Robert Keyes

Robert Keyes (c1565-1606) was the son of Edward Keyes, Rector of Stavely in North Derbyshire, and his wife, a daughter of Sir Robert Tyrwhitt of Kettleby, Lincolnshire. Although Edward was a Protestant, his wife's family were renowned recusants. Through his mother's family, Robert was related to the staunchly Catholic Babthorpes of Osgodby (who had a household of fifty two, including two full-time Jesuit priests), and the Mallory and Ingilby families of Ripon, and therefore was kin to John and Christopher Wright of Plowland, and to Robert and Thomas Wintour of Huddington Court. Undoubtedly brought up as a Protestant, Keyes was a Jesuit convert at the time of the plot. Keyes was nearly 40 in 1604, and was described as a tall and red-bearded man. He was employed by Lord Mordaunt, perhaps as a property manager, and his wife Christiana, widow of Thomas Groome, was governess to Lord Mordaunt's children. Keyes had a servant at the time of the Gunpowder Plot, one William Johnson.

Keyes was the sixth conspirator to join, which he did so around October of 1604. His job was to take charge of Robert Catesby's home at Lambeth, where the gunpowder and other necessary items were to be temporarily stored. Keyes apparently was not a wealthy man. During his trial, he maintained that he had tasted persecution himself, having lost his goods because of it. He thought it the lesser of two evils to die rather than to live in the midst of so much tyranny, and the unending persecution of ruthless foes. Oswald Tesimond confirms this: "They could not expect from him any help beyond what he could give in his own person. He had neither possessions nor money more than what was necessary to maintain himself and his wife. Apart from this, he was a man magnanimous and fearless". It is also claimed that one of the reasons Keyes joined the conspiracy was at the prospect of wealth and riches in a new Catholic state. Certainly Haynes is of the belief he was initiated into the plot with the promise of financial gain, "... and since the Keyes family was not well off, it seems Catesby paid him and then took him into the plot on the conviction that he was a trusted and honest man". John Gerard, in his narrative of the Gunpowder Plot, says of him that "... his virtue and valour were the chiefest things wherin they could expect assistance from him..."

Little is known of Keyes' actual involvement in the early stages of the plot. He probably assisted in the work of digging the mine, and it is thought he continued to oversee Catesby's Lambeth property until virtually the day of the plot's discovery. The first record of his involvement comes with the discussions on which Catholic peers should be forewarned of the explosion so that they could excuse themselves from parliament that day. Keyes and Francis Tresham spoke on behalf of Lord Mordaunt, whereby Catesby declared "he would not for the chamber full of diamonds acquaint him with the secret, for that he knew he could not keep it". It is possible that Keyes was aware that Lord Mordaunt had written to King James I, excusing himself from the opening of parliament anyway because of business commitments.

On the night of 4 November, Keyes (who had been joined by his cousin Ambrose Rookwood) spent the night at the house of Elizabeth More beyond Temple Bar, not far from Essex House. At about 10.00 p.m., Guy Fawkes visited Keyes, and was handed a watch which Thomas Percy had left for him to time the fuse. During the early morning of 5 November, Keyes and Rookwood became aware of the arrest of Guy Fawkes, but elected to remain a little longer in London until further news arrived. Keyes was the first of the two to leave, but Rookwood, riding a superior mount, caught up with him at Highgate and the two rode together to Bedfordshire before separating, for Keyes intended to ride to Lord Mordaunt's house to inform his wife of the events and to bid her farewell. However, there is evidence to support the claim that at this time Christiana Keyes was holidaying with her Rookwood relatives.

Hugh Ross Williamson depicts Keyes as a deserter, alluding to the idea that he fled the conspirators' group once given his chance on the road to Dunchurch with Rookwood, and was hoping to hide out at the estate of Lord Mordaunt, his employer, knowing he was away on business at the time. Keyes appears to have eventually been caught in Warwickshire on 9 November, perhaps while heading to the Midlands to be reunited with his fellow conspirators. On 12 November, after a "little delay", he was examined by Sir Fulke Greville in Warwick, at which time Keyes told Greville that he had been on his way to visit Rookwood his kinsman, who he had heard was captured. Also on the list of those being interrogated was one Marmaduke Ward, brother-in-law to the Wright brothers. Keyes is named in a list of prisoners sent by Sir Richard Verney, Sheriff of Warwickshire, in a letter dated 16 November, and he was interrogated in the Tower on 30 November.

