Designing & Dangerous Men: The Story of the Transported Cato Street Conspirators

There have been five attempts at assassinating the British Cabinet in history: The Gun Powder Plot (1605); The Cato Street Conspiracy (1820); Cathal Brugha’s  ‘Assassination Squad’ (1918); The Brighton Hotel Bombing (1984); and The Downing Street Mortar Attack (1991). This book covers the second of these, the Cato Street Conspiracy. The lofty aims of the Cato Street plotters were to depose the king, establish Britain as a republic, and liberate Ireland.
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The conspiracy ultimately failed, but not without loss of life. The eleven men put on trial were the last in England to be sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered – and the five who were eventually executed, drew what is thought to be the largest ever London crowd to an execution. Six of the convicted men however, had their death sentences commuted, with five of these being transported for life (including Irish rebel, Richard Bradburn). In the words of Dr Jason McElligott (Director, Marsh’s Library, Dublin): ‘The Cato Street Conspiracy is the most important plot you’ve [probably] never heard of’. The viciousness of the government response to it (and two small Scottish rebellions, later in 1820) effectively marked the end of organized radical and reformist activities until the Chartists movement of the 1830s.Though well known in the nineteenth century, knowledge of this important event has faded with time.
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While there are numerous accounts of the conspiracy, this book offers new insights gleaned from extensive research and, for the first time, looks at the fate of the five transported conspirators. Upon arrival, the NSW Governor was warned of the ‘designing and dangerous’ character of these men – and their treatment was in many ways different to ‘ordinary’ convicts.
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This book will appeal to those interested in British, Irish and Australian history, politics of the 1800s, true crime, and convict transportation. For Irish readers, it will also introduce them to a most remarkable Dublin born rebel, Richard Bradburn, whose escapades in Australia were extraordinary to say the least.

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‘A great achievement by someone who has done more than most to understand the lives of those involved in the Cato Street Conspiracy.’    Professor John Gardner, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge
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‘A remarkable new account of the Cato Street Conspiracy, the most important plot you have never heard of. Kieran Hannon has done more research in the original archives than any previous historian and he knows how to tell a gripping tale. This is a gem to be enjoyed.’  Dr Jason McElligott, Director, Marsh’s Library, Dublin