Thomas Percy the Plotter
The Gunpowder Plot and the Percies
One of the claims concerning our lineage is that our 'line' was started by the youngest brother of Henry 5th Earl of Northumberland. This gentleman was Josceline Percy who married Margaret Frost of Fetherstone, Yorkshire and their union started the line known as Percy of Beverley, Sth Yorkshire.
Beverley is a very old town best known for the beautiful Beverley Minster in which there is a magnificent Percy chapel. A number of famous family members are interred there. Other Percy memorabilia, statuary etc adorn both the outside and interior of the church. The Minster is some 365 ft long with a main transept 186 ft from North to South and is larger than a number of England's cathedrals.
Josceline's grandchildren included Alan Percy, M.P., as well as others thought to include Robert Percy, the Gunpowder Plotter's only son, who we believe may have been our progenitor for after going to Northamptonshire he moved to Taunton where in 1615 he married one Emma Meade from our Taunton St Mary Magdalene line. From his marriage to Emma, Francis Percy, a stonecutter but later Mayor of Cambridge laid claim to the estates etc while another Percy of the same era, Alan of Beverley, also was a claimant. We note with some interest that James The Trunkmaker, Francis and our known ancestors were all tradesmen - trunkmaker, stonecutter and woodworkers.
Alan, M.P. of Beverley had a brother Thomas, and he was destined to become one of the most famous, or infamous, to carry the name of Percy.
Thomas was born in 1560. In 1596 he was made Constable of Alnwick Castle by his uncle, the 9th Earl of Northumberland. He was thus agent for the Earl's estates in the north. He was described as a 'poor relation', one of the 'hangers-on that flocked around great men', looking at all times to 'advance himself both socially and financially'. Physically he was a very tall man with a formidable build having sloping shoulders and, in 1605, a 'great broad beard grizzled with white and near white hair'.
Thomas had evidently had a rather turbulent youth relying 'much on his sword and personal bravery'. He also relished being among 'foul-mouthed, ribald people' but after his conversion to Catholicism or at any rate to a more fervid belief in the catholic faith he was supposed to have calmed down somewhat. Others however described him as 'a subtle, flattering knave'. He also displayed a certain charm, despite a manner that was generally serious, a trait that stood him in good stead when called to do quasi-diplomatic work for the Earl in future times. All through his life he remained a man of considerable mental and physical energy.
In 1602 the Earl of Northumberland initiated a correspondence with James VI of Scotland, who, on the death of Elizabeth I, was to be proclaimed the King of England (James I) as well. James was the son of Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Percy family, like the Howards, had suffered much for their support of her.
The correspondence from the Earl centred on the need for James to exercise more toleration in dealing with the catholics of England. Thomas Percy was entrusted to handle this delicate mission to Scotland where he was received by a genial monarch. According to one source, admittedly a catholic one, the King made 'very generous promises to favour catholics generally and not merely to free them from the bondage and persecution in which they were then living'. That was to be the tone of the messages that Percy was to deliver.
But the message was not exactly correct. What James wanted was something slightly but importantly different. He would allow catholics to practise their religion so long as they made no attempt to increase their numbers at the expense of the Protestant church. This difference in interpretation would have serious, extremely serious, repercussions.
When Elizabeth I died in 1603 James took the crown of England - the irony being that he had succeeded the monarch who had had his mother executed for treason! The catholics in England rejoiced mistakenly believing that toleration toward their faith would now become a reality.
James' First Minister Robert Cecil, Earl Salisbury, was very anti-catholic. He was able to persuade the new king not to relax any of the laws regarding the catholics. They were to remain branded as Recusants (those refusing to attend Church of England services) which under the Act of 1537 rendered them liable to seizure of two-thirds of their property. Although this law was only irregularly practised it nevertheless produced a wave of hatred against the king and his parliament. They believed that the king had reneged on a solemn promise to them. Thomas Percy became one of the most bitter.
There now enters into the record Robert Catesby. The son of a catholic squire he had been named as an accomplice in the Bye Plot of 1603 to seize James and force the sanctioning of tolerance toward his faith. The plot failed, he was arrested, jailed but soon released. He was now joined by his intimate friend Thomas Winter the secretary to Lord Monteagle a catholic peer. Winter was sent by Catesby and Monteagle to Spain to acquaint Phillip III with a proposal for that country to invade England or to get some financial assistance for the distressed catholics in England. The move failed due in part to Spain actually wanting a peace treaty with England and not wanting to jeopardise negotiations already in progress. This small cabal then made contact with a Yorkshire born mercenary serving in the Spanish Army and arranged for his return to England. His name was Guy Fawkes and he was to be the person charged with causing an explosion by which the plotters hoped to rid themselves of their oppressors.
