APPENDIX C

Longleat MSS. Coventry Papers xi. 148

Lord Windsor to Henry Coventry. July 8, 1676.

I was yesterday at the trial of Studesbury of Broadly at Worcester assizes, where Judge Atkyns sat upon the bench. The treason was fully proved against him according to that information I did send you. The judge took occasion by advice of those justices which were upon the bench to make the trial long, the better to discover whether he were distracted or not: upon the whole examination and by the answers he made to the many questions that were asked him, it was the opinion of all that sat upon the bench (which were many) that he was very sensible and in no way mad, but in justifying Venner’s action and holding the worst of the fanatic opinions, and often using their ranting way of talking; he said he held a halberd at the trial of the late King, and repeated some of his words with Bradshaw’s answers to them, and said the putting of Venner and his associates to death was murder. The chief witness against him (besides his own confession) was one Harrington, an anabaptist mentioned in the first examination, which Harrington being asked if he did judge Studesbury mad upon the first discourse he had with him (which held near an hour) when he would have advised him to take arms against the King, he declared he found nothing of that mind in him, but thought he designed to ensnare him; yet notwithstanding all this the jury found him a madman. Upon that the judge told them that he and all that sat with him were of a contrary opinion and desired them to withdraw and consider better of’t, which they did do and came in again of the same opinion, one of them saying that if he were not mad he would not have said what he did.

Brit. Mus. Add. MSS. 28042: 19

Memorandum by the Marquis of Danby. (Endorsed) Mem^d. (7–8/9.)

To put forth a declaration. To examine the present state of the revenue: to consider about stop of payment and when: what is yet to come in upon the accounts and at what times: To know what is due to the ships abroad: at what times those ships are expected: in what state the victualling is. In what hands the militia; the justices of the peace: the judges. When the dissolution ought to be: what preparation for a new Parliament and when: About the sheriffs: the next Lord Mayor: the Cinque Ports: the Port towns by the commissioners of the customs, of treasury, of Navy: who have a particular interest in Borrows. To consider what grateful things may be done in this interval of Parliament: what should be said in the declaration upon the dissolution: for these q^e Sir R. W. (Weston) and let the journals of the Commons be searched for their proceedings in this last session: To consider wherein they have exceeded all the due limits of their own power as in imprisonment of men who are not their members, etc., and meddling with the King’s prerogatives and private accounts, etc.: To keep Lord Roberts by some encouragement: About another Attorney-General, viz.: Sir R. W. (Weston) (which is of main importance): what change of Councillors. In what condition all the garrisons are as to their fortifications: what number of forces and where placed after the disbanding: to inquire into the riots at the last elections. How conventicles should be inquired after, and what penal laws should be put in execution: who to be in the Treasury and in the treasury of the Navy: what can be done for the suppressing of seditious prints and papers: About directing somebody to write both about the present state of things to give the world a better impression of them than they are now possessed with and to give constant weekly accounts of what is done at any time which may be for the satisfaction of men’s minds. Q. Whether the Plot not triable out of Parliament. Q. About securing the arms of all who have been officers in the late Rebellion. To take their names and abodes in all counties. Q; how for to take notice of them and dissenters from the Church how busy they have appeared of late and what reasonable cause of danger to the government from them. Parliament to be called to some other place: the King to reside out of London: Tower to be well secured: L^d Ossory sent to the Navy: that to be officered so as to have influence upon their men: To have a control to know justly when the army is all disbanded and whether there be any remains. About the Tower in case of insurrection: To take some course about the reasons of the Commons which are printed, (?) to suppress them and to have something writ to satisfy the people.

Brit. Mus. Add. MSS. 32095; 196

(Paper endorsed) Popish Plot. This paper was presented to the King by the D. of York, Oct. 20^th 1679.

That in or about May or June last Col. Fitzpatrick delivered to the Pope’s internuncio at Brussels a letter or paper subscribed by four R. C. bishops, two of which were Plunket archbp. of Armagh, and Tyrel bp. of Clogher, recommending the said Fitzpatrick for the only person fit to be entrusted general of an army for establishing the R. C. religion in Ireland under the French sovereignty, which paper after coming to the internuncio’s hands was seen by several clergy and laymen, known to Father Daly, procurator, F. O’Neill, commissary. F. Macshone, guardian of the Irish Franciscans, and F. Macmahone alias Matthews, Prior of the Dominicans in Lovain, among whom ’tis also said that Fitzpatrick carried such another instrument into France, where he first arrived from Ireland and whence he went into Flanders, where he resolved to settle at Brussels. But he was forced to remove thence by his R.H. commands, which he obeyed not without much regret and murmuring.

P.R.O. Roman Transcripts. Vat. Arch. Nunt. di Fiandra 66

Di Brusselles dal Sig^r Internuncio, May 24/June 3, 1679.

In Ibernia, dove il numero de’ Cattolici è molto maggiore che quello de’ Protestanti, ha gran seguito e autorità il Colonello Fitzpatrice, onde il Duca d’Jorch a mostrato haverlo veduto malvolontieri venire à Brusselles, per dubbio che il Parlamento pigliando gelosia del ricorso di lui à S. A. Reale prenda motivo di maggiormente inasprirsi contro la medesima, contro di essa, e contro il Duca d’Ormond. N’è perciò egli partito per Olanda à titolo di veder quel paese, ma precedentemente ha tenuta una segreta conferenza col Sig^r Duca d’Jorch, dopo la quale mi ha lasciato intendere soffrirsi troppo patientemente da S. A. Reale l’audacia de’ Parlamentarii, e doversi di gia pensare almeno à modi di respingerla quando la temerità loro e la debolezza del Rè d’Inghilterra passasse à porre in esecutione il projetto della sua diseredatione. Toccante l’Ibernia ha detto chiaramente essere insofferibile il giogo sotto l’oppressione del quale gemono quei Cattolici, e ha aggiunto che apprendendosi per massima naturale il difendersi in qualsivoglia maniera, non dubita egli che non fussero per commoversi tutti concordemente, non solo se il Sig^r Duca d’Jorch ma se qualunque barbaro Principe con qualque denaro, e con assistenza di pochi vascelli si accostasse alle spiaggie dell’ Isola, e portasse armi e munitioni da guerra à quelli habitanti.