John Frith

Who is John Frith?

John Frith was an Englishman who believed himself to be St Paul.

On 21 January 1790, Frith threw a stone at King George III's coach as it travelled to the State Opening of Parliament. As in an earlier case of assault against the King, that of Margaret Nicholson, Frith had sent multiple petitions to Parliament regarding his constitutional rights. He believed that he had been illegally deprived of his livelihood as a lieutenant in the army after he had been forcibly retired by Jeffrey Amherst, who had "fabricated evidence of insanity against him". Frith claimed that Amherst had sent "supernatural agents" to whisper in his ear. As his petitions were ignored, Frith may have lobbed the stone in an attempt to gain the attention that he felt he deserved.

During questioning, Frith denied wanting to harm the King, and claimed he was trying to draw attention to his cause. However, he also claimed that people saw him as a messiah, and that when the moon was in the south its effects were so strong that he was unable to sleep near heavy buildings.