British High Court issue death certificate for English Lord who murdered his children’s nanny and disappeared 40 years ago
The story of what happened to Lord Lucan has fascinated people since he vanished without a trace in 1974. Now, after more than 40 years, the British High Court has officially declared him dead.
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It was one of the most fascinating murder mysteries in recent years. The story of British peer John Bingham, the 7th Earl of Lucan, who disappeared without a trace in 1974 after the body of Sandra Rivett, nanny to his children, was found bludgeoned to death in the basement of his home in London. Lucan, assumed to have been the murderer, went on the run but has never been found.
However, without a body, his status and that of the heir to his title remained in legal limbo. This week finally the British High Court officially declared him dead and issued a death certificate so his son, George, can inherit the title of Lord Lucan.
The Lucan saga has fascinated people since he vanished. There have been periodic sightings over the years and many theories about what actually happened. But while the high court ruling has finally brought one part of the story to a close, it has failed to solve the mystery.
Lucan was born John Bingham on December 18, 1934 in London the son of George Bingham the 6th Earl of Lucan. The title was originally created by King James II for one of his Anglo-Irish army commanders, Patrick Sarsfield, but it died out after the demise of Sarsfield’s son James. It was then recreated in 1735 for Sir Henry Bingham, Sarsfield’s great nephew.
As a child, John Bingham, the future Lord Lucan, was evacuated during World War II to live with a wealthy family in the US, but when the war ended he returned to England. The contrast was traumatic for young Bingham, living in a bombed-out city where rationing remained for several years, and whose parents were socialists who lived an austere existence.
Bingham studied at the prestigious Eton College, where he became known for his fondness of gambling. In 1953, he left Eton to do his national service in the Coldstream Guards. Having served his time, he then joined a merchant bank but after a huge gambling win in 1960, he gave up banking and became a professional gambler.
Early in 1963, he met Veronica Duncan, who he married in December of that year. Before they married, he drew up his will, which he never updated. The death of his father in 1964 saw Bingham inherit the title of Lord Lucan, which gave him a much-needed injection of funds, helping to pay some debts.
Their first child, Frances, was born in 1964, followed by George in 1967 and Camilla in 1970. Veronica suffered from post-natal depression and most of the childcare duties were handled by a series of nannies.
Lucan’s gambling began to get out of hand, putting a strain on his marriage. He separated from his wife in 1972 and later complained that Veronica was mentally ill and that he should have custody of the children. Court disputes put further stress on his financial situation.
In 1974, Veronica was staying at the family home with the children and their nanny Rivett when Lucan is said to have bludgeoned Rivett to death with a lead pipe in the basement of the house. Veronica claimed he then turned on her. She managed to escape and raised the alarm. Lucan fled the scene but a Ford Corsair he had borrowed from a friend was later found near the English Channel port of Newhaven. The boot contained the bloodstained murder weapon. Clues left at the scene suggested suicide.
Despite a theory that he had faked his death and caught a ferry to escape England, no trace of Lucan has ever been found.
With his estate declared bankrupt, the whole sorry tale of a lord gone bad began to unfold.
A 1975 inquest delivered a finding that Lucan had murdered Rivett. Lucan’s son George has tried on several occasions to have his father declared dead. But the law previously prevented a death certificate being issued without a body. The legislation has since changed and this week the issuing of a death certificate allowed George to inherit his father’s title.
Originally published as British High Court issue death certificate for English Lord who murdered his children’s nanny and disappeared 40 years ago
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