Robert and Thomas Wintour facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert and Thomas Wintour
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Pictures of brothers Robert (left) and Thomas Wintour from the time they lived
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| Born | 1568 (RW) 1571–72 (TW) Yorkshire, England
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| Died | 30 January 1606 (aged 37–38) (RW) 31 January 1606 (aged 33–35)(TW) |
| Cause of death | Executed |
| Spouse(s) | Gertrude Talbot (RW) |
| Parent(s) | George Wintour, Jane Ingleby |
| Motive | Gunpowder plot, a plan to kill King James VI & I and members of the Houses of Parliament |
| Role | Non-specific |
| Enlisted | Early 1604 (TW) Early 1605 (RW) |
Robert Wintour (born 1568 – died 30 January 1606) and Thomas Wintour (born 1571 or 1572 – died 31 January 1606) were brothers. They were part of the Gunpowder Plot, a famous plan to kill King James I of England. The plot failed.
Thomas was a smart and educated man. He spoke several languages and trained as a lawyer. But he chose to be a soldier instead. He fought for England in different countries like the Low Countries and France. By 1600, he became a strong Catholic. He often traveled to other countries to ask for help for Catholics in England. He even suggested a Catholic uprising with support from Spain.
However, Spain was trying to make peace with England, so Thomas's requests were not heard. In 1604, he decided to join his cousin, Robert Catesby. Catesby planned to make England Catholic again by killing the king. They also wanted to start a revolt in the Midlands. During this time, King James's daughter, Princess Elizabeth, would become queen. Thomas went abroad again but still couldn't get help from Spain. Instead, he met Guy Fawkes, and they returned to England together. Robert, who was also a very religious Catholic, joined the plot the next year. He owned Huddington Court near Worcester.
The plot started to fall apart when an anonymous letter was sent to William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle. The letter warned him to stay away from Parliament. Thomas and Catesby confronted Francis Tresham, who was Monteagle's brother-in-law and a new member of the plot. They threatened to kill him, but Tresham convinced them he was innocent. At that point, Thomas reportedly asked Catesby to stop the plan, but Catesby refused.
When Guy Fawkes was caught around midnight on November 4, 1605, Thomas ran to Robert's house at Huddington. Catesby and most of the others spent two days trying to start a rebellion. They had fewer and fewer supporters. They finally settled at Holbeche House in Staffordshire. They waited for the government's soldiers to arrive. Thomas rejoined the group. During the fight that followed, he was shot in the shoulder and captured. Robert, who had left before the battle, avoided capture until January 1606.
Much of what we know about the plot comes from Thomas's confessions. He gave these confessions in the Tower of London in November 1605. The brothers were put on trial on January 27, 1606. They were executed in London a few days later.
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The Wintour Family and Early Lives
Robert (born 1568) and Thomas Wintour (born 1571–72) were the sons of George Wintour. Their mother was Jane Ingleby. They lived at Huddington Court in Worcestershire. Their sister, Dorothy, married another plotter named John Grant. They also had two half-siblings, John and Elizabeth, from their father's second marriage.
Their family was connected to other plotters like Robert Catesby and Francis Tresham. Their uncle, Francis Ingleby, was a Catholic priest. He was executed in York in 1586. This event likely had a big impact on the Wintour family. The Wintour name comes from the Welsh words "Gwyn Tour," meaning "White Tower."
Robert was a loyal Catholic. He married Gertrude Talbot. He inherited Huddington Court and a lot of money. Robert was known for being generous. Huddington Court became a safe place for priests. After the plot failed, a description of Robert was released. It said he was "a man of average height, rather short; strongly built, somewhat stooping; nearly 40 years old; his hair and beard brown; his beard not much, and his hair short."
Thomas was also very smart and witty. He could speak Latin, Italian, Spanish, and French. He was "of average height, but strong and handsome and very brave, about 33 years old or a bit more." Thomas worked for William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle. He trained as a lawyer. After some time, he went to Flanders and joined the English army. He fought against Catholic Spain in different countries.
However, by 1600, his ideas changed. He believed it was wrong to fight against Catholic Spain. Like his brother, he became a very strong Catholic. He traveled to Rome in 1601. Later that year and into 1602, he went to Spain. He asked for help for Catholic rebels in England. This trip was later called the "Spanish Treason" by the English government. But Thomas's timing was bad. Spain had just failed in an attack in Ireland. He only received vague promises of support.
