Henry Donn
Encyclopedia
Henry Donn (d. 21 Sep 1586) was one of the conspirators for his involvement in the Babington Plot
, a plot in 1586 to assassinate Queen Elizabeth
, a Protestant, and put Mary, Queen of Scots, a Catholic, on the English throne.
Dunn came from a fairly wealthy Catholic family. He was the son of Christopher Dunn, of Addington, Kent
. All parish records
give the name as Dunn. The Lord of the Manor
was Thomas Watton (1547–1622), married to Martha Roper, a great grand-daughter of Sir Thomas More
. Watton was fined for recusancy
during the reign of James I
, but towards the end of his life joined the Church of England
. (Calendar of State Papers Domestic, 1603–1610). Henry would have been one of Christopher Dunn's youngest children, as three of his siblings married at Addington Church between 1570 and 1576. In "A brief account of the many Rebellions & Conspiracies against Queen Elizabeth etc. etc.", Henry Dunne is described as clerk
in the Office of First Fruits and Tenths. (Calendar of State Paper, Domestic, 1581–1590).
Henry Dunn's final address from the scaffold and his execution
were recorded in the Calendar of Scottish Papers, 1547–1603, ed. William K. Boyd, Vol. IV, 1586-8 under: 1586 Sep 21: Confession of Salusburie and others. Part of Dunn's address follows:
"I lyved here joyfullie and pleasantlie under her majestie, and tenne weeks agoe I mette with Anthonie Babington
, who toulde me of all his treasons and devises, & he urged me thereunto to give my consent, but I refused and disswaded him also. Then he toulde me that I was one whom he loved well, & therefore he woulde bestowe me wem (SIC). And soe urged me againe. And to confes a truthe, I said I would doe the best I coulde and consented." At the end of his confession, in which he used the word "sorrowfull" four times, he begged: "Last of all I hastelie aske my prince forgiveness & I praie she & one & all maie be eternized with eternall blessedness." He then politely refused to say the Lord's Prayer
in English and intoned it in Latin
before being "thrown off the ladder, where he hanged
until he was thoroughlie dead". Henry Dunn's father had also been examined, on 10 August 1586, but he denied any knowledge of the affair and was exonerated.
Babington Plot
The Babington Plot was a Catholic plot in 1586 to assassinate Queen Elizabeth, a Protestant, and put Mary, Queen of Scots, a Catholic, on the English throne. It led to the execution of Mary. The long-term goal was an invasion by the Spanish forces of King Philip II and the Catholic league in...
, a plot in 1586 to assassinate Queen Elizabeth
Queen Elizabeth
-Queens regnant:* Elizabeth I of England , last Tudor monarch over England, reigned 1558–1603* Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth Realms, reigned since 1952-Queens consort, dowager and mother:...
, a Protestant, and put Mary, Queen of Scots, a Catholic, on the English throne.
Dunn came from a fairly wealthy Catholic family. He was the son of Christopher Dunn, of Addington, Kent
Addington, Kent
Addington is a village in the English county of Kent close to the M20 motorway between Wrotham Heath and West Malling. It was known as Eddintune in the Domesday Book. The meaning of Addington is Æddi's estate...
. All parish records
Parish register
A parish register is a handwritten volume, normally kept in a parish church or deposited within a county record office or alternative archive repository, in which details of baptisms, marriages and burials are recorded.-History:...
give the name as Dunn. The Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor
The Lordship of a Manor is recognised today in England and Wales as a form of property and one of three elements of a manor that may exist separately or be combined and may be held in moieties...
was Thomas Watton (1547–1622), married to Martha Roper, a great grand-daughter of Sir Thomas More
Thomas More
Sir Thomas More , also known by Catholics as Saint Thomas More, was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was an important councillor to Henry VIII of England and, for three years toward the end of his life, Lord Chancellor...
. Watton was fined for recusancy
Recusancy
In the history of England and Wales, the recusancy was the state of those who refused to attend Anglican services. The individuals were known as "recusants"...
during the reign of 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...
, but towards the end of his life joined the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. (Calendar of State Papers Domestic, 1603–1610). Henry would have been one of Christopher Dunn's youngest children, as three of his siblings married at Addington Church between 1570 and 1576. In "A brief account of the many Rebellions & Conspiracies against Queen Elizabeth etc. etc.", Henry Dunne is described as clerk
Clerk
Clerk, the vocational title, commonly refers to a white-collar worker who conducts general office or, in some instances, sales tasks. It is also occasionally used to refer to third-year medical students completing a medical clerkship. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record...
in the Office of First Fruits and Tenths. (Calendar of State Paper, Domestic, 1581–1590).
Henry Dunn's final address from the scaffold and his execution
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
were recorded in the Calendar of Scottish Papers, 1547–1603, ed. William K. Boyd, Vol. IV, 1586-8 under: 1586 Sep 21: Confession of Salusburie and others. Part of Dunn's address follows:
"I lyved here joyfullie and pleasantlie under her majestie, and tenne weeks agoe I mette with Anthonie Babington
Anthony Babington
Anthony Babington was convicted of plotting the assassination of Elizabeth I of England and conspiring with the imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots...
, who toulde me of all his treasons and devises, & he urged me thereunto to give my consent, but I refused and disswaded him also. Then he toulde me that I was one whom he loved well, & therefore he woulde bestowe me wem (SIC). And soe urged me againe. And to confes a truthe, I said I would doe the best I coulde and consented." At the end of his confession, in which he used the word "sorrowfull" four times, he begged: "Last of all I hastelie aske my prince forgiveness & I praie she & one & all maie be eternized with eternall blessedness." He then politely refused to say the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
in English and intoned it in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
before being "thrown off the ladder, where he hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
until he was thoroughlie dead". Henry Dunn's father had also been examined, on 10 August 1586, but he denied any knowledge of the affair and was exonerated.