Robert Francis Pate Jr. (25 December 1819 – February 1895) was a former

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fro ...

, remembered for his

assault In the terminology of law, an assault is the act of causing physical harm or consent, unwanted physical contact to another person, or, in some legal definitions, the threat or attempt to do so. It is both a crime and a tort and, therefore, may ...

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

on 27 June 1850.

Early life

Robert Pate was born on Christmas Day, 1819, in

Wisbech Wisbech ( ) is a market town, inland port and civil parish in the Fenland District, Fenland district in Cambridgeshire, England. In 2011 it had a population of 31,573. The town lies in the far north-east of Cambridgeshire, bordering Norfolk and ...

Isle of Ely The Isle of Ely () is a historic region around the city of Ely, Cambridgeshire, Ely in Cambridgeshire, England. Between 1889 and 1965, it formed an Administrative counties of England, administrative county. Etymology Its name has been said to ...

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

, the son of Robert Francis Pate, a wealthy corn dealer and Maria (née Wilson). His parents married in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

on 16 March 1818. His mother died on 27 April in 1821. His father came from humble origins, but through trade became a gentleman and eventually Deputy Lieutenant of

and High Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire in 1847. Pate was educated in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

. In 1841, his father purchased for him a

Cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. There is also a soprano cor ...

cy in the 10th Light Dragoons. 'Robert Pate to be Cornet, vice Lord G A Beauclerk' War Office 5 Feb 1841 in The Commercial Telegraph of 11 February 1841. He purchased a Lieutenancy the following year. Gazetted 'Cornet Robert Pate to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice Williams. Dated 22d July 1842'. 'Francis Leigh, Gent. To be Cornet, by purchase, vice Pate. Dated 22d July 1842'. In 1844 while on a tour of duty in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, his horses including his favourite, and his dog were put down because of

rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. It was historically referred to as hydrophobia ("fear of water") because its victims panic when offered liquids to drink. Early symptoms can include fever and abn ...

, and Pate began to show signs of lunacy. He returned to Wisbech without leave in 1844. He resigned his commission in March 1846 and took up residence in

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, England, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road (England), A4 road that connects central London to ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, where he lived the life of a recluse. He took frequent walks in the royal parks, where his dandy clothing and strange behaviour drew attention.

Assassination attempt

The Queen was visiting Cambridge House in

on 27 June 1850, in order to see her dying uncle, Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge. About 6:20 that evening, her carriage was leaving the courtyard when Pate hit her on the head with the short feruled cane that he was carrying. The blow was heavy enough to crush her bonnet and draw a little blood. The attack was the only one that caused Victoria actual harm and the mark on her forehead remained for a decade. Pate was immediately arrested by sergeant James Silver and taken to

Vine Street Vine Street is a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, that runs north–south between Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles, and Melrose Avenue. The intersection of Hollywood and Vine being symbolic of Hollywood itself. The intersection has be ...

police station; later he was held at Newgate prison.

Trial

He was put on trial at the Central Criminal Court. The Presiding Judge Mr Baron Anderson was accompanied by Mr Justice Patterson and Mr Justice Talfound. He was charged with three indictments; firstly unlawfully and maliciously striking the Queen, secondly with alarming the Queen, and thirdly with breach of the peace. The Attorney-General, the Solicitor-General (Mr Welsby), Mr Bodkin, and Mr Clerk were engaged for the prosecution and Mr Cockburn QC and Mr Huddlestone for the defendant. His defence team did not plead

insanity Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors caused by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to other ...

, but instead asked for a lenient sentence on the grounds of a momentary lapse caused by a weak mind. The jury retired at twenty minutes past three, and did not return into court until five minutes past seven, when they gave a verdict of guilty. The prisoner was immediately called up for judgement. Pate was sentenced to seven years of

penal transportation Penal transportation (or simply transportation) was the relocation of convicted criminals, or other persons regarded as undesirable, to a distant place, often a colony, for a specified term; later, specifically established penal colonies bec ...

, which his father thought a better result than the ignominy of imprisonment in the UK accompanied by a birching, even though that was a nominally lesser sentence.

In Tasmania

Pate's class ensured that he received lenient treatment in prison and on the subsequent journey as one of 261 convicts on the ''William Jardine'' departing on 9 August 1850 to

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania during the European exploration of Australia, European exploration and colonisation of Australia in the 19th century. The Aboriginal Tasmanians, Aboriginal-inhabited island wa ...

(now known as

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

) where he arrived on 14 November 1850. However, on arrival he was consigned to the Cascades penal settlement on the Tasman Peninsula like a common criminal. He served less than a year under what for him must have been an especially hard regime, and was then transferred to more amenable work in the community until the end of his sentence.

Later life

Pate's father died in 1856, but most of his money passed to other relations and Pate only received an annuity of £300 and a share of his personal possessions. However, his money problems were solved the following year when Pate married Mary Elizabeth Brown, a rich heiress. They lived in

Hobart Hobart ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the island state of Tasmania, Australia. Located in Tasmania's south-east on the estuary of the River Derwent, it is the southernmost capital city in Australia. Despite containing nearly hal ...

Town,

for eight years before selling up and returning to London. The incident received further publicity when newspapers published articles about subsequent attacks on the Queen. Robert Pate lived a quiet life in the capital until his death in 1895 at which time he was living at Broughton, Ross Road, South Norwood. Under the terms of his will (dated 20 July), he left £22,464 to his widow, the sole executrix. He is buried in Beckenham Crematorium and Cemetery.Charles 2012, p82-85

Footnotes

References

*Charles, Barrie (2012). ''Kill the Queen! The Eight Assassination Attempts on Queen Victoria'', Amberley Publishing, {{DEFAULTSORT:Pate, Robert 10th Royal Hussars officers 1819 births 1895 deaths Convicts transported to Australia People from Wisbech Failed regicides Failed assassins English emigrants to colonial Australia Military personnel from Cambridgeshire 19th-century British Army personnel