Love and Madness: The Murder of Martha Ray, Mistress of the Fourth Earl of Sandwich [Paperback]

Martin Levy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 28, 2004

On a spring evening in 1779, as she emerged from London's Covent Garden Theatre, a beautiful young woman was shot in the head at point-blank range by a man in a black suit. The brutal murder was even more shocking because of the victim's identity -- she was Martha Ray, live-in mistress to the Earl of Sandwich and devotee of the arts. The man accused of her murder was none other than James Hackman, a respected Anglican minister and Ray's former lover. The aftermath of the crime created an uproar in London high society, as aristocrats debated Hackman's motives. Had he intended to commit suicide, as he later claimed, but, in a moment of weakness, turned his gun on Ray instead? This riveting tale of a crime of passion re-creates the slaying and the clergyman's trial, which was the unrivaled media sensation of its time.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Though the 1779 affair between Ray, Sandwich's mistress, and her lover James Hackman ends with Hackman dangling from a noose for shooting Ray, it is not as enthralling as it sounds. The details of the affair consist mostly of a couple of passionate yet trite letters from Hackman and speculation and hearsay from those who knew each of them. Thankfully, Levy's book is able to plump up Ray and Hackman's woeful tale by using it as a jumping-off point for exploring the historical and sociological circumstances that surrounded the relationship. Levy, a historical researcher, does a fine job conjuring up the atmosphere of 18th-century London through the use of newspaper accounts and personal letters, and some investigation into the background of the writers of those works. He is particularly astute at capturing the inner workings of England's civil institutions, such as its legal and prison systems. By outlining the country's strict social-class structure, Levy also clearly demonstrates the precarious predicament Ray, a commoner by birth, was in as the mistress to Sandwich, a married earl. Still, Levy's greatest achievement is his analysis of some of the mysteries of human nature that make Ray and Hackman's story ageless. For instance, Levy asks why "unrequited love and madness" are eternally intertwined and why we take such "a voyeuristic delight" in seeing others' weaknesses brought into public view. Though he may not come up with definitive answers for all of his questions, in this age of "Bennifer" and the "Kobe Trial," he definitely gives readers something to think about. 15 b&w illus. throughout.
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About the Author

Martin Levy is a respected historical researcher who has written for the Oxford University Press. He makes his home in England.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (December 28, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060559756
• ISBN-13: 978-0060559755
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,371,492 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Question of Two Pistols, February 29, 2004

By 

Faithful Reader (Southwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Love and Madness: The Murder of Martha Ray, Mistress of the Fourth Earl of Sandwich (Hardcover)

Martin Levy, a scholar of 18th century life, exhaustively covers the public murder of the mistress of Lord Sandwich by a clergyman and spurned lover. Although Levy's scholarship and research is everywhere evident, the writing is nowhere leaden or academic; he approaches his subject with the relish of a true-crime writer. In an age when criminal justice was in its infancy, the corpse of the slain woman was carried to the nearest alehouse and left there for all to see; her killer was brought to trial just nine days later. While the Rev. Hackman admitted he killed Martha Ray, he said he did it in a "momentary frenzy" and actually intended to kill only himself. The argument over why, if this was his intention, he brought two pistols to the scene of the crime is a fascinating one, and Levy offers arguments on both sides. The killing was a cause celebre in its time, and the latter half of this slim volume contains examples of the poems, broadsides, ballads and even a short novel published at the time. A remarkable achievement, and highly recommended.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Period Detail, March 5, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Love and Madness: The Murder of Martha Ray, Mistress of the Fourth Earl of Sandwich (Hardcover)

While I'm not a fan of true crime, I do enjoy 18th-century British social history. I found plenty to like here. The book is rich in details, and therein lies its interest for me. For instance, the first chapter presents a vivid picture of the last night of Martha Ray's life. She went to the theatre and the reader goes along for the ride. We even see tufts of grass growing between paving stones. At the theatre, a bell signals the start of the performance. So on and so on. The book is full of these period details. The diet at Newgate, for those who couldn't afford to buy their own food, was a penny loaf. And "all prisons in England had a table of fees, and Newgate's was inscribed on a painted board hung up in the felons' court." Also, prisoners were charged three shillings as an entrance fee! (If a prisoner couldn't pay, was he turned away?) We're also given a detailed picture of the trial and the procession from Newgate to the place of execution. I could have done without the latter, but it belonged in the book. Overall, well done.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some Things Never Change, January 21, 2008

By 

Leah M. Brown "Leah Marie Brown, Author" (Mentally in Paris, France) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Love and Madness: The Murder of Martha Ray, Mistress of the Fourth Earl of Sandwich (Paperback)

Some things never change, like war, taxes, and the public's morbid fascination with crimes that involve the rich and famous.

Love and Madness is the retelling of the murder of Martha Ray, an actress and singer who was also the mistress of the fourth Earl of Sandwich. The crime rocked eighteenth century London and drew spectators, from all walks of life, to the courthouse to witness the trial of James Hackman (Martha's one-time lover and murderer).

Martin Levy starts the book on the evening of the murder and then deftly weaves in bits of backstory to give the reader a full picture of the crime and the players involved. He includes contemporary accounts and surprises the reader by indicating that most of British-society viewed Martha Ray's murderer with more sympathy, and seemd to treat his memory with more care, than they did the victim.

The Positives:

Love and Madness is written in an easy-to-read, easy-to-engage style that immediately draws readers in, even those without much experience in eighteenth century studies. Levy stays focused on the tragic story of Martha Ray's murder but is clever enough to include quotes from 18th century illuminaries like James Boswell, Charles James Fox, Lady Sarah Lennox, and Horace Walpole, making this true-crime tale read like a savory article from PEOPLE magazine.

Levy does a splendid job of bringing James Boswell to life (using only a dozen or so pages). Indeed, he piqued this reviewer's interest about the famous lawyer and diarist's insatiable proclivities enough to send her back to Amazon in search of a more complete biography on the man.

The Negatives:
The story is told in a coldly detached manner that this reviewer found disappointing, and, a trifle disconcerting. Clearly Levy is an accomplished researcher, historian, and journalist. However, he tells this passionate, tragic tale as if merely relating dry facts. He does not bring Martha Ray, James Hackman, or the Earl of Sandwich alive. He does not give the story the heart that it needs to really rivet readers. For those who would like to know more about the life and loves of Martha Ray or the motives that inspired her lover to murder her, this is not the book. For those readers who simply want to know the who, what, when, why and how of a tragic crime, Love and Madness will satisfy.

The Bottomline:

At less than 200 pages, this slim volume is an entertaining look into a forgotten, but once notorious, crime.