Rye House Plot
Encyclopedia
The Rye House Plot of 1683 was a plan to assassinate King Charles II of England
and his brother (and heir to the throne) James, Duke of York
. Historians vary in their assessment of the degree to which details of the conspiracy were finalized.
After the Restoration
of the monarchy under Charles in 1660 there was concern among some members of Parliament, former republicans and sections of the Protestant population of England that the King's relationship with France under Louis XIV
and the other Catholic
rulers of Europe was too close. Anti-Catholic sentiment, which associated Catholicism with absolutism, was widespread, and focused particular attention on the succession to the throne. While Charles was publicly Anglican, he and his brother were known to have Catholic sympathies. These suspicions were confirmed in 1673 when James was discovered to have converted to Catholicism.
In 1681, triggered by the opposition-invented Popish Plot
, the Exclusion Bill
was introduced in the House of Commons, which would have excluded James from the succession. Charles outmanoeuvred his opponents and dissolved Parliament
. This left his opponents with no legal method of preventing James's succession, and rumours of plots and conspiracies abounded. With the "country party" in disarray, Lord Melville
, Lord Leven and even Lord Shaftesbury
, leader of the opposition to Charles's rule, fled to Holland where Shaftesbury soon died.
Rye House, located in Hoddesdon
, Hertfordshire
, was a large, fortified mediaeval mansion surrounded by a moat
. The house was owned by a well-known Republican, Captain-Lieutenant Richard Rumbold
. The plan was to conceal a force of 100 men in the grounds of the house and ambush the King and the Duke as they passed by on their way back to London from the horse races at Newmarket.
They were expected to make the journey on 1 April 1683, but there was a great fire in Newmarket on 22 March, which destroyed half the town. The races were cancelled, and the King and the Duke returned to London early. As a result, the planned attack never took place.
News of the plot leaked and the plot was publicly discovered 12 June 1683; Charles and his supporters were quick to act: a royal declaration of the heinous nature of the plot was issued on 27 July. Many well-known members of Parliament and noblemen of the "country party", which opposed the Court party and would soon be known as Whigs
, were arrested. Although the principal conspirators were minor figures, the Whig leaders William, Lord Russell
, a son of the Earl of Bedford, was convicted and executed, and Algernon Sidney was convicted on weaker evidence by Judge Sir George Jeffreys
, brought in as Lord Chief Justice in September and also executed alongside Sir Thomas Armstrong
another Whig MP. The Earl of Essex
committed suicide in the Tower of London, whilst Ford Grey, 3rd Baron Grey of Werke
escaped from the Tower and The Earl of Macclesfield
was sentenced to death but was later pardoned. The Duke of Monmouth
, Charles' illegitimate son, was also implicated and obliged to retire to the United Provinces
. A popular account of the plot was published in 1685 by T. Sprat, A True Account and Declaration of the Horrid Conspiracy against the Late King.
Historians have suggested the story of the plot may have been largely manufactured by Charles or his supporters to allow the removal of most of his strongest political opponents. Richard Greaves cites as proof that there was a plot in 1683, the 1685 armed rebellions of the fugitive Earl of Argyll
and Charles' Protestant illegitimate son, James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth
(Greaves 1992). Doreen Milne asserts that its importance lies less in what was actually plotted than in the public perception of it and the uses made of it by the government. The popular reaction to the Tories' reactive excesses led to the discontent expressed in the Glorious Revolution
of 1688.
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
and his brother (and heir to the throne) James, Duke of York
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
. Historians vary in their assessment of the degree to which details of the conspiracy were finalized.
After the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
of the monarchy under Charles in 1660 there was concern among some members of Parliament, former republicans and sections of the Protestant population of England that the King's relationship with France under Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
and the other Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
rulers of Europe was too close. Anti-Catholic sentiment, which associated Catholicism with absolutism, was widespread, and focused particular attention on the succession to the throne. While Charles was publicly Anglican, he and his brother were known to have Catholic sympathies. These suspicions were confirmed in 1673 when James was discovered to have converted to Catholicism.
In 1681, triggered by the opposition-invented Popish Plot
Popish Plot
The Popish Plot was a fictitious conspiracy concocted by Titus Oates that gripped England, Wales and Scotland in Anti-Catholic hysteria between 1678 and 1681. Oates alleged that there existed an extensive Catholic conspiracy to assassinate Charles II, accusations that led to the execution of at...
, the Exclusion Bill
Exclusion Bill
The Exclusion Crisis ran from 1678 through 1681 in the reign of Charles II of England. The Exclusion Bill sought to exclude the king's brother and heir presumptive, James, Duke of York, from the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland because he was Roman Catholic...
was introduced in the House of Commons, which would have excluded James from the succession. Charles outmanoeuvred his opponents and dissolved Parliament
Oxford Parliament (1681)
An English Parliament assembled in the city of Oxford for one week from 21 March 1681 until 28 March 1681 during the reign of Charles II of England.Succeeding the Exclusion Bill Parliament, this was the fifth and last parliament of the King's reign. Both Houses of Parliament met and the King...
. This left his opponents with no legal method of preventing James's succession, and rumours of plots and conspiracies abounded. With the "country party" in disarray, Lord Melville
George Melville, 1st Earl of Melville
George Melville, 1st Earl of Melville was a Scots aristocrat and statesman during the reigns of William and Mary.In 1643, he succeeded his father as Lord Melville.-Career:...