During the trial, Keyes spoke little, but he showed plenty of spirit. He claimed that his motive had been to promote the common good. That is, he hoped that his native land would be turned back to the catholic faith. The violence of the present persecution had driven him also to take part in the conspiracy. At the time of his death, he showed, rather to the admiration and surprise of everyone that he was a man of serious and mature disposition, possessing good judgement and intelligence, and also great fervour and devotion. On 31 January 1606, he was drawn to the Old Palace Yard in Westminster along with Ambrose Rookwood, Thomas Wintour and Guy Fawkes. After Wintour and Rookwood came Keyes "who like a desperate villain, using his speech, with small or no show of repentance went stoutly up the ladder". When he was on the ladder, "not staying the hangman's turn, he turned himself off with such a leap that, with a swing he brake the halter. But after his fall, was quickly drawn to the block, and there was quickly divided into four parts".   Quote from The Gunpowder Plot Society website

Thomas Percy

It is commonly accepted that Thomas Percy (c1563-1605) was the great-grandson of the 4th Earl of Northumberland; his father being Edward Percy of a lower branch of the Percys, and his mother being Elizabeth Waterton and making him the second cousin to Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland. However, there are some who speculate that he was the 9th Earl's illegitimate half-brother, or as put forward by Francis Edwards, that he came from the Percys of Scotton, Yorkshire. However, this seems to be based on little more than the fact that Guy Fawkes also had lived in Scotton, and therefore would make for a tidy explanation of their later acquaintance. Whatever his origins, he was accepted by the Earl of Northumberland as a kinsman, although he was to later say that Percy was known to have 'pretended himself to be of the elder howse". About his early life, not much is known. He entered Peterson College at Cambridge on July 4 1579 and matriculated the following year, and in 1589 it was perhaps he who sailed with George Clifford to the Azores. As is typical for young men of any age, in his youth he was described by Fr Tesimond as having been 'rather wild and given to the gay life; a man who relied much upon his sword and personal courage". He continues to describe Percy as "tall and well built, of serious expression but with an attractive manner. His eyes were large and lively. He was a man of great physical courage, and pleasing in his ways."

Not everyone was quite so flattering. An informant had described him to Richard Bancroft, Bishop of London, in quite a different light "Briefly, never was he quiet in mind, cheerful in countenance, or any way seeming to take delight by the turmoiling of his body through seldom intermitted vexing, he became often so resolved into sweat that he promised much labour to his laundresses, who report that he changed his shirts twice every twenty-four hours." Percy had a reputation as an enthusiastic, although somewhat reckless swordsman. He and John Wright would travel the country in order to fight other skilled swordsman. Although these fights were just to demonstrate and hone their skills, not fights to the death, as a matter of pride they were performed without any protective equipment whatsoever. By 1595 he was given a position of considerable trust by his kinsman and patron, the Earl of Northumberland, as an agent of his estates in the North responsible for the collection of his rents. He obviously made a good impression as he was made Constable of Alnwick Castle, a Percy stronghold on the Scottish border the following year.

Thomas Percy was far from a scrupulous man, which may have been exactly what the Earl of Northumberland needed in extracting the rents from the often less than cooperative Northern tenants. Although 34 charges of dishonesty were later proved against him by the tenants, including unlawful imprisonment, forgery and questionable evictions, these seem to only have improved his standing in the Earl's eyes. 1596 found Percy in prison apparently for killing a Scot in a border skirmish, and a short while afterwards was involved with the Earl of Essex in an attempt to capture the Scottish Warden of the Western Marsh, Sir Robert Ker. But not only did he continue in his offices, in 1600 he personally joined Northumberland, who held a command in the Low Countries, and was rewarded with the sum of 200 pounds. Despite his actions, Percy seemed to be firmly on the track to success under Northumberland's patronage, and Northumberland placed an increasing amount of trust in him. Thomas Percy's personal life was just as questionable as his professional one. In 1591 he married Martha Wright, sister to two of the other conspirators, Kit and Jack Wright, of a staunchly recusant Yorkshire family. It was reported by Dr. Godfrey Goodman, 40 years after the event ''It is certain that he was a very loose liver; that he had two wives, one in the south and another in the north. An honourable good lady said that she knew them both. His wife in the south was so poor that she was fain to teach school, and bring up gentle-women. There are some living that were her scholars."

Although Goodman has somewhat of a reputation as an unreliable gossip, the story is held up by a letter from Sir William Waad, Lieutenant of the Tower, to Salisbury in regards to 500 pounds held by Monteagle of Percy's wife. Waad had to enquire as to which of his wives. Father John Gerard, writing in 1897 reported that when Percy's name was published in connection with the Plot, the magistrates in London arrested one wife, while those in Warwickshire arrested the other. However, Paul Durst makes a convincing argument against Percy having been a bigamist. He shows how the wife in London on the 5th November could easily have been the same woman who was apprehended again in Warwickshire on the 12th, and that the question by Waad points to nothing more than Percy having had a wife who died prior to his marriage to Martha Wright. His most convincing argument is that if Percy were a bigamist he would have been quickly dealt with by Martha's brothers, as opposed to being the close co-conspirators that they were. It appears that Percy's pious Catholic wife Martha had a profound effect on her unruly husband, as Tesimond reported that at some point he converted to Catholicism himself. "He then changed his ways in remarkable fashion, giving much satisfaction to Catholics and considerable cause for wonder for those who had known him previously."

