Robert Ferguson (minister) facts for kids

Robert Ferguson (around 1637–1714) was a Scottish minister, writer, and secret planner. He was sometimes called "the Plotter" because he was involved in many secret plans against the government.

Robert Ferguson's Life Story

After getting a good education, probably at the University of Aberdeen, Robert Ferguson became a Presbyterian minister. Presbyterians are a type of Protestant Christian, and their church is the main one in Scotland.

He later moved to England and became a vicar (a type of minister) in a place called Godmersham. However, he was forced to leave his job in 1662 because of a new law called the Act of Uniformity 1662. This law made it harder for people who didn't follow the official Church of England rules to be ministers.

Becoming a Political Writer

Over time, Ferguson became known for arguing about religious ideas. He also became important among Nonconformists, who were Protestants who didn't follow the Church of England. He caught the attention of a powerful politician named Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury.

Shaftesbury's group wanted to stop James, Duke of York (who was the king's brother and a Catholic) from becoming king. This was known as the Exclusion Crisis. Ferguson started writing political pamphlets (small books or leaflets) at a time when many people were worried about Catholics.

In 1680, he wrote a pamphlet supporting the idea that the Duke of Monmouth (who was King Charles II's son) should be king instead of James. There was even a story about a "black box" that supposedly held proof of a secret marriage between King Charles II and Monmouth's mother.

Involvement in Secret Plots

Ferguson was very involved in the arguments about the Exclusion Bill, which was a law meant to stop James from becoming king. He said he wrote a whole pamphlet called "No Protestant Plot" (1681).

He was also deeply involved in the Rye House Plot, a secret plan against King Charles II. Even though he claimed he stopped this plot and another plan to kill the king, he had to run away to the Netherlands in 1682. He came back to England in early 1683.

Because of his part in another plot against Charles II, he was declared an outlaw (meaning he was outside the protection of the law). After this, he started talking with other unhappy people, including Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll and the Duke of Monmouth.

The Monmouth Rebellion

Ferguson played a big role in planning the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685. He convinced Monmouth to take part and went with him to western England. He also wrote the official statement against the new king, James II. After the rebels lost the Battle of Sedgemoor, Ferguson escaped back to the Netherlands.

Later Life and Reputation

In 1688, Ferguson came back to England with William III of Orange, who became the new king. Ferguson helped William by writing, but William and his advisors didn't think he was very important. He was given a small job in the Excise (a government tax department).

Ferguson was unhappy with how he was treated. He soon started secretly communicating with the Jacobites, who were people who wanted the old king, James II, to return to the throne. He was involved in many secret plans against King William. After losing his job in 1692, he wrote strong pamphlets against the government.

Even though he was arrested several times because people suspected him, he was never put on trial. He died very poor. Many people thought he was untrustworthy and often changed sides.

Some historians, like Macaulay, believed that Ferguson might have made the English government think he was a spy working for them. This might explain why he often escaped punishment. In 1683, a notice for his arrest described him as "a tall lean man, dark brown hair, a great Roman nose, thin-jawed, heat in his face, speaks in the Scottish accent, a sharp piercing eye, stoops a little in the shoulders."

Robert Ferguson's Writings

Besides many pamphlets, Robert Ferguson also wrote:

• No Protestant-plot; or, the present pretended conspiracy of Protestants against the king and government, discovered to be a conspiracy of the Papists against the king and his Protestant-subjects (1682)
• History of the Revolution (1706)
• Qualifications requisite in a Minister of State (1710)
• Part of the History of all the Mobs, Tumults and Insurrections in Great Britain (London, 1715)