John Ballard (died 20 September 1586) was an English priest executed for being involved in an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I of England in the Babington Plot. The. [7] He fled to St Johns Wood, an area of woodland outside of London at the time, but is now close to Regents Park. As a bit of a change from what I normally write on the blog, I thought I would share something that has a local connection to where I live. With his spy network, it was not long before Walsingham discovered the existence of the Babington Plot. See also Anthony Babington on Wikipedia; and our 1911 Encyclopdia Britannica disclaimer. Two days later, seven more conspirators (Edward Habington, Charles Tilney, Edward Jones, John Charnock, John Travers, Jerome Bellamy, and Robert Gage) were similarly tried and sentenced to be hung, drawn and quartered. The most important consequence of the Babington Plot was the subsequent execution of Mary Queen of Scots - a hugely significant event since it involved the execution of a monarch. Babington and his conspirators were arrested, convicted of treason and executed. Many participants in the Babington and Gunpowder Plots were related by blood or marriage to Francis, among them Robert Catesby and Francis Tresham. Another seven conspirators were due to be executed at the same place the following day. Babington then applied for a passport abroad, for the ostensible purpose of spying upon the refugees, but in reality to organize the foreign expedition and secure his own safety. Of the letters that were used as evidence for the plot, many had been written by Mary Queen of Scots, who encouraged the conspirators. of Spain, who ardently desired the success of an enterprise so Christian, just and advantageous to the holy Catholic faith,[1] promised to assist with an expedition directly the assassination of the queen was effected. In 1580 he came to London, attended the court of Elizabeth, and joined the secret society formed that year supporting the Jesuit missionaries. Babington pleaded guilty but placed all the blame for the plot on Ballard. An agent within the French embassy at Salisbury Court near Fleet Street notified Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth's Secretary of State. Anthonys involvement in secret plots began to deepen whilst he was abroad. Some of them were certainly tortured, Ballard the priest so badly that he had to be carried to his execution in a chair, his limbs having been torn out of their sockets by the rack. 1596 - Death of William Day, Bishop of Winchester. Both plots however were formulated in France by two of Elizabeth's staunchest enemies, Paget and Morgan. However, the plot had been discovered and nurtured by Queen Elizabeth's spymaster Francis Walsingham from the start. For reasons of security Mary, Queen of Scots was regularly moved from one residence to another. It is during these brief few months that many claim Babington became utterly devoted to Mary and her cause to sit on the throne of England. Anthony Babington was born in October 1561 in Dethick, Derbyshire, to Henry Babington and his wife, Mary. Ballard matriculated at St Catharine's College, Cambridge in 1569, but subsequently migrated to Caius College, Cambridge,[1] and on the 29 November 1579 went on to study at the English College at Rheims. He was born . Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. Many participants in the Babington and Gunpowder Plots were related by blood or marriage to Francis . [citation needed]. Whilst of course this is a work of fiction, its based on the very real Babington Plot, which was named after Babingtons involvement. All were condemned to death for high treason. Anthony Babington was descended from a family of great antiquity who in successive generations had acquired vast estates in and around Derbyshire. During Anthonys life, to be Catholic was seen as wrong. Throckmorton was placed under surveillance almost as soon as he returned to England and the plot never put into action.[4]. [11] Ballard was the first of the seven to be executed, followed by Babington. The authorities found him at the end of August just nine miles away in Harrow, where he was being hidden by a Catholic convert.[8]. (1) In March 1586, Anthony Babington and six friends gathered in The Plough, an inn outside Temple Bar, where they discussed the possibility of freeing Mary, assassinating Elizabeth, and inciting a rebellion supported by an invasion from abroad. In 1580, Anthony went to London, where he joined a secret society that supported Jesuit missionaries. The following day, the first seven were drawn on hurdles from Tower Hill to St Giles. With the fundamental basis of the protection and maintenance of Jesuit missionaries, the group were soon being commended in private by Pope Gregory XIII. In the meantime, Babington had applied for a new passport to travel abroad, claiming he needed it so he could spy on Catholic refugees, but really he needed to help organise help for the plot. Throckmorton was a relatively minor player, whose significance was to confirm the extent of Spanish involvement in seeking to overthrow Elizabeth. [4][14], A servant of Mary, Queen of Scots, Jrme Pasquier, was questioned by Thomas Phelippes in September 1586. [9] This wasnt granted and the execution went ahead. In the meantime, Babington had applied for a new passport to travel abroad, claiming he needed it so he could spy on Catholic refugees, but really he needed to help organise help for the plot. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia, Anthony Babington, https://londonhistorians.wordpress.com/2016/09/20/the-terrible-execution-of-the-babington-conspirators/, Home of the Yorks and the Death of a Queen Fotheringhay Castle: Guest Post by Laura Adkins Voyager of History, Francis Walsingham- The Spymaster who Thought there was Less Danger in Fearing Too Much Than Too Little: Guest Post by Elizabeth Hill-Scott Voyager of History. The other is that he, as well as his association with Mary Queen of Scots, are the subject of one of my favourite childhood books, A Traveller in Time, written by local author, Alison Uttley. Ballard suffered at the hands of the executioner first, undergoing terrible torture before his life was extinguished. Ballard was tortured. [6] There was no response to this request. [6], Throckmorton was taken into custody in November, along with incriminating documents, including lists of English Catholic supporters. The conspirators were tried at Westminster Hall on 13 and 14 September 1586 and found guilty of treason and conspiracy against the Crown. It was typical of the amateurish and overly optimistic approach of many such attempts. Ballard was executed on the first day along with the other main conspirators. Anthony Babington was descended from a family of great antiquity who in successive generations had acquired vast estates in and around Derbyshire. He was still allowed his liberty, but one night while supping with Walsinghams servant he observed a memorandum of the ministers concerning himself, fled to St Johns Wood, where he was joined by some of his companions, and after disguising himself succeeded in reaching Harrow, where he was sheltered by a recent convert to Romanism. This did him little good as the only logical outcome for the charge of treason was to be sentenced to death. [2] His involvement with this underground activity meant that following the execution of the clandestine Catholic priest, Edward Campion, he decided to retire back to Derbyshire, before later deciding to go abroad. [10], Protected by diplomatic immunity, Mendoza was expelled in January 1584. Wilkes, J., and Borman, T., Alternate History: What if the Babington Plot to Assassinate Elizabeth I Had Succeeded?, https://www.historyextra.com/period/elizabethan/babington-plot-assasinate-elizabeth-i-alternate-history/. On the same day, he offered a friend 1000li if he could secure his release. Babington's conduct was marked by open folly and vanity. Philip II. On the 4th of August Ballard was seized and betrayed his comrades, probably under torture. [4] These messages were coded to try and deter any would-be interceptors. [15], Mary was placed under strict confinement at Chartley Hall in Staffordshire, while Walsingham and Lord Burghley drew up the Bond of Association, obliging all signatories to execute anyone who attempted to usurp the throne or to assassinate the Queen. Mary was tried on the basis of the forged evidence and executed in February . This site was chosen as it was one of the places the conspirators gathered for secret meetings. With the discovery, John Ballard was arrested on 4 August 1568 and he probably betrayed his co-conspirators under torture. Babingtons conduct was marked by open folly and vanity. On the 4th of August Ballard was seized and betrayed his comrades, probably under torture. BABINGTON, ANTHONY (15611586), English conspirator, son of Henry Babington of Dethick in Derbyshire, and of Mary, daughter of George, Lord Darcy, was born in October 1561, and was brought up secretly a Roman Catholic. Whilst that may have been the end of the story as far as Babington was concerned, it was not the end of the far reaching consequences of the plot. I love anything history. And so it was that on 21 September, the remaining seven conspirators were put to death. If you use any of the content on this page in your own work, please use the code below to cite this page as the source of the content. This blog is a selection of interesting things I've come across during my history research. The follow on post about Fotheringhay Castle, where she was executed, can be found here. [12], Throckmorton was put on trial on 21 May 1584 and executed on 10 July. Your email address will not be published. Even Babingtons father, while he was alive, was said to have been inclined to papistrie, and had a brother who was a doctor of divinitie of the same religious profession. With this vital piece of evidence in his possession, Walsingham had Ballard and the other conspirators arrested. Link will appear as Hanson, Marilee. Throckmorton also carried some letters written by Mary to the French ambassador Michel de Castelnau. In 1579 he married Margery Draycot, and by 1580 was in London studying law. Transcript: On this day in Tudor history, 20th September 1586, Anthony Babington, John Ballard, John Savage, Chidiock Tichborne and three other conspirators were executed near St Giles-in-the-Fields in London. Messages were sent to and from Mary, who was by then being held in Chartley Hall in Staffordshire, by hiding them in the stopper of a beer barrel from Burton on Trent, which is still known for beer making. A BA History