Percy then became active in trying to improve the Catholic cause in England. His lord, Northumberland, despite his later protestations to the contrary, was a reputed Catholic sympathiser, described by a French Ambassador as 'Catholic in his soul'. His father, the 8th Earl, had been openly Catholic, and his uncle was beheaded for his part in the Northern Rising of 1572 on behalf of Mary, Queen of Scots. Northumberland, although still an enormously wealthy and powerful magnate, desired to repair the damage to the wealth and reputation of his family during the Elizabethan period, and also to check the ever-increasing influence of Robert Cecil. So when in the last years of Elizabeth's reign Thomas Percy approached him with the idea of making overtures to James VI of Scotland, her likely successor, Northumberland applauded the idea. By promising James the support of the Catholics to ensure a smooth accession in exchange for promises of toleration, Northumberland hoped to improve his station by earning a debt of gratitude from James in the coming reign.

Northumberland sent Percy to James in Scotland at least three times by 1602 with secret written and verbal correspondence. He told James on behalf of the English Catholics how they would readily accept him as their king if he could accept them as his loyal subjects and release them from the years of persecution they had suffered in Elizabeth's reign. The Catholics had many expectations from James as they had upheld the cause of his mother, the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots, and there were many rumours that his own wife was in fact a Catholic. According to Percy, they were not to be disappointed. After his return from Scotland, he spread the good news amongst the Catholic community that James had given his word as a prince not only to free them from their persecution, but to actively favour them and admit them to every honour and office on an equal par with Protestants.

After James' unobstructed accession to the English throne, it became clear that whatever promises made were quickly forgotten, as far from alleviating the situation of Catholics, he not only increased the prosecution of the existing laws but added new, more stringent ones. This turn of events completely humiliated Thomas Percy. He experienced bitter disappointment and anger at being so deceived by James, as well as a loss of reputation amongst many of the Catholics who now believed that Percy was lying to them all along. He also felt responsible for having convinced his Catholics brothers to accept James as their king.

In hope of reminding James of all that had passed between them, he sent a supplication on behalf of the Catholics that was completely ignored. James went so far as to publicly deny that he had ever made any promises of tolerance to anyone and nor would he ever consider it. Percy's seed of resentment was now deeply sewn. He told his tale of James' two-faced deception repeatedly to people he trusted in the Catholic community, and lost no opportunity to express his bitterness at having been so ill used. In this manner, his feelings about King James were made crystal clear to Robert Catesby, who could see that Percy would be eager to take revenge. It was apparent that Percy would be willing to do anything to rescue his reputation from the taint of having been a mere puppet and dupe used to neutralize the Catholics arousing the open mockery and castigation of the community. During one conversation with Catesby, Percy burst out that he would kill the king, but the cooler Catesby told him "No, Tom, thou shalt not adventure to small purpose, but if thou wilt be a traitour, thou shalt be to some great advantage". (Hat MSS v18 p73). In April 1604, a few weeks later, Thomas Percy met again with Catesby, who was joined by Thomas Wintour. During their conversation, Percy again could not contain his frustration and exclaimed "Shall we always, gentlemen, talk and never do anything?" Catesby now knew he had his man, and explained to Percy that indeed, they did have a plan to do something, but before he would reveal it, Percy would have to take an oath of complete secrecy. On 13th May, in a house behind St Clements Inn rented by the Jesuit priest, John Gerard, the original five conspirators met to take the oath: Robert Catesby, Thomas Wintour, John Wright, Guy Fawkes and Thomas Percy. After the administration of the oath, they took the sacrament in an adjoining room to seal their compact. This being done, Catesby revealed to Percy his plan to blow up Parliament and Percy joined their number.

Percy definitely had many benefits to bring to the conspiracy. His zeal and dedication to the cause was unquestionable, and his connections with Northumberland gave the group considerable advantages. This standing was further improved when he was conveniently made a Gentleman Pensioner only three weeks later, giving him free access to the court and members of the Royal family, and along with Catesby. Percy soon established himself as a leader of their group. The first order of the day was to obtain a centre of operations. Catesby had already identified a suitable house adjacent to the House of Lords and close by the Parliament Stairs, a landing on the Thames almost directly opposite Catesby's house in Lambeth. This house was owned by John Whinniard, the Keeper of the King's Wardrobe, and leased to the antiquarian Henry Ferrers. It has been claimed by many writers that because of his position as Gentleman Pensioner it would not be suspicious for Percy to take a house close to Parliament, and that he used the assistance of other influential Pensioners to persuade Ferrers and Whinniard to lease the house to him. However, this ignores the fact that the house was leased by Percy on 24 May, but he was not made a Gentleman Pensioner until the following month. It is more likely that a personal relationship clinched the deal. Henry Ferrers came from a Catholic family and had in fact rented his property at Baddesley Clinton several years before to relatives of both Robert Catesby and Thomas Wintour, the sisters Anne Vaux and Eleanor Brooksby. It is unlikely that Ferrers was unaware that these sisters had promptly turned the property into a hive of Catholic activities, where the Superior of the Jesuits. Fr Henry Garnet often lived. It doesn't seem that Ferrers made a habit of asking too many questions of his catholic associates.

