CHAPTER 2

Death of the Aristocrats
1812

Few now, perhaps, of the teeming multitude, who pass to and fro daily know of this tragic scene.

The tragic scene referred to above by a writer in 1903 refers to an address in Barnes Terrace, and those passing by unknowingly would have included the present author, when he was investigating the Elizabeth Figg murder of 1959 – her body was found in Duke’s Meadow, on the opposite side of the river to where an earlier tragedy occurred.

The first French Revolution, which began in 1789, became bloodier as the years progressed, culminating in the Reign of Terror, in 1793–94. Many Frenchmen fled to Britain to escape death. This was not just those who opposed the revolution outright, but also those who favoured reforms, but had fallen out with France’s new masters. Many settled in Twickenham, Richmond and Barnes, including Louis Philippe (1773–1850), who later became King of France in 1830–48. These Thameside districts were indeed delightful tranquil villages in themselves, but were also close to the capital and so to places of entertainment and power.