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Castlereagh Creeping the House of Lords, or the Story of a Misidentified Portrait.
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2 artists captured the proceedings against Queen Caroline in the #HouseofLords in 1820, and both include #ViscountCastlereagh. Let's start with James Stephanoff.
#twitterstorians #HistParl
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2 artists captured the proceedings against Queen Caroline in the #HouseofLords in 1820, and both include #ViscountCastlereagh. Let's start with James Stephanoff.
#twitterstorians #HistParl
Stephanoff shows Castlereagh perched on a staircase, watching from a small window. The 1823 key for Stephanoff's work identifies this figure as "The Marquis of Londonderry [Castlereagh], who usually took his station on the stairs leading to the gallery during the investigation."
The other portrayal of the trial is, of course, George Hayter's monumental painting. Hayter, however, shows Castlereagh positioned in the box of the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, on the bottom right corner.
For the next instalment of my #Castlereagh200 threads looking at the career of Viscount Castlereagh through the lens of #MentalHealth, let's turn to another factor that has a significant impact on one's level of chronic stress: autonomy.
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#twitterstorians #HistParl #19thC
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#twitterstorians #HistParl #19thC
In this context, autonomy refers to one's ability to influence the pace, organization, or outcomes of their work. Ultimately, greater autonomy allows individuals to manage their work in ways that mitigate stress, improve well-being, and lead to greater pride in the outcomes.
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The traditional view of Castlereagh, articulated initially by CK Webster, has been that he had significant autonomy, mainly through his dominance of Britain’s foreign policy.
But let's unpack this a little bit...
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But let's unpack this a little bit...
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Following from my last #Castlereagh200 thread, which covered the personal attacks on Castlereagh in media, it makes sense to examine 2 other stressors that increased the emotional demand on Castlereagh: fear and emotional discordance.
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#twitterstorians #MentalHealth #HistParl
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#twitterstorians #MentalHealth #HistParl
Given the level of scorn heaped on Castlereagh in the radical press, it was predictable that these writings and imagery would inspire some to action and there was no shortage of threats to the Foreign Secretary's personal safety.
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Often, these threats took the form of street mobs. In 1815 it was necessary to have Castlereagh's house guarded by cavalry, and in 1818, after casting his vote in a by-election, Castlereagh was forced to barricade himself in a shop to avoid a crowd armed with bricks.
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The question for today's #Castlereagh200 thread: How did the interaction between social and professional spheres of life increase the risk to Viscount Castlereagh's #MentalHealth? 1/
#twitterstorians #HistParl
#twitterstorians #HistParl
The cumulative stress related to work can be reduced when a person has a number of elements in their life, and distinct separation between them--often termed ‘self-complexity’ (e.g. hobbies/interests/responsibilities that are separate from work, co-workers, and the workplace). 2/
Self-complexity can lead to greater mental resilience because it allows a person to isolate stress (i.e. they can 'leave stress at work,' or at home, etc.) With fewer elements, or less separation between elements, the risk to mental health increases. 3/
Next in my #Castlereagh200 series: What structural factors in govt contributed to the chronic stress on #ViscountCastlereagh while he was Foreign Secretary and Leader of the House of Commons? 1/
#twitterstorians #HistParl
#twitterstorians #HistParl
Reminder: chronic stress is a key factor in poor #MentalHealth, so structural factors that are organizationally ingrained and exacerbate stress are particularly problematic. 2/
One important structural factor was that there was no equivalent to a modern-day Chief Whip. The functions were dispersed between the patronage secretary to the Treasury (Charles Arbuthnot, L), the Treasury Whip (William Holmes, R), and the Leader of the House (Castlereagh). 3/
Using a modern framework to examine #ViscountCastlereagh's exposure to #MentalHealth risks raises historiographical questions. The way we experience chronic stress may not be the same way that those in the 18th/19thC experienced it. 1/
#Castlereagh200 #twitterstorians #HistParl
#Castlereagh200 #twitterstorians #HistParl
We have to consider broader historical understandings of #stress. The idea of mental exhaustion has a long history. A writer in Aristotle’s circle in c. 350 B.C.E identified ‘melancholia’ as an affliction that was particularly tied to learned men, including statesmen. 2/
Analysis of stress in the #19thC has identified drivers that are, in fact, quite similar to those of our own era, namely: working hours that were growing longer and more intense; the growth of information and new technologies; and anxiousness about an uncertain environment. 3/
How can we examine #ViscountCastlereagh's career through a mental health lens? Research has indicated that exposure to chronic stress is an important driver of poor mental health, and chronic stress manifests in many different ways. 1/
#Castlereagh200 #twitterstorians #HistParl
#Castlereagh200 #twitterstorians #HistParl
Several studies have proposed an overarching framework of six domains and 17 sub-domains of exposure to chronic stress (See table below adapted from Gollac et al 2011 and Boini et al 2020). 2/
Using this framework, we can begin to systematically assess Castlereagh's exposure to chronic stress and, by extension, the strain on his #MentalHealth. For the article, I examined all 7 domains, factoring in both professional and social dynamics. 3/3
Continuing my tweet series for #Castlereagh200, today's question: How does mental health factor into the different hypotheses that have been put forward to explain Castlereagh's suicide? 1/
#ViscountCastlereagh #twitterstorians #HistParl
(Img: BM)
#ViscountCastlereagh #twitterstorians #HistParl
(Img: BM)
Psychiatric analysis has concluded that Castlereagh likely suffered from recurrent major depressive disorder with psychotic symptoms. However there have also been other hypotheses, most notably neurosyphilis. 2/
The reality is that any specific diagnosis will remain uncertain given the inherent gaps in the historical record. But the lack of a specific diagnosis shouldn't hinder a broader discussion of Castlereagh’s mental health that could prove more generalisable. 3/
Some key questions 200 years on:
Castlereagh’s underlying mental health has been a secondary and incomplete consideration. What can we learn by making Castlereagh’s mental health a consistent thread of analysis? 1/3
#Castlereagh200 #ViscountCastlereagh
Castlereagh’s underlying mental health has been a secondary and incomplete consideration. What can we learn by making Castlereagh’s mental health a consistent thread of analysis? 1/3
#Castlereagh200 #ViscountCastlereagh
What role did social stressors play? How did social and professional stressors interact? What role did personal, professional, or societal expectations play? 2/3
#MentalHealth
#MentalHealth
Ultimately, Castlereagh’s struggle with mental health was more pervasive and complicated than past research has indicated. 3/3
In the last week I submitted my draft article on #ViscountCastlereagh and mental health to a journal for consideration. It's fitting timing, considering that August 2022 will mark 200 years since Castlereagh's suicide. 1/
#Castlereagh200
#Castlereagh200
To take 2 lines from the abstract:
1) Mental health is still a missing link in our understanding of both Castlereagh as a public and private figure, and the politics of his era. 2/
#MentalHealthAwareness
1) Mental health is still a missing link in our understanding of both Castlereagh as a public and private figure, and the politics of his era. 2/
#MentalHealthAwareness
2) Castlereagh continues to be relevant today because his story illustrates the need to understand the complexity of mental health risks in politics, and the types of persistent mental health risks that are still relevant to today’s politicians and civil servants.