Guy Fawkes assumed the name of John Johnson and established himself at the Whinniard house as Percy's servant. As parliament had been adjourned until February, and their plans further delayed by their house being taken over temporarily by a Scottish delegation, it was not until December 1604 that the conspirators, according to Guy Fawkes, started work on the mine which was to lead from the Whinniard house underneath the Parliament House. In the meantime, the details of the plot were being worked out. It was decided that as Prince Henry was likely to be attending Parliament and would therefore perish with his father, that Percy would seize his 5 year old brother, Charles, Duke of York, with a view of placing him on the throne. The young Duke would be in residence at Richmond on the day of the opening of Parliament, with only a few household members present. It would be easy for Percy as a Gentleman Pensioner to whisk him away as soon as they heard the explosion, under the pretext of taking him to safety.

The work on the mine, if it ever existed, did not go well according to Fawkes. The walls were thicker than they anticipated and they were having a problem with water seepage. It was at the end of March, as they were working, that they heard a strange sound coming from almost above their heads. It turned out to be the sounds of coals being removed from a cellar that was situated on the ground floor of the House of Lords. A coal merchant named Bright held the lease also of Whinniard, but he was going out of business, therefore it was a simple matter for Percy to lease this cellar as well, claiming it would be a useful place for him to store fuel. Now all the conspirators had to do was to move the gunpowder that they had collected from Lambeth into the cellar, disguise it with fuel that they purchased for that purpose, lock it up and await the coming of Parliament. That being done, Percy continued in his normal duties for the Earl of Northumberland, spending the summer of 1605 in Alnwick in Northamptonshire collecting the rents. In August, at a meeting in Bath he gave permission to Catesby to bring in any other conspirators he saw fit. On October 30th. Percy was in York with four men, arranging for the delivery of the rents that they had collected, however early the following morning he departed abruptly, taking two men with him, and telling the other men that he would be back the following day. As Guy Fawkes admitted that he had "gone northward" between the 31st and the 2nd of November, it is entirely likely that Fawkes was dispatched to warn Percy of the discovery of the Monteagle letter.

On November 2nd, Percy wrote three letters from Gainsboro, one to William Stockdall, the auditor for the Earl of Northumberland, claiming that he had to leave abruptly because the Archbishop was about to have him arrested as a chief pillar of papistry. He said that Stockdall should meet him with the rents the following Thursday at Doncaster. However, the dating of these letters must be incorrect, as Percy was seen riding post from Ware that same day, and had somehow managed to make it to London to have dinner at the Angel in St. Clements that same night, a 150-mile trip that defies plausibility.

The following day he met with Catesby and Wintour to discuss the ramifications of the Monteagle Letter. Although there was some discussion of flight, Percy was determined not to succumb to panic, and that he would "abide the uttermost trial". He decided to visit Syon House, which belonged to the Earl of Northumberland, to see if any rumours were circulating. He felt that if their secret was discovered, he would be arrested immediately on his appearance there, and was willing to sacrifice himself to give the others an opportunity to escape. Percy found nothing untoward at Syon House when he went there on the 4th. He spoke for a while with his patron about an imaginary loan, and dined with him and a few other gentlemen without any hint of a discovery of a plot being mentioned. After leaving Syon House, it is possible that this was when he paid a visit to Richmond. As later testified to by a servant, Agnes Fortrun, Percy came to the Duke's lodging there and was asking many questions. She claimed that this took place around the 1st of November, however this would have been impossible. He returned from Syon at 6pm and met with Thomas Wintour, Jack Wright and Robert Keyes, and relayed the good news. Everything was to go ahead as planned. After making arrangements for a watch to be sent to Fawkes, who was standing by at Westminster, so that he could know the time to set the gunpowder the following day, Percy went to Essex House, which also belonged to the Earl of Northumberland. He went under the pretext of seeing his cousin Jocelyn, but was probably trying to keep an ear out for any possible talk of discovery.

According to Tesimond, Percy wisely decided to sleep in a different place that night, but sometime before 5am his sleep was disturbed by Christopher Wright, who had heard that the gunpowder had been discovered, and everyone was now searching for Percy as the tenant of the cellar. As Percy and Wright prepared to flee London, Percy was heard to say by his servant, William Talbois, "I am undone"! During their flight, they were overtaken by another of the conspirators, Ambrose Rookwood at Little Brickhill in Buckinghamshire. Percy is reported to have been astonished to discover that Rookwood was a co-conspirator, and that "I thought no man had been acquainted with it but such as I had known." Although it is possible that the other conspirators had overlooked mentioning it to him, this seems unlikely. And there can be no doubt that the other conspirators were aware. Rookwood had been lodging in London with Robert Keyes, and he and Christopher Wright had both had their sword hilts engraved with the Passion of Christ shortly before.

