Atterbury Plot facts for kids
The Atterbury Plot was a secret plan to bring the old royal family, the House of Stuart, back to the throne of Great Britain. It was led by Francis Atterbury, who was a very important church leader as the Bishop of Rochester and Dean of Westminster.
This plot happened after two failed attempts by the Jacobites (supporters of the Stuarts) in 1715 and 1719. At this time, the government, led by the Whig party and the new Hanoverian king, was not very popular.
Besides Atterbury, other people involved in the plot included Charles Boyle, 4th Earl of Orrery, Lord North and Grey, Sir Henry Goring, Christopher Layer, John Plunket, and George Kelly.
Many people thought the Atterbury Plot was the biggest threat to the Hanoverian kings between the Jacobite uprisings of 1715 and 1745. The plot failed in 1722. Some people involved were charged with serious crimes. Atterbury himself was removed from his church jobs and sent away from the country.
Contents
Why the Plot Happened
Francis Atterbury's Role
Atterbury was a Tory and a leader of the High Church group within the Church of England. In 1710, he helped a churchman named Henry Sacheverell, who was in trouble with the law. This made Atterbury a strong voice against the Whig government.
When the government changed, Atterbury gained more power. Queen Anne made him her main advisor on church matters. In 1711, he became the Dean of Christ Church, Oxford, a college known for supporting the Tories.
In 1713, he became the Bishop of Rochester and Dean of Westminster Abbey. He worried about the Hanoverian family taking the throne, as planned by the Act of Settlement 1701.
Changes in Power
Queen Anne died in 1714, which was a setback for Atterbury. He promised loyalty to George I, the new king. However, he soon became an opponent of the new government.
He started talking indirectly with the family of the "Pretender" (James Francis Edward Stuart), who believed he should be king. When the Jacobite rising of 1715 happened, Atterbury refused to sign a statement supporting the new Protestant king.
In 1717, many Jacobites who were arrested in 1715 were set free. After this, Atterbury began to write directly to James Francis Edward Stuart. He was later accused of planning a takeover. This plan included capturing the royal family and declaring James III as king.
Public Unhappiness and New Opportunities
In 1720, a big financial crisis happened with the South Sea Company. Many rich people lost a lot of money. This made the Whig government, which supported the Hanoverian king, very unpopular.
Atterbury saw this as a chance to act. He began to secretly work with John Erskine, who was a key advisor to the Pretender.
The Plot's Plan in 1721
Goals of the Conspirators
The plotters wanted a new Jacobite uprising. They planned for it to happen around the time of the 1722 British general election. This election was expected because a law from 1716 allowed Parliament to last for seven years.
Sir Henry Goring wrote to the Pretender in March 1721. He suggested a plan to bring back the Stuart monarchy. This plan involved help from Irish soldiers living in other countries. These soldiers would be led by the Duke of Ormonde from Spain and Lieutenant-General Dillon from France.
Christopher Layer's Role
Christopher Layer was a lawyer and worked for Lord North and Grey, who was a known Jacobite. Layer and other plotters often met at an inn. By the summer of 1721, Layer had managed to recruit some soldiers.
He then traveled to Rome to meet the Pretender. Layer told him the details of the plot. He claimed to represent many important Jacobites. Their plan was to gather old soldiers to take control of important places in London. These included the Tower of London, the Bank of England, and the Royal Mint.
They also planned to capture the Hanoverian royal family and remove other key government officials. English Tories were supposed to gather their supporters in their areas and march to London. Soldiers from the Irish Brigade in the French Army were to land in England to join them. Layer returned to London with promises of support from the Pretender.
How the Plot Was Discovered
The plot started to fall apart in England in the spring of 1722. The Duke of Orleans, who was ruling France at the time, told the British government about the Jacobites' plans. He said they had asked France to send 3,000 soldiers to help with a takeover in May.
The French government said they had refused this request. They also moved their Irish soldiers away from the coast.
Papers belonging to a recently deceased British official were seized. Among them was a letter of thanks from the Pretender. This raised suspicions.
Lack of Funds and Arrests
The Jacobites in England had not collected enough money to buy weapons for an uprising. This made their plans difficult.
The government's agents began looking for proof against the main Jacobite suspects. They found very little evidence. Despite this, the Prime Minister, Robert Walpole, ordered several people to be arrested. These included Atterbury, Orrery, North and Grey, Goring, and Layer.
Atterbury was arrested on August 24, 1722, and charged with serious crimes. He and Orrery were sent to the Tower of London. A law protecting people from unfair imprisonment was temporarily stopped.
Fugitives and Trials
Goring managed to avoid arrest and fled to France on August 23. He stayed there until he died in 1731. At his trial, his agent claimed Goring tried to get a group of 1,000 smugglers to help with the planned invasion. This led the government to take action against smuggling.
Layer was arrested and held in the Tower with Atterbury. His assistants were watched, and his wife was brought to London. Layer was less lucky than others. Two women agreed to give evidence against him.
His trial began on November 21, 1722. The court learned that the Pretender and his wife had acted as godparents to Layer's daughter. After a long trial, Layer was found guilty. He was sentenced to death, but his execution was delayed several times. The authorities hoped he would give information about others, but he refused. He was finally executed on May 17, 1723.
Atterbury's Punishment
Atterbury's letters to the Jacobites were very careful. They did not contain enough clear proof to convict him in a regular court. So, Parliament passed a special law against him. This law aimed to remove him from his church jobs, send him away from Britain for life, and forbid British people from talking to him.
The evidence against him included a dog named Harlequin, which was a gift from the Pretender. Some letters were also found in a lavatory. Some people suspected Atterbury was a victim of a political trick. However, in May 1723, the special law against him was approved by Parliament. Atterbury went into exile in France on June 18.
Orrery stayed in the Tower for six months and was then released on bail. There was not enough evidence to continue his case.
Other people involved, like John Plunkett and George Kelly, were also arrested. They lost their property as punishment. Lord Stafford was suspected but faced no action. Lord North and Grey was known to be involved, but those who could have accused him refused to do so.
In January 1723, a secret committee in Parliament investigated the plot. They reported their findings in March. A new law in 1722 required landowners to promise loyalty to the king. Those who refused had to register their lands and risked losing them.
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Christopher Layer
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