page_title: John Bellingham
section_title: Assassination of the Prime Minister
hierarchical_section_title: John Bellingham / Assassination of the Prime Minister
caption_attribution_description: 19th century illustration of assassination of British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval by John Bellingham.
context_page_description: John Bellingham was the assassin of British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval.
context_section_description: Once home, Bellingham began petitioning the United Kingdom's government for compensation over his imprisonment. This was refused, as the United Kingdom had broken off diplomatic relations with Russia in November 1808. Bellingham's wife urged him to drop the matter and he reluctantly did.
  In 1812, Bellingham renewed his attempts to win compensation. On 18 April, he went to the Foreign Office where a civil servant told him he was at liberty to take whatever measures he thought proper. On 20 April, Bellingham purchased two .50 calibre (12.7 mm) pistols from a gunsmith of 58 Skinner Street. He also had a tailor sew an inside pocket to his coat. At this time, he was often seen in the lobby of the House of Commons.
  After taking a friend's family to a painting exhibition on 11 May 1812, Bellingham remarked that he had some business to attend to. He made his way to Parliament, where he waited in the lobby. When Prime Minister Spencer Perceval appeared, Bellingham stepped forward and shot him in the heart. He then calmly sat on a bench. Bellingham was immediately restrained and was identified by Isaac Gascoyne, MP for Liverpool.
caption: A 19th-century illustration of Bellingham's assassination of Spencer Perceval