Robert Blackbourn facts for kids
Robert Blackbourn (died 1748) was an English Jacobite who was arrested for being part of a plot in 1696. This plot was thought to be against the life of King William III. Blackbourn was held in Newgate Prison for fifty years without a trial. He died there in 1748.
Who Was Robert Blackbourn?
Robert Blackbourn was the oldest son of Richard Blackbourn. His family lived in Thistleton, Lancashire. His mother was Perpetua Westby. The Blackbourn family of Thistleton was an old and important Roman Catholic family in Lancashire. We don't know much about his early life or how he was educated.
The Plot of 1696
In 1696, Robert Blackbourn was arrested. This happened after a plot against King William III was discovered. Other people arrested with him included Major John Bernardi.
During another trial, a witness said that Blackbourn had been part of James II's special guards. James II was the previous king, who had been removed from power. The witness also said Blackbourn had visited James II's court in France in 1695. It was claimed that Blackbourn was one of the men, led by Ambrose Rookwood, who planned to attack the King directly.
Blackbourn was first released in October 1696, after being arrested in April. But he was arrested again in December at the Nore. He was trying to leave the country without permission. Even though he said he was innocent, he was sent back to Newgate Prison. He claimed no new evidence had been found against him since his release.
Life in Prison
Many of the main plotters were executed. However, Blackbourn, Bernardi, and four others were never put on trial. Instead, they were kept in Newgate Prison for a very long time. Laws were passed at the start of each new king or queen's rule to keep them imprisoned. One man, Captain James Counter, was set free by Queen Anne.
Nicholas Blundell, who wrote a diary in Lancashire, visited Newgate. He wrote that he "drank there with Mr. Blackbourn who has been a prisoner there as I take it above 21 years." A book from 1717, called The History of the Press-yard, described the prisoners. It likely referred to Blackbourn as "a Man of Pleasure [...] who had never been known to have entertain'd a melancholy Thought since his entrance into the Gaol." This means he was a cheerful person who stayed positive even in prison.
The Last Survivors
Bernardi and Blackbourn were the last two prisoners from the plot. Bernardi died in Newgate in 1736 when he was over eighty. People usually thought he was the last one to die. But Bernardi's death notice said that Blackbourn was still in Newgate at that time.
Captain Peter Drake, an Irish soldier, also spent time in Newgate. He often visited the remaining plotters. In his memories, he wrote: "Blackburn I last saw in April, 1745, he was then in the Press-yard, and well and as hearty as ever." This shows Blackbourn was still alive and well in 1745. It seems Blackbourn did not die until 1748. By then, he had been imprisoned for more than fifty years without ever having a trial.
