The Gunpowder Plot and Lord Mounteagle's Letter Part 36

STATE PAPERS DOMESTIC--JAS. I., Vol. xvi., No. 16.

The declarn of John Cradock cutler the vj^{th} of November 1605.

He sayeth that M^{r} Rockwood whos father marryed M^{r} Tirwhyte mother about the Begynyng of the last Som vacac dyd bespeke the puttyng of a Spanyshe Blade off hys into a Sword hilte and appoynted the hylth to have the Story of the pa.s.syon of Christ Richly Ingraved, and now w^{th}n these Syxe dayes cawsed that hylth being enamlled and Rychly sett forth to be taken of and the handle to be new wrought of clere gold and the former hylth w^{th} hys story to be putt on agayne and delyvered yt unto m^{r} Rockewood upon Monday last at xj of the Clocke at nyght at his Chamber at m^{r} Mores and m^{r} Wynter a pp Gentylman of about x.x.x yeares or vpward who lyeth at the Syng of the Docke an Drake beyond putrycke in the Strand and ys a great Companyon w^{th} m^{r} Catesby m^{r} Tyrwhyt and m^{r} Rockwood hadd a Sword w^{th} the lyke Story and was delyvered hym on Sunday last at nyght but not so Rychly sett forth as the form for w^{ch} he payed in all xij^{} x^{s} pt about a quarter of a yeare past at the bespeken thereof and the Rest on Sonday last and this term an other Gentylman of that Cupany being a Blacke man of about xl yeares old bespake a lyke Sword for the story & shuld pay vij^{ti} for yt gave hym x^{s} in Ernest he ys yet out of Towne and the Sword remayneth w^{th} thys Exam Christopher Wryght was often w^{th} thys M^{r} Rockwood at thys Exam shoppe and he hadd the said Wryghte jugmet for the worcke and Syse of the Blade.

Jo Cradock

Ex p J. Popham

(Endorsed) Cradocke.

APPENDIX H.

GUNPOWDER PLOT BOOKS--Part I., No. 10.

I have sent vnto yo^{r} L. herin Inclosed the Copye off the declarac off Mr Tatnall, off two that pa.s.sed the fylde thys mornyg wherof some Suspycyon may be gathered off confederacy he observed them so as he hopeth he may mete w^{th} them and therfore I have gevin hym a warrant to attach them a lyke note yo^{r} L shall receave herin off an expectacn that M^{rs} Vaux hadd off some thyng to be done and I know yt by such a means as I a.s.sured my selff the matter is trewe and both Gerrard and Walley the Jesuyte make that the chefest place of their accesse and therfore lyke she may knowe Some what both M^{r} Wenman hym selff & the lady Tasbard do knowe of this wherfore howe farre forth thys shalbe fytt to be dealt in I humbly leave to yo^{r} L consyderacn Chrystoffer Wright and M^{r} Ambrose Rokewood were both together yesternyght at x of the Clocke and vpon ffryday last at nyght they were together at M^{r} Rokwoode lodgyng and this forenoon Rokwood Rode away into Suffolke about xj of the clocke alone leavyng both hys men behynd hym one Keyes a Gentylma that lay these two last nyghte w^{th} m^{r} Rokewood and gave hym hys lodgyng went away also about eight off the clocke for w^{ch} Keyes I have layed weyet This Rokwood ys of Coldham hall in Suffoke one of the most dangerous houses in Suffolke he marryed m^{r} Tyrwhytte Syster & she ys now in Warwykshere Chrystoffer Wright as I thyncke lay this last nyght in St. Gyles and yf he be gone yt ys Lyke he ys gone into Warwykesher where I hyer John Wryght Brother unto Chrystoffer ys marryed ther were thre hatts bought yesterday in the afternoone by Chrystoffer Wryght the ar for his Brother and two others for two Gentylwomen they cost xj^{} and after that about ix of the Clocke at nyght Chrystoffer Wryght cam again to that haverda.s.shers and Boughte two hatts more for two Servante unto a Gentylman that was w^{th} hym he thyncks that Gentylman was called Wynter but I dowbt that mans name ys mystaken Ther cam a yong Gentylman w^{th} this wryght w^{th}in these fewe dayes that gave to Cutler here by xix^{} xv^{s} for a Sword whom I am in some hoep to dyscover by the Sword and other cyrc.u.mstance and even so I humbly take my leave of yo^{r} L at Serienty Inn the v^{th} of november 1605.

yo^{r} L very humbly

Jo Popham.[A]

[Footnote A: The Lord Chief Justice of England.]

(P.S.) I have this mornyg the vi^{th} noveber dyscovered where Wynter [is]

w^{th} the matter which I have delyverd to m^{r} Att^{r}ney wherof happely yo^{r} L may make good vse I wyll see yf I can mete w^{th} m^{r} Wynter Walley the jesuyt and Strang as I am Informed are now at ffrance Brownes pcke about Surrey as I take yt and Sundry letters lately sent over are yet Remaynyng at fortescues house by the Wadropp but yt wylbe hard to fynd any thyng in that house.

(Endorsed) 5 Novemb^{r} L Ch. Justice

(Addressed) To the Ryght honorable and my very good L the Earle of Sarysbury.

