Edward Marcus Despard (175121 February 1803), an Irish officer in the service of the British Crown, gained notoriety as a colonial administrator for refusing to recognise racial distinctions in law and, following his recall to London, as a republican conspirator. Despard's associations with the London Corresponding Society, the United Irishmen and United Britons led to his trial and execution in 1803 as the alleged ringleader of a plot to assassinate the King. Ireland, and military service in the Caribbean Edward Despard was born in 1751 in Coolrain, Camross, Queen's County, in the Kingdom of Ireland, the youngest of eight surviving children (six sons, two daughters) of William Despard, a protestant landowner of Huguenot descent, and Jane Despard (née Walsh). With neighboring gentry, his father and grandfather enlarged their estate by enclosing "waste", and parish, land to which their tenants had had traditional access. This contributed, in Despard's childhood years, to local Whiteboy disturbances (well remembered by his niece). Despard was boarded at the Quaker School in Ballitore, County Kildare, which, looking beyond basic literacy, instructed children in mathematics, the classics and, uniquely in Ireland, modern languages. These subjects would not have been neglected when from age eight, Despard began to acquire "the character, the manner, and the habits of a gentleman, and a soldier" as a page in the household of the Lord Hertford, Ambassador to France (1763–65), and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1765–66). It is possible that the young Despard was acquainted with David Hume in Paris, where the Scottish enlightenment philosopher and historian attended Hertford as the embassy secretary. In 1766, age fifteen, Despard followed his older brothers—one of whom, John Despard (1745–1829), was to rise to the rank of full general–into the British Army. He enrolled as an ensign in the 50th Foot. Posted with his regiment to Jamaica, Despard served as a defence-works engineer and in 1772 was promoted to lieutenant. His work required him to lead "motley crews", including free blacks, Miskitos and others of mixed-ancestry. In "forming and coordinating the gangs of workers whose labor was his triumph", it has been suggested that Despard was "creolized" in his sympathies". During the American War of Independence Despard served with distinction in sea-borne descents upon the Spanish Kingdom of Guatemala. He fought alongside Horatio Nelson (and attained the rank of captain) in the San Juan expedition of 1780. Two years later he commanded the British force