History Daily The Cato Street Conspiracy
Feb 23, 2026
A plotted assassination of the Prime Minister and cabinet in 1820. The role of an agent provocateur who fed false intelligence to British authorities. A staged newspaper story used to lure radicals into a trap. A dramatic raid on a loft that ends in violence, trial, and execution.
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Arthur Thistlewood's Spa Fields Riot Break-In
- Arthur Thistlewood led the Spa Fields riot, personally looting a gunsmith and firing on a shopkeeper before being left alone as rioters fled and soldiers arrived.
- The riot's prosecution relied on a government spy whose murky role made jurors suspect entrapment, helping Thistlewood avoid treason charges.
Plotting A Cabinet Assassination To Force Regime Change
- Thistlewood planned to assassinate Prime Minister Lord Liverpool and his cabinet to install a new government for the people after the electorate remained tiny and reforms stalled.
- Agent provocateur George Edwards and Home Secretary Lord Sidmouth manipulated press and timing to resurrect and steer the plot toward an arrest opportunity.
Repression Fueled Radicalization After Manchester Massacre
- Post-war Britain limited voting to about 2% of the population and crushed reform with the Six Acts after the Manchester massacre, radicalizing men like Thistlewood toward violent solutions.
- The political climate of repression and recent killings directly informed the conspirators' belief that assassination could spark systemic change.