Farnley Wood Plot facts for kids
The Farnley Wood Plot was a secret plan in Yorkshire, England, in October 1663. It was meant to be a big uprising to change the government after the king returned to power in 1660. However, people who knew about the plot told the authorities, and it failed completely.
The main people involved in the plot were Joshua Greathead and Captain Thomas Oates. They mostly worked in Farnley, West Yorkshire, but also had connections in nearby places like Gildersome, Morley, West Yorkshire, and Leeds. Their goal was to take over important places in Leeds that supported the king. The plot was stopped on October 12, 1663. Twenty-six men were arrested, put in prison, and then executed for being traitors.
Why the Plot Happened
After King Charles II became king again in 1660, following the time when his father, King Charles I, was defeated and executed, the country was still divided. Many people were worried about Catholicism, especially because of its growing influence in Europe.
The official church, the Church of England, was re-established. However, groups like presbyterians and other non-conformists didn't trust it. They thought some of its practices were too similar to Catholic ones. King Charles II himself seemed to have some sympathy for Catholicism. This strong disagreement was found across the country, but it was especially noticeable in the north of England. The king's government tried to stop these movements by arresting people known to be stirring up trouble.
One preacher named Paul Hobson, who was a Baptist and involved in planning the rebellion, was arrested on August 20. Later, some people accused him of becoming an informer for the authorities.
The Secret Plan
The Farnley Wood Plot started in Farnley, near Leeds. It was led by two main people who supported the Parliament side during the recent Civil War. One was Joshua Greathead, a local landowner. He had fought in Oliver Cromwell's army during the English Civil War and even led his own group of soldiers. He lived in Gildersome, a village close to Farnley. The other leader was Captain Thomas Oates from Morley.
Farnley was a good meeting spot because it was halfway between Leeds and Morley and had many woods where people could gather secretly. The plotters said their goals were to bring back a government that followed their religious beliefs, to restore the Long Parliament (an old form of government), to get rid of certain taxes, and to reform all parts of society, especially lawyers and clergy. The main part of their plan was probably to attack the king's strongholds in the city of Leeds.
On the morning of October 12, 1663, only 26 men showed up for the meeting. Most of them were Presbyterian farmers and business owners from the local area. They were not ready to fight in a battle. The plot failed because so few people came. The meeting broke up, and everyone went back to their villages. However, Joshua Greathead had actually become an informer. He had told the authorities about the plan after his ideas were ignored in favor of Oates's plans. The authorities then began to arrest the 26 men.
What Happened Next
The arrested men were taken to Clifford's Tower in York to wait for their trials, called assizes. Many were found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. These included Thomas Oates, Samuel Ellis, John Nettleton snr, John Nettleton jnr, Robert Scott, William Tolson, John Fozzard, Robert Olroyd, John Asquith, Peregrine Corney, John Snowden, John Smith, William Ash, John Errington, Robert Atkinson, William Colton, George Denham, Henry Watson, Richard Wilson, Ralph Rymer, and John Carre. One of the plotters, John Asquith, was an ancestor of a future British Prime Minister, H.H. Asquith.
Most of the men were executed in York on one morning, and three others were executed in Northallerton. Robert Olroyd and Peregrine Corney were executed separately. Three men—Robert Atkins, John Errington, and Henry Wilson—managed to escape to Leeds. They hid in an inn but were caught again. On January 14, 1664, they were also sentenced to death for treason. They were taken to Chapeltown Moor, where a gallows had been built. They were executed in a very harsh way. The executioner, a local carpenter named Peter Mason, cut off their heads and preserved them. The next day, the heads were placed on the railings of Moot Hall. In 1677, a strong wind blew the skulls down.
Other people linked to the wider uprising were also rounded up by the authorities across the country. These included Thomas Palmer, John Hutchinson, Thomas Jollie, Richard Salwey, Robert Venables, Henry Neville, and Henry Wilkinson. Most of them were released because there wasn't enough evidence against them. However, John Hutchinson died while he was held in Sandown Castle.
When the Cavalier Parliament met again in early 1664, they changed a law called the Triennial Act. This change in law is thought to have happened because of how the plot revealed the wider plans for a rebellion in the north.
The Northern Rising is also believed to have led to the 1664 Conventicle Act. This law aimed to stop religious groups that disagreed with the Church of England. The Act punished anyone who preached at or attended a meeting of these dissenting groups, or allowed them to use their building.