(Declaration enclosed--short.)

APPENDIX I.

GUNPOWDER PLOT BOOKS--Part I., No. 75.

O^{r} humble dutyes remembred. We have this day apprehended & deliwed to his Ma^{ty} messenger Berrye the bodie of M^{ris} Graunt, from whom we gathered that Percyes wief was not farre of, whervppon wee made search in the most lykely place and have even since night apprehended her in the house of M^{r} John Wright, and have thought fitt to take this opportunitie to send vpp to yo^{r} honors' w^{th} the said M^{ris} Graunt aswell the said M^{res} Percye as alsoe the wives of other the princ.i.p.all offenders in this last insurrection as appeth by the Kallender heerinclosed by whos exaiacons we thinke some necessary matters wilbe knowne.

M^{r} Sherief taketh care & charge of these woomens children vntill yo^{r} honors pleasures be further knowne.

ffrom Warr this xij^{th} of November 1605 yo^{r} honors most humbly at comaundment in all service.

Richard Verney Jo: fferrers W^{m} Combe Bar: Hales

(Endorsed) 12 9bre 1605 S^{r} Rych: Verney and other Justices to me

(Addressed) To the right honorable my especyall good Lord the Earle of Salisbury & the rest of his Ma^{ty} most honorable privie Counsayle

w^{th} all speed.

APPENDIX J.

GUNPOWDER PLOT BOOKS--Part II., No. 130.

This Last Vacatio Guy faux als Jhonson did hier a barke of Barkin the owners name Called paris wherein was Caried over to Gravelinge a ma[A]

supposed of great import he went disguised and wold not suffer any one ma to goe w^{th} him but this Vaux[B] nor to returne w^{th} him This paris did Attend for him back at Gravelyng[C] sixe weekes yf Cause quier there are severall proffs of this matter.

[Footnote A: Contraction for "man."]

[Footnote B: _I.e._, Faux.]

[Footnote C: Gravelyng would be Gravelines in France. Most probably "the man supposed of great import," who "went disguised," accompanied by Fawkes, was one of the princ.i.p.al conspirators, perhaps Thomas Winter or John Wright. I suspect their errand was to buy fresh gunpowder through Captain Hugh Owen. Notice "Vacation," 1605.]

(Endorsed) Concerninge one Paris that caried faukes to Gravelyng and others.

APPENDIX K.

45, Bernard St., Russell Square, London, W.C., 30th October, 1901.

Dear Sir,

The Gunpowder Plot and Lord Mounteagle's Letter.

I well remember accompanying you to the Record Office, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., on Friday, the 5th of October, 1900, when we saw the original Letter to Lord Mounteagle and the Declaration of Edward Oldcorne of the 12th March, 1605-6.

As soon as I began to compare the two doc.u.ments I noticed a general similarity in the handwritings; although the handwriting of the Letter to Lord Mounteagle was evidently intended to be disguised. The letters were not uniform in their slant, and seemed, as it were, to be "staggering about." There was also, certainly, a particular similarity in the case of certain of the letters.

I have for the last seventeen years had great experience in transcribing doc.u.ments of the period of Queen Elizabeth and James I.; and, in my opinion, it is at least probable that the Letter to Lord Mounteagle and the Declaration of the 12th March, 1605-6, signed by Edward Oldcorne, were by one and the same hand.

Yours truly, Emma M. Walford.

To H. H. Spink, Jun., Esq., Solicitor, York.

APPENDIX L.

Having recently learnt that Professor Windle, M.D., F.R.S., Dean of the Faculty of Medicine in the University of Birmingham, had written two books descriptive of the Midland Counties, Warwickshire and Worcestershire, with part of Herefordshire, "_Shakespeare's Country_," and "_The Malvern Country_" (Methuen & Co.), I ventured to write to him respecting the roads from Lapworth to Hindlip (traversed on horseback, I conjecture, by Christopher Wright, about the 11th October, 1605); and from Hindlip to Gothurst, three miles from Newport Pagnell (traversed on horseback, I conjecture, by Ralph Ashley, between the 11th October and the 21st of October); and from Coughton to Huddington, and thence to Hindlip (traversed on horseback, as we know with cert.i.tude, by Father Oswald Tesimond, on Wednesday, the 6th November, 1605).

I append Dr. Windle's most kind and courteous reply for the benefit of my readers. I may say that his opinion is largely corroborative of former opinions as to distances given to me independently by the Rev. Fr.

Kiernan, S.J., of Worcester; and the Rev. Fr. Cardwell, O.S.B., of Coughton; as well as of those given by the gentlemen whose names occur in the Notes to the Text--the Rev. Fr. Atherton, O.S.B., of Stratford-on-Avon; Charles Avery, Esq., of Headless Cross; and George Davis, Esq., of York. (I understand that Mr. Avery wrote to the Vicar of Coughton, the parish wherein Coughton Hall, or Coughton Court, is situated, respecting my inquiry. I desire, therefore, to express my thanks to that reverend gentleman, as well as to the reverend the Vicar of Great Harrowden, Northamptonshire, for certain information which the latter likewise most readily vouchsafed to me a few months ago.)

"The University, Birmingham, Dec. 22, 1901.

"My dear Sir,