and MA Public History and Heritage graduate from the University of Derby. They were executed by hanging, drawing and quartering in two batches on the 20 and 21 September. Ballard was tortured. As a boy, Anthony had served as a page in Sheffield to George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, and his wife, Bess of Hardwick, jailers of Mary Queen of Scots, who had been in his charge since February 1568. [8] Another conspirator and letter carrier, George More, was also arrested and questioned, but released after making a deal with Walsingham. The family were well connected and were wealthy local landowners. Anthonys grandfather, John, had been High Sheriff of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, who had fought and died for Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. According to the new letter, Mary authorized the assassination. A ballad celebrating the discovery of the plot compared Elizabeth's escape to the survival of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace.[17]. John Ballard, the Jesuit priest was arrested and tortured, which led to him implicating Babington and some of the other conspirators. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anthony-Babington, Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia, Anthony Babington. The plot was discovered by Elizabeth's spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham and used to entrap Mary for the purpose of removing her as a claimant to the English throne. John Ballard was the son of William Ballard of Wratting, Suffolk. The 1583 Throckmorton Plot was one of a series of attempts by English Roman Catholics to depose Elizabeth I of England and replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots, then held under house arrest in England.The alleged objective was to facilitate a Spanish invasion of England, assassinate Elizabeth, and put Mary on the English throne. First of all, he was a major landowner of my hometown during the late sixteenth century. Anthony Babington (1561-86) was the go-between in the secret preparations. The manner of their deaths was so bloody and horrific that it deeply shocked those who were present at the spectacle. I have known of Anthony Babington from a young age for many reasons. [1] Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia, Anthony Babington, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Sep. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anthony-Babington; Batho, G. R., The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots, The Scottish Historical Review, 39.127 (1960), p. 38. Babington followed and suffered a similarly barbaric execution, being still alive as the executioners knife went to work on disemboweling him. By his wife Margery, Anthony Babington had a daughter, who died at the age of eight, probably before her father. On 13-14 September, Babington, Ballard and five others (the poet Chidiock Tichbourne, Thomas Salisbury, Robert Barnewell, John Savage and Henry Donn) were placed on trial. They were executed by hanging, drawing and quartering in two batches on the 20 and 21 September. It has national significance, but all starts with Anthony Babington, a Derbyshire man. When the passport was delayed, he offered to report a conspiracy to Walsingham if it helped speed up the passport process. However, the plot was deciphered by codebreaker, Thomas Phelippes, who worked at Chartley, and a double agent, Gilbert Gifford, who was part of Babingtons circle, but also one of Walsinghams spies. [citation needed] When Elizabeth was told of the suffering the men had endured on the scaffold, and its effect on the many witnesses, she is said to have ordered that the remaining seven conspirators be left hanging until they were 'quite dead' before being cut down and butchered. "The horrors of semi-strangulation and of being split open alive for the heart and intestines . The passport being delayed, he offered to reveal to Walsingham a dangerous conspiracy, but the latter sent no reply, and meanwhile the ports were closed and none allowed to leave the kingdom for some days. . Several of the dreaded priest infiltrators were found by an agent named George Eliot, who had . Francis Throckmorton (1554-1584) came from a prominent English Catholic family, his father John Throckmorton being a senior judge and witness to Queen Mary's will. Look out for a guest post written by Laura Adkins on Fotheringhay Castle. [3] Guise would then marry Mary and become king. [5] While travelling in Europe with his brother Thomas from 1580 to 1583, they visited Paris and met with Catholic exiles Charles Paget and Thomas Morgan. Towards the end of August he was discovered and imprisoned in the Tower. Mary, Queen of Scots, responded to Babington's letters agreeing to the plan. Babington was thus drawn into the plot that generally bares his name a plot hatched by Marys supporters in France to assassinate Elizabeth and place Mary on the throne. All in all, they rounded up and condemned 14 men to death. Her ministers, especially her spymaster, Walsingham, viewed Catholics as capable of treason. Paul E. J. [13] Batho, G. R., The Execution of Mary Queen of Scots, p. 38. Early in 1580, Babington was one of a secret circle established for the protection of priests, most notably Edmund Campion and Robert Parsons. On 19 