The conspirators rendezvoused at Dunchurch, where additional men had been gathered together by Sir Everard Digby. The purpose of the gathering was under the guise of a hunt, however the true purpose was to kidnap the Princess Elizabeth from her home at nearby Coombe Abbey after the explosion in London. However, just hours before the anticipated event. Digby was told news of the failure of the plot and that they all had to flee for their lives. Back in London, the first of several proclamations had been sent out for the immediate apprehension of Percy, and almost amusingly, Percy had been claimed to be spotted leaving London in almost every conceivable direction. If not for the conspirators almost suicidal action of breaking into some stables at Warwick Castle in order to obtain fresh mounts, thereby alerting the local authorities, Percy and his friends might have gained a considerable lead over his pursuers, and been able to make their way into Wales, where it is believed they were heading. As it was, the plotters were soon hotly pursued and quickly brought to ground by Sir Richard Walsh, High Sheriff of Worcestershire for their final stand at Holbeache House. On the morning of November 8th, Walsh and his men stormed the house, smoking the conspirators from their hides. As they took up their defensive position in the courtyard, Catesby and Percy were felled by a single shot from the musket of John Streete of Worcester, who later claimed compensation from the government for his marksmanship. Percy was killed instantly, Catesby managing to crawl back inside the house before expiring.  Quote from The Gunpowder Plot Society website

Robert Wintour

Robert Wintour (aka Winter) (c1565-1606) was the eldest son of George Wintour of Huddington Court and his first wife, Jane Ingleby. When George Wintour died in 1594, Robert inherited the bulk of the estate as the eldest son. This estate included the manor house of Huddington Court, near Droitwich in Worcestershire, which was the main seat of the Wintour family, hop yards and 25 salt-evaporating pans at Droitwich. The salt produced from these pans was said to be the best in England, and thus the pans were very profitable and formed a major source of revenue for the Wintour family.

Robert married Gertrude Talbot, daughter of Sir John Talbot of Grafton in Worcestershire. Talbot was heir to the earldom of Shrewsbury and was one of the wealthiest landowners in the region, owning, among other estates, much property in Shropshire near Albrighton. He was also a firm Catholic, and had spent 20 years in prison for recusancy. Robert had thus allied himself with one of the strongest catholic families in the region, and Huddington Court under his care became a known refuge for priests. Two priest holes, which were probably constructed by Nicholas Owen, can be seen there to this day. John Gerard described Robert as "esteemed in his life to be one of the wisest and most resolute and sufficient gentlemen in Worcestershire". In the proclamation issued for his capture, he was described as "a man of meane stature, rather low than otherwise, square made, somewhat stooping, neere fortie yeares of age, his hair and beard browne, his beard not much and his hair short". Perhaps because he was the eldest son and heir, he seems to have been more settled than his younger brother Thomas. Robert "tended to follow where Thomas, younger but more clever, wittier and more restless, tended to lead, ...".

Robert was introduced to the circle of Gunpowder Plot conspirators because he was an "esquire and a man of substance". Besides contributing financially, he and his brother-in-law John Grant were to collect weapons and prepare horses for use in the uprising which was expected to occur in the Midlands once the act of blowing up the Houses of Parliament had succeeded. Initially Robert refused to join the plot. He eventually agreed to be sworn in, together with John Grant, at a meeting with Robert Catesby at the Catherine Wheel inn in Oxford in February 1605. Throughout the course of the campaign, however, he often showed what appears to be a lack of commitment to the cause. For example, he was not enthusiastic about the theft of horses from Warwick Castle during the flight from Dunchurch to Holbeach House, and hoped that he might be able to turn back. Catesby's answer to this was, "Some of us may not look back." Robert replied, "Others of us, I hope, may, and therefore I pray you, let this alone."

At Huddington Court, Robert's residence, it was decided to approach Sir John Talbot at Grafton to ask his assistance. Robert was asked to write a letter of introduction but he declined, saying "My masters, you know not my father Talbot so well as I ... I verily think all the world cannot draw him from his allegiance. Besides, what friends hath my poor wife and children but he? And therefore satisfy yourselves, I will not." Eventually he agreed to write a letter to one of Talbot's servants, a Mr Smallpiece, and it was left up to his brother Thomas and Stephen Littleton to visit Sir John after the arrival at Holbeach House, an embassy which was to prove fruitless, as Sir John would have nothing to do with the conspirators. While at Holbeach House, an accident occurred in which some gunpowder that had been laid out to dry in front of the fire caught alight and exploded, badly burning some of those present. Robert claimed to have had a premonition of this accident in a dream the previous night, and he declared that as in the accident he "clearly recognised the finger of Almighty God".

On 7 November Robert and Stephen Littleton slipped away from Holbeach House and met up with each other an hour or so later at a point half a mile distant. From there they decided to make for Hagley Park, which was the home of a relative of Littleton's. Although the other principal plotters had been killed at Holbeach House or captured soon after, Wintour and Littleton managed to stay on the run for two months. At one place they stayed, they were discovered by a drunken poacher whom they themselves had to imprison in order to make their escape. Eventually they reached Hagley Park, which was occupied at the time by Humphrey Littleton, an uncle of Stephen. Humphrey had sworn his servants to secrecy, but the cook, one John Fynwood, betrayed the fugitives to the authorities. When the authorities arrived to arrest the fugitives, Humphrey Littleton denied that Robert and Stephen were present, but a servant called David Bate led the authorities to the courtyard behind the house where the two fugitives were found attempting to flee into the woods.

