TABLE OF SOME EVENTS OCCURRING IN THE HISTORY OF THE POPISH PLOT
1677. |
Ash Wednesday |
Titus Oates converted to the Church of Rome. |
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April |
Enters the English Jesuit college at Valladolid. |
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October 30 |
Expelled from the college at Valladolid. |
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December 10 |
Enters the English Jesuit college at St. Omers. |
1678. |
April 24 |
Jesuit congregation held at St. James’ Palace. |
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June 23 |
Oates expelled from the college at St. Omers |
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June 27 |
and returns to London. |
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August 13 |
Christopher Kirkby informs the king of a plot against his life. |
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August 14 |
Kirkby and Dr. Tonge examined by the Earl of Danby. |
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The king goes to Windsor. |
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August 31 |
The forged letters sent to Bedingfield at Windsor. |
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September 2 |
Tonge introduces Oates to Kirkby at his lodgings at Vauxhall. |
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September 6 |
Oates swears to the truth of his information before Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey. |
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September 27 |
Oates and Tonge summoned before the Privy Council. |
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September 28 |
Oates swears again to the truth of his information before Godfrey and leaves a copy with him. |
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Oates examined at length by the council. Search for Jesuits begun that night. |
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Edward Coleman pays a secret visit to Godfrey. |
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September 29 |
Sir George Wakeman before the council. |
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Oates again examined by the council and continues the search for Jesuits at night. |
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Warrant issued for the arrest of Coleman and seizure of his papers. |
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September 30 |
Coleman surrenders to the warrant against him and is placed in charge of an officer. His house searched and his papers seized. |
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Oates examined twice by the council and again searches for Jesuits. |
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October 1 |
The king goes to Newmarket. |
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Coleman’s papers examined by a committee of the council. |
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Coleman committed to Newgate. |
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October 12 |
Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey missing. |
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October 15 |
News of his disappearance published. |
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October 17 |
His body found in a field at the foot of Primrose Hill. |
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October 18, 19 |
An inquest held. |
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October 20 |
Reward of £500 offered for the discovery of Godfrey’s murderers. |
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October 21 |
Meeting of Parliament (seventeenth session of Charles II’s second or Long Parliament). |
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October 23 |
Oates at the bar of the House of Commons. |
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October 24 |
Assurance of protection added to the reward offered for the discovery of Godfrey’s murderers. |
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October 25–31 |
The Earl of Powis, Viscount Stafford, Lord Petre, Lord Bellasis, and Lord Arundel of Wardour surrender to the warrants out against them as being, on Oates’ information, concerned in the Plot. |
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October 28 |
Test Act passes the Commons. |
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October 30, 31 |
Oates at the bar of the House of Lords. |
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November 1 |
Resolution of both Houses of Parliament with regard to the Plot. |
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Funeral of Godfrey. |
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Proclamation commanding Popish recusants to depart ten miles from London. |
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Arrest of Samuel Atkins. |
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November 5 |
Bedloe surrenders himself at Bristol. |
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November 7 |
Bedloe comes to town and is examined by the king and secretaries. Examination of Coleman in Newgate. |
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November 10, 18 |
Bedloe at the bar of the House of Commons |
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November 12 |
and at the bar of the House of Lords. |
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November 20 |
Test Act passed, but with a proviso exempting the Duke of York. |
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November 21 |
Trial and conviction of William Staley for high treason. |
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November 24 |
Oates accuses the queen in examination by Secretary Coventry. |
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November 26 |
Staley executed at Tyburn, denying his guilt. |
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November 27 |
Trial and conviction of Coleman for high treason. Bedloe accuses the queen. |
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November 28 |
Oates accuses the queen at the bar of the House of Commons. He is confined by the king and his papers are seized. |
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November 30 |
The king refuses to pass the Militia bill, even for half an hour. |
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December 3 |
Execution of Coleman. |
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December 5 |
The five Popish Lords impeached. |
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December 16 |
Supply granted for disbanding the army. |
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December 17 |
Trial and conviction of Ireland, Pickering, and Grove for high treason. |
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December 19 |
Montagu’s papers seized. He produces Danby’s letters to the Commons, revealing the secret treaty with Louis XIV. |
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December 21 |
Miles Prance arrested and recognised by Bedloe. Impeachment of Danby. |
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December 23 |
Prance confesses and accuses Green, Berry, and Hill of being Godfrey’s murderers. |
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December 28 |
Dugdale comes forward as a witness. |
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December 29 |
Prance recants. |
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December 30 |
