TABLE OF SOME EVENTS OCCURRING IN THE HISTORY OF THE POPISH PLOT

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