Thomas Percy was first enlisted into the 'plot' during May 1604 when he joined Catesby, Winter, Fawkes and Jack Wright. The five are to be considered as the prime movers of the plot. Percy's first words on joining the conspiracy were purported to be, "shall we always, gentlemen, talk and never do anything?" At the age of 44 he was considerably older than the other conspirators.
Percy's connection to the Earl of Northumberland enabled him access to society and gave him the ability to be able to move freely through the realm. It was he who leased the cellar, ostensibly for his wife who was supposedly moving to London, into which the gunpowder was to be placed. He also paid for the purchase and transportation of the powder although it was probably with money 'appropriated' from the Alnwick Estate's coffers. The last of the gunpowder which eventually totalled 36 barrels was put into the cellar in July 1605 and was hidden beneath a large pile of firewood.
As the conspiracy deepened Catesby was given the authority, at an August meeting in Bath, to 'call in whom he thought best.' Although this was considered as being inevitable it was also a great risk. Inevitable because if the plot succeeded then many more swords would be required in the chaos that would follow the 'explosion' if they really expected to gain control of the country and risky because the more people in on a secret the more likely a breach of security would occur.
There was another problem to overcome and that was the number of catholic gentlemen or sympathisers who would be present at the Opening of Parliament when the bomb was scheduled for detonation. The king's children were also thought to be attending and the plotters wanted no part in their destruction. In fact they wanted one of them, Charles, to reign with the aid of a regent but with a catholic sympathiser to hold that post of regent. Who was to be the regent? The obvious choice for the plotters was the Earl of Northumberland but great care must be taken not to implicate him in the plot. As part of this scenario Thomas Percy was to be deputed to 'kidnap' Prince Charles from his household in London, it being separate from the household of the king. How this harebrained scheme was to be carried out was not made clear.
But what of a warning to the catholic peers and sympathisers? An open letter or message warning them of the danger in attending parliament would be tantamount to consigning the conspiracy to immediate destruction. In the event some of them received a rather obscurely worded communication and it was this communication that was to consign the plot to inglorious failure. One of those receiving this 'warning' was Lord Monteagle, Thomas Winter's employer. Alarmed at what he perceived as a grave threat to the monarch he arranged for Robert Cecil, Lord Salisbury, the King's First Minister, to be made aware of its contents. Cecil then informed the king who convened his advisers, the Privy Council. Whether or not the Earl of Northumberland was in attendance at the meeting of the council is not known.
Thomas Percy had at this juncture gone to the north again on the Earl's business but returned to London on the 3rd November. The next morning at 11 a.m. he appeared at Sion House ostensibly in an attempt to garner any evidence that the Earl may have heard any rumours regarding Monteagle's letter to Cecil. Apparently happy that nothing untoward was impending he left for London. These actions by Percy were to greatly influence the future life of the Earl for after the failure of the plot he was implicated, put on trial and though no evidence of his guilt was forthcoming he was fined £30,000 and imprisoned in the Tower - for sixteen years. On his way back to London Percy also visited the Earl's central London home Essex House, where he 'tested the waters' with the Earl's nephew Josceline Percy. At no stage did he intimate to either the Earl or Josceline that they should avoid going to Parliament the following day.
The Earl himself left Sion after dinner and drove to Essex House. He had not applied for leave of absence from Parliament and showed every indication of going there. This was also noted by the king in a letter to Cecil regarding the Earl's guilt.
Thomas then conferred with Catesby and Winter who had already been urged by Catesby's brother in law, Francis Tresham, who knew of Monteagle's letter to Cecil, to abandon the venture and flee. They would not hear of it and Percy said that he was ready to 'abide the uttermost trial'. Later that evening he left orders at his lodgings for four horses to be made ready for an extremely early departure the next day.
Fawkes meanwhile was remaining in the vicinity of the cellar. At 10 o'clock that night he visited Robert Keyes who gave him a watch that Percy had left to enable Fawkes to ignite the fuse to the 'bomb' at the decisive moment. He then returned to the cellar unaware that the area was already under surveillance.