Parliament prorogued till February 4. |
1679. |
January 11 |
Prance retracts his recantation. |
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January 24 |
Long Parliament dissolved. |
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Ireland and Grove executed; Pickering respited till May 25. |
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February 5 |
Trial and conviction of Green, Berry, and Hill for Godfrey’s murder. |
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February 8 |
Atkins is acquitted of the same murder. |
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February 21 |
Execution of Green and Hill. |
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February 28 |
Execution of Berry. |
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March 3 |
The king declares that he was never married to any woman but Queen Catherine. |
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March 4 |
The Duke of York leaves for Brussels by command of the king. |
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March 6 |
The king repeats his declaration. |
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The third Parliament meets. Edward Seymour chosen Speaker, and is rejected by the king. |
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March 13 |
Parliament prorogued for two days. |
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March 15 |
Serjeant Gregory chosen Speaker. |
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March 21 |
Parliament votes the Plot to be read. Prance’s examination read to the Lords. |
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March 22 |
The Commons resolve to proceed with Danby’s impeachment. |
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March 24 |
Danby takes refuge at Whitehall. |
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March 25 |
Speech on Scotland by Shaftesbury. |
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April 1 |
Bill of attainder voted against Danby. |
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April 15 |
Bill of attainder passed. |
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April 16 |
Danby surrenders himself and is committed to the Tower. |
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A supply voted and appropriated for the disbandment of the army. |
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April 21 |
The king declares a new privy council, devised by Sir William Temple. |
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April 24 |
Trial and conviction of Reading. |
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April 27 |
Resolution of Parliament against the Duke of York. |
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April 30 |
The king’s speech concerning the succession. |
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May 3 |
Sharp, Archbishop of St. Andrews, murdered. |
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May 11 |
The Exclusion bill voted by the Commons. |
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May 15 |
The Exclusion bill read for the first time. |
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May 23, 24 |
The Commons attack the system of secret service money. |
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May 26 |
The Habeas Corpus Act passed. The Parliament prorogued to August 14, and afterwards dissolved against the advice of the whole council. |
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May 29 |
Outbreak of the Bothwell Brigg rebellion. The Covenant proclaimed in the west of Scotland. |
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June 1 |
Claverhouse defeated at Drumclog. |
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June |
Publication of “An Appeal from the City to the Country.” |
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June 13 |
Trial and conviction of Whitebread, Fenwick, Harcourt, Gavan, and Turner (the five Jesuits) for high treason. |
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June 14 |
Trial and conviction of Richard Langhorn for high treason. |
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June 15 |
Monmouth starts to suppress the rebellion. |
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June 20 |
Execution of the Five Jesuits. |
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June 22 |
The Covenanters routed by Monmouth at Bothwell Brigg. |
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July 9 |
Samuel Pepys and Sir Anthony Deane, in prison on account of the Plot, admitted to bail by Scroggs. |
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July 14 |
Execution of Langhorn. |
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July 17 |
Sir Thomas Gascoigne committed to the Tower on a charge of high treason. |
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July 18 |
Sir George Wakeman, Marshall, Romney, and Corker tried for high treason and acquitted. |
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August |
Executions in the provinces of priests on account of their orders. |
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August 22 |
The king ill at Windsor. |
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August 23 |
The Duke of York summoned from Brussels. |
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August 29 |
The Duke sets out from Brussels |
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September 2 |
and reaches Windsor. |
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September 12 |
The Duke of Monmouth removed from his commission of Lord General. |
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September 24 |
Monmouth leaves for Holland. |
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September 27 |
James leaves for Brussels, thence to Scotland. |
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October 7 |
The new Parliament, meeting, is prorogued by successive stages to October 1680. |
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October 15 |
Shaftesbury dismissed from his place at the council board. |
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October 20 |
Dangerfield searches Col. Mansell’s lodgings and is arrested. |
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October 27 |
Dangerfield committed to prison on charge of high treason. |
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October 29 |
Papers found in Mrs. Cellier’s meal tub. |
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November 9 |
Dangerfield pardoned. |
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November 17 |
First great Pope Burning, organised by the Green Ribbon Club. |
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November 19 |
Laurence Hyde appointed First Commissioner of the Treasury. |
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November 25 |
Trial and conviction of Knox and Lane. |
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November 27 |
Monmouth returns to England without leave. |
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December 6 |
Archbishop Plunket committed to the castle at Dublin. |
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December 9 |
Petition of seventeen Whig peers for the sitting of Parliament marks the beginning of the practice of petitioning. |
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December 11 |
Proclamation against petitioning. |
1680. |
January 6 |
