Holbeche House (also, in some texts,
Holbeach), a mansion located near
KingswinfordKingswinford is a suburban area in the West Midlands county but previously in Staffordshire.Mentioned in the Domesday Book its name relates to a ford for the King's swine - or alternatively "King Wynn's Ford" is a possible explanation. The current significance is probably in tourism, education...
, on the borders of
StaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, is known to have been a sanctuary for the conspirators in the
Gunpowder PlotThe Gunpowder Conspiracy of 1605, as it was then known, was a failed assassination attempt by a group of provincial English Catholics against King James I of England and VI of Scotland...
on 7 November 1605, before they were surrounded by Richard Walsh (the
sheriffA sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of
WorcesterWorcester is a city and county town of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some 30 miles southwest of Birmingham, 29 miles north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people...
) and his men the very next day. There and then a battle ensued, in which the sheriff and his men had the upper hand, after an accidental explosion of the conspirator's
gunpowderGunpowder, also called black powder, is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate. It burns rapidly, producing volumes of hot solids and gases which can be used as a propellant in firearms and as a pyrotechnic composition in fireworks. The term gunpowder also refers broadly to any...
supply, and which left
Robert CatesbyRobert Catesby , born in Lapworth, Warwickshire, or possibly in Northamptonshire, to a rich strongly Roman Catholic family, was the leader of the Gunpowder Plot...
,
Thomas PercyThomas Percy , related by birth to the House of Percy, was one of the members of the Gunpowder Plot.-Life:...
and others dead.
Background
The Gunpowder Plot constituted what was only one of many assassination attempts on King
James I of EnglandJames VI & I was King of Scots as James VI from 1567 to 1625, and King of England and Ireland as James I from 1603 to 1625....
. The Plot itself involved the blowing up of the Houses of Parliament during the
State Opening of ParliamentIn the United Kingdom, the State Opening of Parliament is an annual event that marks the commencement of a session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is held in the House of Lords Chamber, usually in November or December, or in a General Election year, when the new Parliament first assembles...
, and, furthermore, both the abduction of the royal children and the causing an uprising in the
MidlandsThe English Midlands, or the Midlands is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
. The conspirators were a small party of provincial
English CatholicIn the history of England, recusancy was a term used to describe the statutory offence of not complying with and conforming to the Established church or State religion, the Church of England....
conspirators, who would later be executed for this act of
High treasonHigh treason is criminal disloyalty to one's country. Participating in a war against one's country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state are perhaps the...
. However, it has been suggested that there may possibly have been some government collaboration with the plot. In commemoration of the Plot,
bonfireA bonfire is a large controlled outdoor fire. The word is a contraction of "bone fire". The practice is believed to derive from the Celtic festival of Samhain when animal bones were burnt to ward off evil spirits...
s are lit on the 5th of November annually as part of a tradition in several countries.
The battle
It was after the failure of the Plot, and a failed revolt in the Midlands, that the remaining conspirators took shelter in Holbeche House. The house was the family seat of someone involved in the plot, Stephen Lyttelton. After they were surrounded, and the battle resumed, the men hiding there resolved to defend the house, as defensible as it was, as long and as well as they could. However, some of the conspirators' gunpowder stores, which had got wet and were drying in front of an open fire ( a risky method of drying), exploded, wounding several of them, notably blinding
John GrantJohn Grant was the Lord of the Manor of Norbrook, near Stratford-upon-Avon. He was a member of the abortive 1605 Gunpowder Plot conspiracy to assassinate James I of England and Members of the Parliament of England. After this failed he was hurt in an accident during his arrest...
, and destroying sections of the roof. Still, the battle continued, the men's resolve apparently unshaken. However, after the death of Percy (killed by his own hand), as well as three others (two being killed by the same shot), defeat became an inevitability. Stephen Lyttelton and
Robert WintourRobert Winter was a conspirator in the Gunpowder Plot, along with his brother Thomas Wintour.-Family:Robert was the eldest son of George Wintour of Huddington Court and his first wife, Jane Ingleby....
fled to seek the help of Stephen's uncle
Humphrey LittletonHumphrey Littleton died on 7 April 1606 at Red Hill outside Worcester. He was executed for his involvement in the Gunpowder plot. Robert Wintour and Stephen Littleton who had escaped from the fight at Holbeche House were captured at Hagley Park on the 9 January 1606 despite Littleton's protests...
. Those that remained were forced to surrender, and were transported to
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
as prisoners.
Aftermath
Lyttelton and Wintour, having narrowly escaped from the battle at Holbeach House, spent several weeks hiding secretly in a barn; without food and with only little water, they both endured terrible conditions during this time. Some time later, they were effectively rescued by one Humphrey Littleton and taken to
a house in Hagley ParkHagley Hall is an 18th century house in Hagley, Worcestershire. It was the creation of George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton , secretary to Frederick, Prince of Wales, poet and man of letters and briefly Chancellor of the Exchequer...
, where they took refuge. However, ultimate escape was never achieved; while it is not clear what happened to Stephen Lyttelton, it is known that Winter was caught, after two months as an escaped
fugitiveA fugitive is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from private slavery, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals. As a verbal metaphor and psychological concept, one might also be described as a "fugitive...
, in
Hagley ParkHagley Hall is an 18th century house in Hagley, Worcestershire. It was the creation of George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton , secretary to Frederick, Prince of Wales, poet and man of letters and briefly Chancellor of the Exchequer...
.
After a trial, in which almost all of the conspirators pleaded not guilty, the remaining conspirators of the Plot were
hanged, drawn and quarteredTo be hanged, drawn and quartered was the penalty for high treason in medieval England, and remained on the statute book but seldom used in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until abolished under the Treason Act 1814...
.