Israel Tonge
Encyclopedia
Israel Tonge aka Ezerel or Ezreel Tongue, was an English divine and an informer in the "Popish" plot.
He was born at Tickhill
, near Doncaster
, the son of Henry Tongue, minister of Holtby
, Yorkshire. He graduated from University College, Oxford
and became a schoolmaster at Churchill, Oxfordshire
where he became interested in gardening, alchemy, and chemistry. In 1656 he became a doctor of theology, and taught grammar at the Cromwellian Durham College
until its closure in 1659. Following the Restoration
, he held a succession of livings. He became chaplain of the garrison of Dunkirk until this was sold to the French in 1661. On 26 June 1666 he became rector of St Mary Staining
. The church burnt down during the Great Fire of London
.
Tongue blamed the Jesuits for both his own and London's losses. His obsession was so great that he wrote many articles denouncing the Roman Catholic Church and containing conspiracy theories about the Rome's insatiable quest for power. From 1675, Tonge was acquainted with the fervently anti-Catholic physician, Sir Richard Barker. Barker provided Tonge with food, lodgings, and money. He encouraged Tonge's anti-Catholic studies and had him appointed as rector of Avon Dassett
in Warwickshire
- although according to Tonge "illegall practices" prevented him taking up the position.
Barker also sponsored the Baptist preacher Samuel Oates. In 1677 at the physician's barbican home, Tonge met Samuel's son, Titus Oates
. Tonge provided Titus with money and the two agreed to co-author a series of anti-Catholic pamphlets. In fact Titus converted to Catholicism and left England for the English College at St Omer. At the time Tonge was puzzled by Oates's disappearance but he would later claim that he encouraged Oates's actions in order to learn more about the Jesuits.
On Oates's return he further stoked Tonge's paranoia with stories of Jesuit conspiracies, including a plot against a feared anti-Catholic author - Tonge himself. So excited was Tonge that through his friend Christopher Kirkby he managed to obtain an audience with Charles II
, where he summarised Oates' claims. Charles soon became a complete sceptic about the Plot, but his initial reaction was that " among so many particulars he could not say that there might not be some truth". He was at least sufficiently impressed to ask the Lord Treasurer, the Earl of Danby
to investigate. Danby agreed that the matter deserved inquiry, despite opposition from Sir Joseph Williamson
, who knew Tonge and believed he was insane.
Tonge then took two crucial decisions: firstly he persuaded Oates to swear to the truth of his allegations before the much respected magistrate, Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey
. Secondly he persuaded the King and Danby to put the matter before a full meeting of the Privy Council
. At the hearing Tonge himself made a bad impression: his reputation for madness was too well known , and he was " altogether smiled at ". Oates on the other hand gave a superb performance: so detailed and convincing was his story that the Council ordered the arrest of all the leading Jesuits accused, as well as Edward Coleman
, former secretary to the Duke of York
. The news of this,followed by the murder of Godfrey, caused public hysteria to erupt.
During the years of the Plot, Tonge was a secondary figure: he did not claim to have any first hand evidence, and was never a witness in any of the Plot trials. However a generous allowance from the Crown allowed him to live out his last years in comfort at Whitehall
; the
Crown even paid for his funeral.
Tonge's reputation has suffered through his close association with Oates, and some historians have bracketed them as a pair of perjurers. However J.P. Kenyon, in his classic study of the Plot, concludes that Tonge truly believed Oates' lies, because they confirmed his own fixed belief in a Jesuit conspiracy. That Tonge was a honest fanatic seems to have been the view of most of those who knew him, including the King, Danby, and Gilbert Burnet
, who wrote in 1678 that Tonge was " so lifted up that he seemed to have lost the little sense he had."
He was born at Tickhill
Tickhill
Tickhill is a small, wealthy town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster in South Yorkshire, England, on the border with Nottinghamshire. It has a population of 5,301.-Geography:...
, near Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
, the son of Henry Tongue, minister of Holtby
Holtby
Holtby is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority of the City of York in North Yorkshire, England. It lies on the A166 about east of York....
, Yorkshire. He graduated from University College, Oxford
University College, Oxford
.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
and became a schoolmaster at Churchill, Oxfordshire
Churchill, Oxfordshire
Churchill is a village and civil parish about southwest of Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-History:...
where he became interested in gardening, alchemy, and chemistry. In 1656 he became a doctor of theology, and taught grammar at the Cromwellian Durham College
Durham College (17th-century)
New College, Durham was a university institution set up by Oliver Cromwell, to provide an alternative to the older University of Oxford and University of Cambridge. It also had the aim of bringing university education to Northern England. The idea met with opponents, including John Conant.Such a...
until its closure in 1659. Following 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...
