Benjamin Bathurst (diplomat)

Benjamin Bathurst (1784 – disappeared 1809) was a British diplomat who vanished in Germany during the Napoleonic Wars.

Bathurst was the third son of Henry Bathurst, Bishop of Norwich, and his wife Grace Coote. He was educated at Winchester College and Christ Church, Oxford.

In 1809, Bathurst was dispatched as an envoy to the court of Austria. He was carrying important dispatches regarding the political and military situation in Europe, specifically concerning the Austrian response to Napoleon's campaigns. On November 25, 1809, while travelling with a single companion, a Mr. Krause, through Perleberg, Prussia (now Germany), Bathurst disappeared from the White Swan Inn.

He had been taking a short break at the inn. Krause reported that Bathurst went to inspect horses for the carriage and never returned. Despite extensive searches by British and Prussian authorities, he was never found.

The circumstances surrounding Bathurst's disappearance remain a mystery and have generated numerous theories. Some suggest he was murdered by French agents seeking the dispatches he carried, while others propose he was abducted and imprisoned, or that he simply deserted. Another theory is that he suffered from mental illness. The lack of definitive evidence has led to a long-standing fascination with the case, inspiring works of fiction and speculation about the true fate of Benjamin Bathurst. He was officially declared dead in 1810.