The Trial of Charles Random De Berenger, Sir Thomas Cochrane, Commonly Called Lord Cochrane, the Hon. Andrew Cochrane Johnstone, Richard Gathorne Butt, Ralph Sandom, Alexander M'rae, John Peter Holloway, and Henry Lyte for a Conspiracy: In the Court of King's Bench, Guildhall, on Wednesday the 8th, and Thursday the 9th of June, 1814

This 1814 trial transcript captures a watershed moment in financial crime: the first major prosecution for securities market manipulation in British history. When Napoleon's defeat remained uncertain, Charles Random de Berenger crafted elaborate false reports of a decisive victory and enlisted Sir Thomas Cochrane, the celebrated naval hero and MP, to spread them through London's financial district. Their goal: to inflate government fund prices before the truth emerged, pocketing massive profits from the deception. The prosecution argued this constituted a criminal conspiracy to defraud the public and destabilize the nation's credit. The case riveted London, established precedent for how markets could be gamed through misinformation, and ultimately destroyed Cochrane's reputation despite his acquittal. The transcript preserves the original courtroom drama: the witnesses, the legal maneuvering, the weight of an empire's financial system hanging in the balance. For legal historians, financial crime scholars, and anyone curious about the origins of market manipulation, this is a foundational document.