Cato Street Conspiracy
Preserved but no longer current.
A scheme enter- tained by Arthur Thistlewood (1770-1820) and other conspirators to overthrow the Govern- ment by assassinating the Cabinet Ministers (February 1820). So called from Cato Street (now Horace Street), Edgware Road, where their meetings were held.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Cato Street Conspiracy” mean?
A scheme enter- tained by Arthur Thistlewood (1770-1820) and other conspirators to overthrow the Govern- ment by assassinating the Cabinet Ministers (February 1820). So called from Cato Street (now Horace Street), Edgware Road, where their meetings were held.
Is “Cato Street Conspiracy” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.