Robert and Stephen were sent to the Tower, and Humphrey was arrested along with some of his tenants who had assisted in sheltering the fugitives. The date of Robert and Stephen's capture was 9 January, two months after their flight from Holbeach House. Fraser mentions a tradition that Robert and his wife Gertrude had a number of secret rendezvous while Robert was on the run, but questions whether the couple would have dared to take such risks. During his imprisonment Robert admitted that while staying at Huddington Court en route to Holbeach House, the party had made their confessions to Father Hammond, the alias of Father Hart, a Jesuit priest who was the chaplain at Huddington Court. This part of Robert's confession was later cited as evidence of the Jesuits' complicity in the Gunpowder Plot. Robert Wintour was executed on 30 January 1606 at St. Paul's Churchyard, together with Sir Everard Digby, John Grant and Thomas Bates. On the scaffold, he was quiet and withdrawn, and did not speak much. Although he appeared to be praying to himself, he did not publicly ask mercy of either God or the King for his offence. Despite Robert's conviction for his role in the Gunpowder Plot, it appears that the Wintour family were not immediately deprived of Huddington Court and their other estates. They remained in the hands of Robert's widow Gertrude, who forfeited them for recusancy in 1607, although they were later regained by Robert's son John who died in 1622.  Quote from The Gunpowder Plot Society website

Thomas Wintour (aka Winter)Born:

1572 

Died:

31st Jan 1606 at Old Palace Yard, Westminster 

Notes:

Executed. 

The marriage between Thomas Wintour and Elizabeth Catesby and the subsequent birth of a son George is more of a legend than proved fact. It is mentioned on page 100 of Wyntours of the White Cross, but it's by no means sure if it is true.  Quote from The Gunpowder Plot Society website

Francis Tresham

Francis Tresham (c1567-1605) was the first son, and oldest of eleven children of Sir Thomas Tresham of Rushton, Northamptonshire and Muriel Throckmorton, daughter of Sir Robert Throckmorton of Coughton, Warwickshire. Francis was descended from a long line of respected ancestors. His great-grandfather, Sir Thomas Tresham, was appointed by Queen Elizabeth I as the Prior of the Order of St John of Jerusalem. Francis was educated at either St John's College or Gloucester Hall, or both, but the religion of his father and himself prevented his graduation. As early as 1586 he is mentioned as frequenting the French Ambassador's house with Lady Elizabeth Strange, Lady Compton, and other Catholics. Sir Thomas Tresham, his father, at this stage had begun to suffer extreme persecution for his stubborn adherence to the Catholic Faith. In August 1581, he was arrested for the first time, committed to the Fleet prison and tried in Star Chamber for the harbouring of Father Edmund Campion, along with his brothers-in-law William, Lord Vaux of Harrowden and Sir William Catesby of Lapworth. He spent the next seven years incarcerated in the Fleet, under house arrest at his home in Hoxton, and at Ely. Released on bail on 29 November 1588, he was later imprisoned again for unpaid recusancy fines in 1597 and 1599. With a penchant for building, Sir Thomas eventually left a legacy of some of the finest buildings in England, another factor that contributed to the dwindling finances of his family.

The young Francis Tresham, deprived of parental control, grew up embittered by the treatment meted out to his father; a perpetual malcontent, with none of his father's constancy and forbearance, and so ready to join in any desperate scheme against the government. The consequences of his disaffection further impoverished the family. In June 1591 Tresham was arrested and committed to the Fleet prison 'for the abusing of the authority of a warrant from their Lordships'. Apparently he had altered a Privy Council warrant for the summons of one Barnewell, clothier, and replaced his name with a tenant of the Tresham's who owed them a great sum of money. Francis, and a group of henchmen ransacked the tenant's property, and violently assaulted his pregnant daughter. Eventually on 4 December 1591, Francis was released, although no apparent reason for this is forthcoming. Francis Tresham's reckless and unstable character must be reckoned a major cause of Sir Thomas's financial difficulties. He lived an extravagant and restless life in London; by 1593 he was already one of the circle at Essex House, young men of fashion, 'hunger-starved for innovations'. In this year his debts were such that he was in danger of great losses unless he could have 1000 pounds immediately.

Father John Gerard indicates Tresham was arrested again in 1596 along with Robert Catesby, John Wright and his younger brother Christopher Wright in the infamous 'poisoned pommel' conspiracy. This measure taken by the government was an attempt to round up known Catholic malcontents in order to avert any possible action during the Queen's illness. In 1601 he participated in the Essex Rebellion, and only escaped a charge of treason by a bribe of 1000 pounds to Lady Katherine Howard. In addition , some payment was probably given to Egerton and the Lieutenant of the Tower (Lord Thomas Howard, later Earl of Suffolk), before the pardon could be procured. Records of Sir Thomas Tresham indicate the reverberation of Francis' incarceration. He was forced to sell a number of properties in order to come up with the 2000 pound fine. It has also been questioned whether he assisted in paying some of Robert Catesby's fine also.

