan: A Mysterious Case Of Death And Scandal In Georgian England
by Elizabeth Cooke /
2011 / English / PDF
3.3 MB Download
In August 1780, Sir Theodosius Boughton, the dissolute heir to the estate, was soon to be of age. But, riddled with a venereal disease contracted at Eton, Theodosius took his medicine one morning and died in painful convulsions. What happened? His mother Anna Maria, who had welcomed her son-in-law Captain John 'Diamond' Donellan, now accused him during the inquest. The subsequent murder trial was a shambles, and Donellan went to his death proclaiming his innocence. But what really happened? How far had the seemingly dull-witted Anna Maria gone to protect herself? And was Donellan guilty, or simply damned as an outsider? Based on the engrossing transcripts of the scandalous trial and the extensive evidence given by family, doctors and servants, Elizabeth Cooke's book shows the dark and violent underside of the society of Mansfield Park.