Earlier in the evening a cursory search of the area beneath Whitehall Palace as a result of the Privy Council meeting had been undertaken. This search had thrown up the existence in the cellar of a large pile of firewood apparently there for the use of Percy's wife during her London visit. When this was passed on to the authorities their attention was kindled (no pun intended) for the amount of wood seemed out of proportion for the size of the dwelling. A second search was ordered to be undertaken by a guard under the command of the J.P. for Westminster, Sir Thomas Knyvett. A person seen lurking near the cellar intrigued the guard and when questioned gave his name as John Johnson claiming to be Thomas Percy's servant. Suspicious, the guard then began removing the wood and discovered the barrels of powder. They arrested Fawkes who was taken to be interviewed by the Privy Council. We do not know whether or not the Earl of Northumberland was present at this interview but it seems unlikely given that his kinsman was already implicated.
The first warrant for arrest that the government issued was in the name of Thomas Percy. It noted his description and that he was 'privy to one of the most horrible treasons that ever was contrived'. It also stated that it was essential to keep him alive so that the rest of the conspirators could be discovered. Percy was mistakenly sought at Essex House and not at his lodgings. On hearing of the discovery of the plot and the capture of Fawkes, all of the plotters fled from London. Whoever it was that gave this warning to the plotters has never been named.
Fawkes in the meantime was not giving forth any information that might jeopardise his conspirators, hoping instead to gain them valuable time to put distance between them and any pursuers. Getting nowhere with Fawkes the Privy Council decided to involve the king's instructions to them, 'the gentle tortours are to be first usid unto him - et sic per gardus ad ima tenditus' (and so by degrees proceeding to the worst). Eventually after suffering for three days he named his fellow conspirators trusting that by now they were well gone.
They had ridden north as far as Holbeach in Staffordshire reaching there on the evening of the 7th November. It had been raining heavily and they had little dry power for their firearms so they began to dry some on the hearth but a stray spark caused an explosion with Catesby and others wounded, one of whom was almost blinded. It is rather ironic that the only explosion caused by the plotters would result in injury to themselves only.
That same evening they were surrounded by some 200 men commanded by the High Sheriff of Worcestershire, Sir Richard Walsh. The next morning there was a brief, violent battle with the 200 opposed by 12 bloodied, desperate men.
"Stand by me Mr Tom and we shall die together," Catesby said to Thomas Percy before he and Percy were both felled by a lucky single shot. Catesby died almost at once. Percy, and his brother-in-laws John and Christopher Wright died later of their wounds. Richmond and Thomas Winter were wounded and captured. There were others still on the loose they having fled from Holbeach before the attack. Sir Everard Digby, Keyes and Bates (Catesby's servant) were all rounded up quickly. Robert Winter was able to evade capture for several months but like the others was eventually captured, tried for treason and executed.
So the conspiracy ended - or did it? Like all good intrigues rumours abounded and one of the most long lasting concerned the connection between Robert Cecil and Thomas Percy. Cecil had been at pains before the accession of James I to the throne to set him against the Earl of Northumberland. This manoeuvre of Cecil to prejudice in advance had been successful against Sir Walter Raleigh but failed against the Earl for James became friendly with the Earl. A theory that Cecil himself was in some way connected to the plot via the use of agents provocateur so that all the senior lay catholics and sympathisers were implicated and therefore could be 'destroyed'. As a rabid anti-catholic and a rather devious, almost machiavellian character he was thought easily capable of making such a decision.
But who was his supposed agent? None other than our own Thomas Percy who had been seen leaving Cecil's house late at night on occasions. Was it Percy who kept Cecil abreast of all the actions of the conspirators? Was Percy sacrificed by Cecil's agents because his knowledge would have proven extremely embarrassing if it had been revealed at a public trial? Did Percy really die of his wounds as supposed or was he summarily executed? Remember that the only accounts of the skirmish have come from government sources. Sir Edward Hoby wrote at the time to the English Ambassador at Brussels, "Percy is dead: who it is thought by some particular men could have said more than any other."
Whatever the truth, there are discrepancies between the verifiable facts and the official reports published in 'The King's Book' and this makes it very obvious that the government was not entirely honest in its account of the detection of the Gunpowder Plot.
One interesting name comes to light, that of Sir Everard Digby, whose son was later to marry the granddaughter of the 7th Earl of Northumberland. Another branch of this family is today represented by the Baron Digby of Sherborne. Previously we have mentioned a letter sent by the lawyers of the Earl Digby to Joseph Jnr in Petone. The serious side to this sidelight is that the Percy family and the Digby's have been intertwined not only in matters of religion and politics but also in matters 'of the heart' to say nothing of matters of business. Do we have any other connections to them?