Tresham's involvement in the Essex Rebellion was much to the disgust of his Jesuit advisors, one of whom declared if 'Tresham had had so much witt and discretion as he might have had, he would never had associated himself amongst such a damnable crew of heretics and atheists'. Left in Essex House with two others to guard Egerton on 8 February 1601, while the rest of the Essex supporters marched through London, Tresham was imprisoned first in the White Lion, Southwark, then in the Tower. His release was effected on 21 June 1601. Tresham was in Newgate in 1601 probably during the course of his arraignment where he contracted a dangerous sickness, but we have only Salisbury's word that Tresham had been "a long time subject to the natural sickness of which he died". In 1602, Tresham, Catesby and Thomas Wintour consulted with Father Henry Garnet at White Webbs as to the propriety of sending someone to the Spanish Court and inducing Phillip II to attempt an invasion of England, presumably on the Queen's death. Known more popularly today as the Spanish Treason, Christopher Wright was sent on their behalf to attend the court of Phillip. While in Spain, he renewed his acquaintance with an old schoolfellow, Guy Fawkes. Francis Tresham appears to have led a dissatisfied and not very creditable life. His father had allowed him the use of the manor of Hoxton, but he was not above entering into a conspiracy with one of his father's servants to deceive him about the extent of some lands they were to exchange. His father, in spite of his own political loyalty to James I, evidently suspected by October 1603 that Francis was going far beyond what such loyalty could normally permit. Francis was defaming his own father to the King. He was also spying for the court on his Catholic relations either then or sometime later.

Sir Thomas Tresham died intestate on 11 September 1605. Francis, his heir was already 'much subject and in danger for debts by judgement, executions and outlays'. He had inherited the estate but found himself liable for most of his father's debts since he had been bound with him for their repayment. Sir Thomas had entailed all (including Rushton, and the Lyvedon estates) but a few of his properties in 1584 as a precautionary measure against the escalating tide of recusancy fines and even though his properties were confiscated upon the arrest of Francis, Muriel Tresham successfully petitioned the government to have them returned to the family. In time they passed to Francis's brother Lewis (created a Baronet in 1611, and knighted in 1612), who was not liable for his father's debt, although Muriel took it upon herself to spend the rest of her life trying to clear her husband's debts. On his father's death however, Francis Tresham secured at least a 400-pound annuity from the Lyvedon properties, as well as a number of other income sources. Even though it was estimated the estate of Sir Thomas was in debt to almost 11500 pounds, the gunpowder plotters had a great need for money, and their lack of it prompted them to involve additional men, including the cousin of Robert Catesby, Francis Tresham. Tresham certainly had access to some funds, but the exact amount he promised, and whether this amount was ever paid are in question. According to the written confession of Francis Tresham, he was drawn into the plot on 14 October 1605 at his brother-in-law Lord Stourton's house in Clerkenwell. Although the government claimed he was made privy to it in May 1604, the other plotters, namely Guy Fawkes and Thomas Wintour, declared in their confessions that Tresham was the last to be admitted into the group. He at first tried to discourage Catesby and the plan he had formulated, even going so far as to offer him money to leave the kingdom. He was then most vocal in outlining his support for warnings being sent to certain Catholic peers, including his two brothers-in-law William Parker, Lord Monteagle, and Lord Stourton.

Soon after news of the Monteagle Letter broke, the conspirators immediately suspected Tresham. As a consequence of this, they summoned him to come without delay to meet Catesby and Thomas Wintour at White Webbs. The meeting occurred on 1 November. Tresham 'exonerated himself with such oaths and emphatic asseverations of innocence that his companions were convinced, at least for the time being, of his basic fidelity'. On 2 November, Tresham was still trying to convince the other conspirators that the plot was discovered and that they should all take safety in flight. According to Tesimond, Tresham's argument appeared to indicate to them that he knew more than he was prepared to say. On the same day Tresham received a licence to travel abroad for two years "with two servants, three horses or geldings, and 50 pounds in money, with all other his necessaries". This in itself has fuelled speculation over the years that Tresham seems to have become the principal double agent in the piece. Edwards claims 'The Writer's [Tesimond] reserve with regard to Francis Tresham is surely significant. Alone of the plotters, his character receives no eulogy', implying the popular, and generally accepted theory that Tresham was the author of the letter, and the plot's betrayer. When news of Fawkes' capture spread through London, all the conspirators, except Tresham, left with haste. There is also reason to believe that far from attempting to hide, Tresham offered his services to the government. Nonetheless, he had time to return to Northamptonshire and hide his personal papers. The first news of Tresham's complicity is mentioned in a letter from Sir William Waad dated 8 November 1605, in which he spoke of Tresham as "long a pensioner of the King of Spain, and a suspicious person".

Tresham was arrested on 12 November. The following day, he wrote a long five page statement in his own hand of his relations with the conspirators, including his introduction to the plot by Catesby, and that he had been guilty of concealment, but had tried to have the plot postponed until after the present sitting of parliament to see how the Catholic's would fare under the new recusancy laws. On 29 November 1605, he confessed his own and Father Henry Garnet's complicity in the Spanish Treason.

