— from Hamlet, William Shakespeare, 1601
The great trial between James and Richard Annesley was, at that date, the longest, and sat the wealthiest jury in all of British history. Due to the uniquely-allowed testimony of Prime Sergeant Giffard, the famous Anglesea trial remains the basis of the modern “attorney-client privilege.”
James never officially assumed the title Earl of Anglesea, and never took his seats in the Houses of Lords. The Anglesea Earldom ended with Richard’s death in 1761. Charity Heath served five years in prison for perjury.
Daniel Mackercher became near bankrupt from the costs of the trial and forever refused payment from James. He soon rejoined the Scottish military and led a division at the battle of Culloden in 1745, the ill-fated, final battle for Scottish independence.
James and Laura built their farm in Virginia, and there had two daughters, Joan and Mary, and a son they named Fynn. Fynn Annesley later rose through the ranks of the American Colonial Army and was killed in Yorktown, Virginia in 1781, at the last major battle of the American Revolution.
James and Seán never saw each other again, though they wrote many letters to each other. Seán lived to an old age, seeing two more generations of Kennedys come to live on the land surrounding Dunmain. Eight generations later, a descendant of that Kennedy family became the thirty-fifth President of the United States. Today, land that was once part of Dunmain contains the John F. Kennedy Arboretum, and near its center is Fynn’s Hill.
Dunmain House was eventually sold and fell into ruins during the Great Irish Famine. Eventually, during the late 1800s, the house was restored. Today it is once again the home of an Irish family.
James Annesley returned only once to the British Isles. In 1759, James, Laura, and their children, traveled to Lee, Kent County, England for a special viewing of that year’s appearance of Halley’s Comet, and to visit the grave of his mother, Mary Sheffield, and the grave of Edmond Hillary, the famous astronomer for whom his discovery, Halley’s Comet, was named. In 1742, both Halley and Mary had died within weeks of each other and were both buried in the churchyard of St. Margaret’s of Lee.
After the visit in Lee, the Annesley family traveled to London, with plans to continue on to Ireland where they would visit Seán. But while in London, James fell from a horse and was severely injured. He died on January 5, 1760, at the age of forty-four. Seán and Laura laid him to rest in the churchyard of St. Margaret’s, near his mother, finally reuniting them. Laura returned to Virginia and raised their children. She never remarried.
Though extremely well known at the time, these events were eventually lost to history, with only an occasional reference. The English author Tobias Smollett’s novel, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, 1751, is most certainly based on Smollett’s time with James Annesley in the Royal Navy. It is surmised that Smollett’s earlier and more famous novel, The Adventures of Roderick Random, 1748 was also inspired by James. It is rumored that Sir Walter Scott’s novel Guy Mannering, 1815, and Robert Louis Stevenson’s novel, Kidnapped, 1886, were based in part on some elements of James’s earlier adventures.
Dear Reader,
Thank you for taking this journey through the extraordinary saga of James Annesley. It was a unique pleasure to discover James, research the facts, and write this book. My only wish was that I may have added footnotes explaining, “Seriously, this actually happened!” throughout the pages.
Fortunate Son is the premiere of a unique series of historical novels, each pivoting on the actual events encompassing a significant historical courtroom drama. I am an avid social historian, with a particular affinity for trials—perhaps as much for the dramatic stories as for their spectacle of colorful characters. Plus, reading transcripts from trials preceding audio or video recordings is enthralling and the nearest experience of time travel available.
Next up is American Red, centering on the 1907 trial of the deadly, one-eyed, union boss, “Big Bill” Haywood who was accused of ordering the successful assassination-by-bombing of the governor of Idaho (the first such in American history). Bonus: Haywood was represented by none other than the young Clarence Darrow. Today, few have heard of the case, though in its time it was above-the-fold from coast to coast and across the globe. It is a sweeping tale of murder, adultery, corruption, mountain mafia, the Pinkertons, domestic terrorism, government-sanctioned kidnapping, the last gunslingers, mining unions, and perhaps the greatest train race ever—all set on the backdrop of America’s doomed thrust toward radical socialism as other countries such as Russia were embarking on their own “red” revolutions. Sounds like a outlandish adventure, right? I agree, and hope you will take that journey in late 2014.
For more information, to reach me, and to receive regular updates, please visit www.dmarlett.com.
Warmly,
David Marlett
Fortunate Son Page 40
