George Brooke (conspirator)
Encyclopedia
The Rev.
Sir George Brooke (17 April 1568 - 5 December 1603) was an English
aristocrat
, executed for his part in two plots against the government of King James I
.
, by second wife Frances
, daughter of Sir John Newton, and was born at Cobham Hall
, Cobham
, Kent
, on 17 April 1568 and was baptised with the name of George Cobham. He matriculated at King's College
, University of Cambridge
, Cambridge
, Cambridgeshire
, in 1580, and took his M.A. degree in 1586.
, near Winchester
, by Queen Elizabeth
. The queen, however, died before the vacancy was filled up, and James
gave it instead to an agent of his own, James Hudson. This caused Brooke to become disaffected.
persuaded themselves that if they could get possession of the royal person they would have it in their power to remove the present members of the council, compel the king to tolerate the Roman Catholics, and secure for themselves the chief employments of the state. As part of their arrangements Brooke was to have been Lord Treasurer
. From this scheme sprang the Bye Plot
, also known as the 'treason of the priests.'
, in which Sir Walter Raleigh
and Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham
were implicated. Brooke being the brother of Cobham, Cecil
suspected that Cobham and Raleigh might be concerned in the first treason, and by acting at once vigorously he discovered the second plot. Brooke was arrested and sent to the Tower of London
for his involvement in the Bye Plot in July 1603; he was arraigned
on the 15th. He pleaded not guilty, though his confessions had gradually laid bare the whole details of the plots.
, who had married his sister. He wrote to Cecil enquiring what he might expect after so many promises received, and so much conformity and accepted service performed by him to Cecil. Brooke, in fact, alone of the lay conspirators suffered on the scaffold in the castle yard at Winchester
, Hampshire
, on 5 December 1603 executed for high treason. In 1604 he was attainted.
, and two daughters, Frances and Elizabeth. Although his children were restored in blood, his son was not allowed to succeed to the title. His widow remarried before 24 October 1605, Francis Reade, son of Sir William Reade of Osterley
, Middlesex
, and brother of Anne Reade, wife of Sir Michael Stanhope, Knight, of Sudbury
, Suffolk
.
Thomas Weelkes
dedicated a collection of madrigal
s to Brooke, and Charles Tessier dedicated to him a manuscript collection of French songs. The latter work contains two introductory sonnets by Brooke.
The Reverend
The Reverend is a style most often used as a prefix to the names of Christian clergy and ministers. There are sometimes differences in the way the style is used in different countries and church traditions. The Reverend is correctly called a style but is often and in some dictionaries called a...
Sir George Brooke (17 April 1568 - 5 December 1603) was an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
aristocrat
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
, executed for his part in two plots against the government of King James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
.
Origins and education
Brooke was the fourth and youngest son of William Brooke, 10th Baron CobhamWilliam Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham
William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham was Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, and a Member of Parliament for Hythe. Although he was viewed by some as a religious radical during the Somerset protectorate, he entertained Elizabeth at Cobham Hall in 1559, signalling his acceptance of the moderate regime.His...
, by second wife Frances
Frances Newton, Lady Cobham
Frances Newton, Lady Cobham was an English aristocratic woman who served Queen Elizabeth I of England as a Lady of the Bedchamber, and was one of her closest female friends....
, daughter of Sir John Newton, and was born at Cobham Hall
Cobham Hall
Cobham Hall is a country house in Cobham, Kent, England. There has been a manor house on the site since the 12th century. The current building consists of a pair of Tudor wings built for William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham in the 16th century and a later classical central block, and a kitchen court...
, Cobham
Cobham, Kent
Cobham is a village and civil parish in the Gravesham District of Kent, England. It is located south of Watling Street, the old road from Dover to London, six miles south-east of Gravesend. The hamlet of Sole Street lies within the parish, which covers an area of 1,240 ha and has a population of...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, on 17 April 1568 and was baptised with the name of George Cobham. He matriculated at King's College
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
, University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
, in 1580, and took his M.A. degree in 1586.
Career disappointment
He obtained a prebend in the prebendary of the church of York, and was later promised the mastership of the Hospital of St CrossHospital of St Cross
The Hospital of St Cross and Almshouse of Noble Poverty is a medieval almshouse in Winchester, England, founded between 1133 and 1136. It is the oldest charitable institution in the United Kingdom...
, near Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
, by Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
. The queen, however, died before the vacancy was filled up, and James
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
gave it instead to an agent of his own, James Hudson. This caused Brooke to become disaffected.