, Lord Leven and even Lord Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury PC , known as Anthony Ashley Cooper from 1621 to 1631, as Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, 2nd Baronet from 1631 to 1661, and as The Lord Ashley from 1661 to 1672, was a prominent English politician during the Interregnum and during the reign of King Charles...
, leader of the opposition to Charles's rule, fled to Holland where Shaftesbury soon died.
Rye House, located in Hoddesdon
Hoddesdon
Hoddesdon is a town in the English county of Hertfordshire, situated in the Lea Valley. The town grew up as a coaching stop on the route between Cambridge and London. It is located southeast of Hertford, north of Waltham Cross and southwest of Bishop's Stortford. At its height during the 18th...
, Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire
Hertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
, was a large, fortified mediaeval mansion surrounded by a moat
Moat
A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...
. The house was owned by a well-known Republican, Captain-Lieutenant Richard Rumbold
Richard Rumbold
Richard Rumbold was a Cromwellian soldier who took part in the Rye House Plot to assassinate Charles II of England and his brother James.The pattern of his character and the details of his life have to be pieced together from scanty evidence...
. The plan was to conceal a force of 100 men in the grounds of the house and ambush the King and the Duke as they passed by on their way back to London from the horse races at Newmarket.
They were expected to make the journey on 1 April 1683, but there was a great fire in Newmarket on 22 March, which destroyed half the town. The races were cancelled, and the King and the Duke returned to London early. As a result, the planned attack never took place.
News of the plot leaked and the plot was publicly discovered 12 June 1683; Charles and his supporters were quick to act: a royal declaration of the heinous nature of the plot was issued on 27 July. Many well-known members of Parliament and noblemen of the "country party", which opposed the Court party and would soon be known as Whigs
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
, were arrested. Although the principal conspirators were minor figures, the Whig leaders William, Lord Russell
William Russell, Lord Russell
William Russell, Lord Russell was an English politician. He was a leading member of the Country Party, forerunners of the Whigs, who opposed the succession of James II during the reign of Charles II, ultimately resulting in his execution for treason.-Early life and marriage:Russell was the third...
, a son of the Earl of Bedford, was convicted and executed, and Algernon Sidney was convicted on weaker evidence by Judge Sir George Jeffreys
George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys
George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys of Wem, PC , also known as "The Hanging Judge", was an English judge. He became notable during the reign of King James II, rising to the position of Lord Chancellor .- Early years and education :Jeffreys was born at the family estate of Acton Hall, near Wrexham,...
, brought in as Lord Chief Justice in September and also executed alongside Sir Thomas Armstrong
Sir Thomas Armstrong
Sir Thomas Armstrong was an army officer and MP executed for Treason.During the Interregnum he was a supporter of Charles II, participating in the plot to seize Chester Castle in 1655, and carrying funds from Aubrey de Vere, 20th Earl of Oxford to Charles in exile. He was possibly imprisoned for a...
another Whig MP. The Earl of Essex
Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex
Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex PC , whose surname is sometimes spelled Capel, was an English statesman.-Early life:...
committed suicide in the Tower of London, whilst Ford Grey, 3rd Baron Grey of Werke
Ford Grey, 1st Earl of Tankerville
Ford Grey, 1st Earl of Tankerville , 1st Viscount Glendale, and 3rd Baron Grey of Warke, was a British nobleman and statesman. He was the son of Ralph Grey, 2nd Baron Grey of Werke and Catherine Ford, daughter of Sir Edward Ford of Harting in West Sussex. He was baptized the day of his birth at...
escaped from the Tower and The Earl of Macclesfield
Charles Gerard, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield
Charles Gerard, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield was born in France and was naturalized in England by Act of Parliament in 1677.-Biography:...
was sentenced to death but was later pardoned. The Duke of Monmouth
James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth
James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, 1st Duke of Buccleuch, KG, PC , was an English nobleman. Originally called James Crofts or James Fitzroy, he was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the eldest illegitimate son of Charles II and his mistress, Lucy Walter...
, Charles' illegitimate son, was also implicated and obliged to retire to the United Provinces
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
. A popular account of the plot was published in 1685 by T. Sprat, A True Account and Declaration of the Horrid Conspiracy against the Late King.
Historians have suggested the story of the plot may have been largely manufactured by Charles or his supporters to allow the removal of most of his strongest political opponents. Richard Greaves cites as proof that there was a plot in 1683, the 1685 armed rebellions of the fugitive Earl of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll
Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll was a Scottish peer.He was born in 1629 in Dalkeith, Scotland, the son of Archibald Campbell, 1st Marquess of Argyll....
and Charles' Protestant illegitimate son, James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth
James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth
James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, 1st Duke of Buccleuch, KG, PC , was an English nobleman. Originally called James Crofts or James Fitzroy, he was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the eldest illegitimate son of Charles II and his mistress, Lucy Walter...
(Greaves 1992). Doreen Milne asserts that its importance lies less in what was actually plotted than in the public perception of it and the uses made of it by the government. The popular reaction to the Tories' reactive excesses led to the discontent expressed in the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
of 1688.