In the end, Tresham died in the Tower without having ever been publicly examined. It is not known if he died of a strangury (an acute and painful inflammation of the urinary tract resulting in retention of fluid), or that he was helped on to his death by the hand of those who, after forcing him to do what he did for them, did not wish that he should say anything more, or to reward him as he deserved. Certainly he was attended in his last days by a number of physicians, all of whom corroborated the governments statement as to his death, and his wife Anne. Knowing he was about to die, he dictated to William Vavasour, his servant, a declaration denying Garnet's knowledge of Wintour's mission to Spain. Vavasour had also transcribed a copy of Blackwell's "Treatise of Equivocation" for Tresham, an issue that Garnet was confronted with at his own trial. Although he had not been indicted, he was treated as a traitor; he was attainted with the other conspirators, and his goods and land forfeited. Speculation still surrounds the death of Tresham even to this day. Francis Edwards, SJ, is one of several leading scholars who support the theory that Tresham did not perhaps die in the Tower, and was allowed to escape to Spain, where he travelled under the alias Matthew Brunninge.  Quote from The Gunpowder Plot Society website

John Wright

John (Jack) Wright (1568-1605) was probably born at Plowland Hall in Holderness [in the parish of Welwick]. Along with his younger brother Christopher, he was said to have been a school fellow of both Oswald Tesimond and Guy Fawkes at the free school of St. Peters in York, known as "Le Horse Fayre". Robert and Ursula were staunch Catholics who suffered imprisonment in Hull Prison in York for a period of "fourteen years together" during the time which Henry Hastings, the Puritan Earl of Huntingdon, was Lord President of the North. They had three daughters also, including Martha, who married Thomas Percy the conspirator, and Ursula, who married firstly John Constable of Hatfield, and secondly Marmaduke Ward of Mulwith, the suspected brother of Thomas Ward, servant to William Parker, Lord Monteagle. By his first marriage to Anne Grimston, Robert Wright also had a son William, and two daughters, Martha and Anne. Very little is known of the early life of the two Wright brothers and a great deal of what is written is often attributed to either or both of them, so accuracy and specifics in detail between the two brothers are often blurred, but later, Father John Gerard described John as a "strong, stout man, and of very good wit, though slow of speech". Renowned from his youth for his courage, "he was somewhat taciturn in manner, but very loyal to his friends, even if his friends were few".

By all accounts he was an excellent swordsman, considered by some to be the best swordsman of his day. He was purported to be much disposed to fighting until he was reconciled to the Catholic faith, which according to Gerard occurred during, or just prior to, the time of the Essex Rebellion. Prior to the Essex Rebellion however, John, his brother Christopher, and a number of others, including Robert Catesby and Francis Tresham, were arrested as a precautionary measure during an illness of Queen Elizabeth I. This was later dubbed the "Poisoned Pommel" incident, although no evidence of a plot or conspiracy was ever truly uncovered that implicated either these four or any others.

John, along with his friend Robert Catesby, had formed part of the entourage for Robert Devereux, the Earl of Essex. After the abortive Essex Rebellion of 1601, John spent an amount of time imprisoned in solitary confinement. After his release, he moved his family from the ancestral home of Plowland Hall to Twigmore Hall in northern Lincolnshire, which, even before the Essex Rebellion was noted as a "resort of priests for his [John's] spiritual and their corporal comfort", which seems to imply his religious position was established even before Father John Gerard's claim. (Spink also makes the claim that it would be difficult for the son of such devout religionists who suffered persecution for their faith to be brought up with anything other than a Catholic background). A government report put it in less flattering terms: "This place is one of the worst in her Majesty's dominions and is used like a Popish college for traitors in the northern parts".

Esteemed by Catesby for his valour and secrecy, John was the third to be initiated into the Gunpowder Plot, some time in May 1604. Along with Thomas Wintour, he was given the task of officially telling Guy Fawkes of the conspirators' intentions to blow up the Houses of Parliament, at which time he removed his family from Twigmore Hall to a house belonging to Catesby at Lapworth in Warwickshire. John's official position in the conspiracy is somewhat unclear, although by all accounts he was an active participant in all its events.

On 4 November, the eve of the plot's discovery, John fled London with Catesby to take the news to Sir Everard Digby and the hunting party which had gathered at Dunchurch in Warwickshire. Meeting several of their confederates on the way to the Midlands, their party eventually numbered almost 60 strong. After receiving Mass at Huddington Court on November 6th, they finally reached Holbeche House, the home of Stephen Littleton, in the late evening of 7 November. The conspirators by now were weary, and according to their confessions, had all but given up hope that their plans would succeed. On the morning of 8 November, the house was surrounded and laid siege to by the Sheriff of Worcester's men. In a brief stand, Christopher Wright was killed outright along with Catesby and Percy. However, according to Tesimond, who was later told by the Wintours' priest Father Hart (alias Hammond) who had administered the Mass two days previous, John was also mortally wounded, but "lingered for a day, if not longer". After the capture and imprisonment of the conspirators, the bodies of those who had died at Holbeche were exhumed, and the heads removed for display at Westminster Palace.  Quote from The Gunpowder Plot Society website