The Bye Plot
Brooke and Sir Griffin MarkhamGriffin Markham
Sir Griffin Markham was an English soldier, the son of Thomas Markham and Mary Griffin.On 29 May 1592, he married Anne Roos. He was knighted in 1594 after serving under the Earl of Essex at the siege of Rouen....
persuaded themselves that if they could get possession of the royal person they would have it in their power to remove the present members of the council, compel the king to tolerate the Roman Catholics, and secure for themselves the chief employments of the state. As part of their arrangements Brooke was to have been Lord Treasurer
Lord High Treasurer
The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Act of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third highest ranked Great Officer of State, below the Lord High Chancellor and above the Lord President...
. From this scheme sprang the Bye Plot
Bye Plot
The Bye Plot was a conspiracy by a Roman Catholic priest, William Watson, to kidnap James I of England and to force him to repeal anti-Catholic legislation.-Background:...
, also known as the 'treason of the priests.'
The Main Plot
To Brooke's connection with the Bye may be ultimately traced the discovery of a second plot, known as the Main PlotMain Plot
The Main Plot was an alleged conspiracy of July 1603 by English courtiers, to remove King James I from the English throne, replacing him with his cousin Arabella Stuart. The plot was supposedly led by Henry Brooke, Lord Cobham, and funded by Spain...
, in which Sir Walter Raleigh
Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh was an English aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, spy, and explorer. He is also well known for popularising tobacco in England....
and Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham
Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham
Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham was an English peer who was implicated in the Main Plot against the rule of James I of England.- Life :...
were implicated. Brooke being the brother of Cobham, Cecil
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, KG, PC was an English administrator and politician.-Life:He was the son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and Mildred Cooke...
suspected that Cobham and Raleigh might be concerned in the first treason, and by acting at once vigorously he discovered the second plot. Brooke was arrested and sent to the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
for his involvement in the Bye Plot in July 1603; he was arraigned
Arraignment
Arraignment is a formal reading of a criminal complaint in the presence of the defendant to inform the defendant of the charges against him or her. In response to arraignment, the accused is expected to enter a plea...
on the 15th. He pleaded not guilty, though his confessions had gradually laid bare the whole details of the plots.
Execution
Brooke appears to have hoped to the last to obtain a pardon by means of CecilRobert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, KG, PC was an English administrator and politician.-Life:He was the son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and Mildred Cooke...
, who had married his sister. He wrote to Cecil enquiring what he might expect after so many promises received, and so much conformity and accepted service performed by him to Cecil. Brooke, in fact, alone of the lay conspirators suffered on the scaffold in the castle yard at Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, on 5 December 1603 executed for high treason. In 1604 he was attainted.
Private life
Brooke married after 17 January 1598/1599 Elizabeth Burgh, daughter of Thomas Burgh, 3rd Baron Burgh and Frances Vaughan, and by her had a son, WilliamWilliam Brooke, 12th Baron Cobham
William Brooke, 12th Baron Cobham KB was an English peer, soldier and politician. He was the Member of Parliament for Rochester, Kent.-Biography:...
, and two daughters, Frances and Elizabeth. Although his children were restored in blood, his son was not allowed to succeed to the title. His widow remarried before 24 October 1605, Francis Reade, son of Sir William Reade of Osterley
Osterley
Osterley is a district in the London Borough of Hounslow in west London. It is situated approximately west south-west of Charing Cross.Osterley lies north of the A4 and extends further northwards beyond the M4 Motorway...
, Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
, and brother of Anne Reade, wife of Sir Michael Stanhope, Knight, of Sudbury
Sudbury, Suffolk
Sudbury is a small, ancient market town in the county of Suffolk, England, on the River Stour, from Colchester and from London.-Early history:...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
.
Thomas Weelkes
Thomas Weelkes
Thomas Weelkes was an English composer and organist. He became organist of Winchester College in 1598, moving to Chichester Cathedral. His works are chiefly vocal, and include madrigals, anthems and services.-Life:Weelkes was baptised in the little village church of Elsted in Sussex on 25...
dedicated a collection of madrigal
Madrigal (music)
A madrigal is a secular vocal music composition, usually a partsong, of the Renaissance and early Baroque eras. Traditionally, polyphonic madrigals are unaccompanied; the number of voices varies from two to eight, and most frequently from three to six....
s to Brooke, and Charles Tessier dedicated to him a manuscript collection of French songs. The latter work contains two introductory sonnets by Brooke.