Lord Castlereagh dies by suicide at Loring Hall
- When
- 1822
- Where
- Kent
- Episodes
- 1
Lord Castlereagh, British Foreign Secretary, died by suicide at Loring Hall in Kent on 12 August 1822. He was found in a dressing room after cutting his throat with a small knife. The event occurred amidst personal distress and political revulsion, with sources noting a possible nervous breakdown.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. Robert Stewart, styled Viscount Castlereagh, served as Foreign Secretary from 1812. Widely reviled in Ireland and Great Britain, he faced significant political opposition and personal distress. By 1822, he exhibited clear signs of paranoia or a nervous breakdown, contributing to his mental instability prior to his death.
The Incident. On the morning of 12 August 1822, Castlereagh sent for Bankhead. Bankhead found him in a dressing room seconds after he had cut his own throat using a small knife that had been overlooked. The house, Loring Hall, had been his country residence since 1811.
Mental State. Sources describe Castlereagh as overworked and personally distressed, with clear signs of paranoia or a nervous breakdown by 1822. His oratory was considered practically incoherent, and he spoke of resigning his office. The suicide followed this period of severe mental strain.
People involved
- Robert Stewart, Lord Castlereagh · British Foreign Secretary
- Bankhead · person sent for who found Castlereagh after the act
Sources
- Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-11
- Loring Hall Wikipedia, revision of 2026-07-03
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.