Mowbray and Bolron pardoned. |
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January 9 |
Mrs. Cellier accuses Sir Robert Peyton of high treason. |
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January 21 |
Oates and Bedloe exhibit articles against Lord Chief Justice Scroggs. |
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January 31 |
Lord Russell, Lord Cavendish, Sir Henry Capel, and Mr. Powle resign their places on the council. |
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February 5 |
Benjamin Harris tried and convicted for a libel in publishing “An Appeal from the City to the Country.” |
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February 11 |
Sir Thomas Gascoigne tried for high treason and acquitted. |
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February 24 |
The Duke of York returns from Scotland. |
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February 26 |
Declaration of the Scottish Privy Council of their abhorrence of tumultuous petitions published in the Gazette marks the beginning of the “abhorrers’” addresses. |
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March 8 |
The king and the Duke of York entertained at a banquet by the Lord Mayor. |
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March 30 |
Thomas Dare of Taunton fined for seditious and dangerous words. |
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April 15 |
Assault on Arnold. |
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April 26 and June 7 |
Declarations published in the Gazette denying all truth in the rumour of the Black Box. |
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May 11 |
Indictment of high treason, on Dangerfield’s evidence, against the Countess of Powis ignored by the grand jury of Middlesex. |
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May 13 |
The king ill at Windsor. |
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May 15 |
“A Letter to a Person of Honour concerning the Black Box” published. |
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May 24 |
Trial and conviction of Tasborough and Price. |
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June 10 |
Conclusion of a treaty between England and Spain to maintain the peace of Nymeguen. |
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June 11 |
Mrs. Cellier tried for high treason and acquitted. |
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June 23 |
The Earl of Castlemaine tried for high treason and acquitted. |
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June 26 |
Shaftesbury, with Titus Oates and fourteen peers and commoners, presents the Duke of York as a popish recusant. |
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July 14 |
Trial and conviction of Giles for an attempt to murder Arnold. |
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July 28, 29 |
Trials for high treason at York. Lady Tempest, Sir Miles Stapleton, and Mary Pressicks acquitted, but Thwing, a priest, convicted. |
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August–October |
Western progress of the Duke of Monmouth. |
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August 20 |
Death of Bedloe at Bristol. |
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September 11 |
Trial and conviction of Mrs. Cellier for writing and publishing a libel. |
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October 20 |
The Duke of York leaves London for Edinburgh. |
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October 21 |
Meeting of Charles II’s fourth Parliament. |
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October 26 |
Dangerfield at the bar of the House of Commons. |
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October 28 |
Bedloe’s deathbed deposition read to the House of Commons. Two members of the Commons expelled for discrediting the Plot. |
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October 30 |
Archbishop Plunket brought to London and committed to the Tower. |
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November 2 |
The Exclusion bill voted. |
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November 10 |
Lord Stafford’s trial resolved on by the Commons. |
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November 11 |
Third reading of the Exclusion bill in the House of Commons. |
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November 15 |
The Exclusion bill rejected by the House of Lords owing to Lord Halifax. |
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November 16 |
Halifax proposes the banishment of the Duke of York. |
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November 17 |
Second great Pope Burning. |
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The House of Commons proceed against Halifax. |
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November 24 |
The Commons vote the impeachment of Lord Chief Justice North. |
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November 30–December 7 |
Trial and conviction of Lord Stafford for high treason. |
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December 15 |
Sir Robert Peyton expelled from the House of Commons. |
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December 29 |
Execution of Stafford. |
1681. |
January 5 |
The Commons vote the impeachment of Lord Chief Justice Scroggs and other judges. |
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January 7, 10 |
The Commons pass resolutions against the Duke of York, against such as shall lend money to the crown, against a prorogation. |
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January 10 |
Parliament prorogued |
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January 18 |
and suddenly dissolved. |
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January 25 |
Sixteen Whig peers present a petition against a parliament being held at Oxford. |
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February 28 |
Edward Fitzharris arrested for writing a treasonable libel. |
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March 14 |
The king concludes a secret verbal treaty with Louis XIV and sets out for Oxford. |
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March 17 |
Shaftesbury and other Whig leaders set out for Oxford with an armed escort. |
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March 21 |
Meeting of Charles II’s fifth and last Parliament at Oxford. |
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March 25 |
The Commons impeach Fitzharris. |
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March 26 |
The Exclusion bill voted. |
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The Lords refuse to proceed on Fitzharris’ impeachment. |
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March 28 |
The Exclusion bill read the first time in the House of Commons. Parliament suddenly dissolved. |
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May |
The king’s declaration justifying the dissolution answered by “A Just and Modest Vindication of the Proceedings of the two Last Parliaments.” |
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May 3 |
Trial and conviction of Archbishop Plunket for high treason. |
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June 9 |
Trial and conviction of Fitzharris for high treason. |
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July 1 |
Execution of Plunket and Fitzharris. |