, he held a succession of livings. He became chaplain of the garrison of Dunkirk until this was sold to the French in 1661. On 26 June 1666 he became rector of St Mary Staining
St Mary Staining
St Mary Staining is a lost church in Oat Lane,, northeast of St Pauls Cathedral in the City of London. The first reference to it is to "Ecclesia de Staningehage" in 1189, probably deriving from a family from Staines holding land in the area of the church. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of...
. The church burnt down during the Great Fire of London
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
.
Tongue blamed the Jesuits for both his own and London's losses. His obsession was so great that he wrote many articles denouncing the Roman Catholic Church and containing conspiracy theories about the Rome's insatiable quest for power. From 1675, Tonge was acquainted with the fervently anti-Catholic physician, Sir Richard Barker. Barker provided Tonge with food, lodgings, and money. He encouraged Tonge's anti-Catholic studies and had him appointed as rector of Avon Dassett
Avon Dassett
Avon Dassett is a village and civil parish in the Stratford district of Warwickshire, England, nestling among the Burton Dassett Hills about four miles east of Kineton and seven miles north of Banbury in Oxfordshire...
in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
- although according to Tonge "illegall practices" prevented him taking up the position.
Barker also sponsored the Baptist preacher Samuel Oates. In 1677 at the physician's barbican home, Tonge met Samuel's son, Titus Oates
Titus Oates
Titus Oates was an English perjurer who fabricated the "Popish Plot", a supposed Catholic conspiracy to kill King Charles II.-Early life:...
. Tonge provided Titus with money and the two agreed to co-author a series of anti-Catholic pamphlets. In fact Titus converted to Catholicism and left England for the English College at St Omer. At the time Tonge was puzzled by Oates's disappearance but he would later claim that he encouraged Oates's actions in order to learn more about the Jesuits.
On Oates's return he further stoked Tonge's paranoia with stories of Jesuit conspiracies, including a plot against a feared anti-Catholic author - Tonge himself. So excited was Tonge that through his friend Christopher Kirkby he managed to obtain an audience with Charles II
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...
, where he summarised Oates' claims. Charles soon became a complete sceptic about the Plot, but his initial reaction was that " among so many particulars he could not say that there might not be some truth". He was at least sufficiently impressed to ask the Lord Treasurer, the Earl of Danby
Earl of Danby
Earl of Danby was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1626 in favour of the soldier Henry Danvers, 1st Baron Danvers. He had already been created Baron Danvers, of Dauntsey in the County of Wiltshire, in 1603, also in the Peerage of England. The...
to investigate. Danby agreed that the matter deserved inquiry, despite opposition from Sir Joseph Williamson
Joseph Williamson
Joseph Williamson may refer to:*Joseph Williamson , American politician in Maine*Joseph Williamson , English politician...
, who knew Tonge and believed he was insane.
Tonge then took two crucial decisions: firstly he persuaded Oates to swear to the truth of his allegations before the much respected magistrate, Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey
Edmund Berry Godfrey
Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey was an English magistrate whose mysterious death caused anti-Catholic uproar in England...
. Secondly he persuaded the King and Danby to put the matter before a full meeting of the Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
. At the hearing Tonge himself made a bad impression: his reputation for madness was too well known , and he was " altogether smiled at ". Oates on the other hand gave a superb performance: so detailed and convincing was his story that the Council ordered the arrest of all the leading Jesuits accused, as well as Edward Coleman
Edward Coleman
Edward Coleman was the founder of the Forty Thieves, the first Irish gang with an established leader. He became one of New York City's most notorious villains, for the murder of his wife and popular Five Points character known as "The Pretty Hot Corn Girl".An early New York gangster, Coleman was...
, former secretary to the Duke of York
Duke of York
The Duke of York is a title of nobility in the British peerage. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of the British monarch. The title has been created a remarkable eleven times, eight as "Duke of York" and three as the double-barreled "Duke of York and...
. The news of this,followed by the murder of Godfrey, caused public hysteria to erupt.
During the years of the Plot, Tonge was a secondary figure: he did not claim to have any first hand evidence, and was never a witness in any of the Plot trials. However a generous allowance from the Crown allowed him to live out his last years in comfort at Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
; the
Crown even paid for his funeral.
Tonge's reputation has suffered through his close association with Oates, and some historians have bracketed them as a pair of perjurers. However J.P. Kenyon, in his classic study of the Plot, concludes that Tonge truly believed Oates' lies, because they confirmed his own fixed belief in a Jesuit conspiracy. That Tonge was a honest fanatic seems to have been the view of most of those who knew him, including the King, Danby, and Gilbert Burnet
Gilbert Burnet
Gilbert Burnet was a Scottish theologian and historian, and Bishop of Salisbury. He was fluent in Dutch, French, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Burnet was respected as a cleric, a preacher, and an academic, as well as a writer and historian...
, who wrote in 1678 that Tonge was " so lifted up that he seemed to have lost the little sense he had."