September, Babington wrote to Elizabeth begging her to employ mercy and spare him. She still had her entourage and spent her days sewing, reading or hunting, but . [2] Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia, Anthony Babington, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anthony-Babington, [4] Wilkes, J., and Borman, T., Alternate History: What if the Babington Plot to Assassinate Elizabeth I Had Succeeded?, History Extra, https://www.historyextra.com/period/elizabethan/babington-plot-assasinate-elizabeth-i-alternate-history/; Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia, Anthony Babington, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anthony-Babington, [5] Wilkes, J., and Borman, T., What if the Babington Plot to Assassinate Elizabeth I Had Succeeded?, History Extra, https://www.historyextra.com/period/elizabethan/babington-plot-assasinate-elizabeth-i-alternate-history/, [6] Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia, Anthony Babington, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anthony-Babington, [10] Lyons, M., The Terrible Execution of the Babington Conspirators, London Historians Blog, 20 September 2016, https://londonhistorians.wordpress.com/2016/09/20/the-terrible-execution-of-the-babington-conspirators/; Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia, Anthony Babington, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anthony-Babington, [11] Lyons, M., The Terrible Execution of the Babington Conspirators, London Historians Blog, 20 September 2016, https://londonhistorians.wordpress.com/2016/09/20/the-terrible-execution-of-the-babington-conspirators/. The plot was manipulated by Walsingham in order to bring about his primary objective: the downfall of Mary, Queen of Scots. The conspiracy was regarded by Mendoza, the Spanish ambassador, one of its chief instigators, and also by Walsingham, as the most dangerous of recent years; it included, in its general purpose of destroying the government, a large number of Roman Catholics, and had ramifications all over the country. Instead, Babington supposedly found out he was being investigated after seeing a note about himself whilst in the company of one of Walsinghams servants. [2] He was the last Spanish ambassador to England during the Elizabethan era. Under his three guardians (his mother, Foljambe and Philip Draycot of Paynsley, Staffordshire), Babington was indebted for his education. I would definitely recommend reading it. This page was last edited on 12 June 2014, at 21:06. Babington confessed all, but placed all the blame on Ballard, who graciously admitted that he wished the spilling of his blood could save his young friend. [5] With the discovery, John Ballard was arrested on 4 August 1568 and he probably betrayed his co-conspirators under torture. Walsingham had his proof. In 1582 after the execution of Father Campion he withdrew to Dethick, and attaining his majority occupied himself for a short time with the management of his estates. The conspirators were tried at Westminster Hall on 13 and 14 September 1586 and found guilty of treason and conspiracy against the Crown. Whilst Elizabeth had previously saved Mary from execution for the previous Ridolfi plot, it was harder to deny her involvement when there were letters between Mary and the conspirators, which suggested she knew of the plan to assassinate Elizabeth. His wealth, charm and good looks soon secured him a large following around court, and it was inevitable that other Catholics, seduced by Jesuit stirrings abroad, soon formed his inner circle of friends. Although all three outwardly conformed to Protestantism, it is certain they were all church papists. It should be coming soon and links in with this post. He was their third child and eldest son. The plot aimed to free Mary, Queen of Scots, under house arrest in England since 1568, make her queen in place of Elizabeth, and legally restore Roman Catholicism. . He confessed to writing a letter in cipher for Mary to send to the French ambassador Castelnau asking him to negotiate a pardon for Francis Throckmorton. As a youth he served at Sheffield as page to Mary queen of Scots, for whom he early felt an ardent devotion. At the time of the execution of the conspirators, it was agricultural fields outside of London. [10] A crowd numbering in the thousands watched the horrific execution on a scaffold that was built purposefully tall so that the crowd could see it easily. On the 13th and 14th of September he was tried with Ballard and five others by a special commission, when he confessed his guilt, but strove to place all the blame upon Ballard. Walsingham monitored Babington's correspondence with the captive Queen Mary until he had enough evidence of her treasonable intentions to have her tried and executed in 1587, Babington having been executed at Tyburn after torture. Throckmorton was tortured with the rack, first on 16 November, to ensure he revealed as much information as possible. [citation needed]. In May 1586, a Catholic priest known as John Ballard became part of the plot. His father died in 1571 when he was nine, and his mother remarried to Henry Foljambe. [3] He was given letters for Mary and returned to England. [13] His brother Thomas and many others managed to escape; some were imprisoned in the Tower of London, but Francis Throckmorton was the only one executed. On September 20 th, 1586, Babington, Ballard and five others were hanged, drawn and cornered. This sentence was passed and the guilty parties were due to be hung, drawn and quartered. [13] Whatever evidence there was, Elizabeth was reluctant to execute another sovereign and hesitated issuing a death warrant. After a few days, he was taken to the Tower of London. The Babington Plot In the Babington . Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Elizabeth was horrified at the revolting cruelty of their death, and ordered that those to be executed the following day were to be left hanging until dead before being cut down. On 19 November, he confessed to giving the Spanish ambassador a list of suitable havens and ports on the English coast. This was proved to be true at times when plots to replace Elizabeth with Mary Queen of Scots were uncovered, although the majority of Catholics just wished to worship in peace. By this point, the plan included destroying the entire Protestant government and included many Catholics from across the country. English priest and conspirator against Elizabeth I, Learn how and when to remove this template message, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Ballard_(Jesuit)&oldid=1156931740, Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, People executed under Elizabeth I by hanging, drawing and quartering, People executed under the Tudors for treason against England, People from the Borough of St Edmundsbury, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from April 2008, All articles needing additional references, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2023, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, This page was last edited on 25 May 2023, at 09:06. Why did the Babington Plot fail? The Babington Plot was a plan to assassinate the protestant Elizabeth I, and put her cousin, the Roman Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots, on the English throne. They were planning on helping her to escape and were offered assistance from Spain if they assassinated Elizabeth I. [11] Throckmorton was tortured with the rack, first on 16 November, to ensure he revealed as much information as possible. Mary, Queen of Scots . 1911 Encyclopdia Britannica/Babington, Anthony, https://en.wikisource.org/w/index.php?title=1911_Encyclopdia_Britannica/Babington,_Anthony&oldid=4928333. Required fields are marked *. So expect to see a bit of everything on here, with a focus on little known stories. Anthony Babington, (born October 1561, Dethick, Derbyshire, Eng.died Sept. 20, 1586, London), English conspirator, a leader of the unsuccessful " Babington Plot" to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I and install Elizabeth's prisoner, the Roman Catholic Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, on the English throne. The plot also resulted in an increase in action by Elizabeth against Catholics. Hammer, 'Catholic threat and military response'. When interviewed, Babington, who was not tortured, made a confession in which he admitted that Mary had written a letter supporting the plot. Susan Doran, 'The Queen', 'Catholic threat and military response', Sue Doran & Norman Jones, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Throckmorton_Plot&oldid=1156042722, This page was last edited on 20 May 2023, at 23:01. In August 1586, Ballard, the Catholic priest, was arrested and tortured. The family were close to the monarchy. With the Protestant Elizabeth I on the throne, Catholicism was seen as something to be suspicious of. Ballard suffered at the hands of the executioner first, undergoing terrible torture before his life was extinguished. On the 19th he wrote to Elizabeth praying for mercy, and the same day offered 1000 for procuring his pardon; and on the 20th, having disclosed the cipher used in the correspondence between himself and Mary, he was executed with the usual barbarities in Lincolns Inn Fields. View all posts by voyagerofhistory, My ancestors were involved ,the Blythes more so Gregory . Being a tall, dark-complexioned man, he was referred to by those who were unaware of his true identity as 'Black Foskew'. The execution was held at what is modern day Lincolns Inn Fields, which is a public square next to Lincolns Inn, one of the Inns of Court where barristers belong to. At his trial, Babington and his twelve confederates were found guilty and sentenced to hanging and quartering. This page is not available in other languages. Thats interesting to know your ancestors were involved. It tells the story of a girl who slips in and out of the 1580s, when Anthony was plotting to help the imprisoned Mary Queen of Scots to escape. Babington briefly visited the continent at this time, spending six months in France where it is believed he may have first met some of Elizabeths enemies. 6 Catholic plots - Ridolfi, Throckmorton, Babington The rebellion of the Northern Earls and the Papal Bull of Excommunication proved to the Privy Council that Mary, Queen of Scots's presence in. To conceal his true identity, he played the part of a swashbuckling, courtly soldier called Captain Fortescue and was once described as wearing 'a fine cape laced with gold, a cut satin doublet and silver buttons on his hat'.
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