In England, he met with the Spanish ambassador, Don Juan de Tassis. Tassis came to England in August 1603 to help make a peace treaty between England and Spain. Tassis quickly realized that a Catholic rebellion was unlikely. He didn't believe Thomas's claim that 3,000 Catholics would join if they had money. After meeting King James, Tassis wrote to Spain. He said it was more important to make peace with England than to help its Catholics.
Thomas Meets Catesby and Wright
In February 1604, Thomas's cousin, Robert Catesby, invited him to his house. Thomas couldn't go at first. Catesby sent a second letter, and Thomas went. He found Catesby with John Wright. Wright was a strong Catholic and a skilled fighter.
Catesby planned to bring Catholicism back to England. He wanted to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament. This would kill the king. Thomas, as a former soldier, was practical. He agreed that if the plot worked, it would "create a confusion fit to bring about new changes." He also warned about the risk of failure. He said the "scandal would be so great which the Catholic religion might hereby suffer." He still agreed to join the plot. Catesby still hoped for foreign help, so Thomas went back to Europe.
In Flanders, Thomas met important Spanish officials. He again spoke about the difficulties of English Catholics. He hoped to influence the peace treaty talks happening in London. The officials were friendly but didn't offer much help. Thomas also met Guy Fawkes. Fawkes was a devoted Catholic soldier. Thomas told Fawkes about their plan to "do something in England" if Spain didn't help. In late April, Thomas and Fawkes returned to Catesby's home. They told him that despite positive talks, Spain's "actions would not match their words."
Robert Joins the Plan
Thomas Percy joined the group. He was John Wright's brother-in-law. On May 20, 1604, the five plotters met at the Duck and Drake inn in London. From then on, Thomas Wintour was a key part of the plan.
The group rented buildings in London. One was in Lambeth for storing gunpowder. The gunpowder was then moved across the Thames. Thomas's confession says the plotters dug a tunnel towards their target. They stopped when a room directly under the House of Lords became available.
After the May meeting, Catesby brought in more Catholic men, including Robert Wintour. Robert joined the plot on March 25, 1605. On the same day, the plotters also rented the room they had supposedly tunneled near. They brought 36 barrels of gunpowder into this room. But in late August, Thomas and Fawkes checked the gunpowder. They found it had gone bad. So, more gunpowder was brought in.
Soon after, Catesby recruited the last three plotters: Sir Ambrose Rookwood, Sir Everard Digby, and Francis Tresham. Tresham's involvement has been debated. On October 26, his brother-in-law, William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle, received an anonymous letter. It warned him to stay away from Parliament. Thomas went with Catesby to confront Tresham. They threatened to "hang him" if he didn't prove his innocence. Tresham convinced them he was innocent. But then Thomas tried to convince Catesby to stop the plot. His pleas didn't work. Catesby and Percy were determined to go through with it. On Sunday, November 3, Robert and three others stayed at the home of John Talbot of Grafton, Robert's father-in-law. The group left the next morning with extra horses and traveled to Coventry.
The Plot Fails and Capture
Monteagle gave the warning letter to the English Secretary of State, Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury. On Saturday, November 2, the Privy Council decided to search Parliament. The king insisted on another search. Around midnight, a group led by Thomas Knyvet, 1st Baron Knyvet, found Fawkes and arrested him.
News of Fawkes's capture quickly spread. Christopher Wright, John Wright's brother, heard the commotion. He immediately went to Thomas, who was at the Duck and Drake inn. Fawkes had given a false name, "John Johnson," saying he was Percy's servant. So, the government's first arrest warrant was for Percy. Thomas guessed this and told Wright to go warn Percy to leave.
While other plotters fled London, Thomas bravely went to Westminster. He wanted to find out what was happening. When he heard that the plot was discovered, he left for Huddington. He stopped at his sister's house on the way.
The plotters reached Catesby's family home at Ashby St Ledgers around 6:00 pm. Catesby sent a message to Robert, who had just arrived there. He asked to meet just outside the town. There, he told Robert that Fawkes had been captured. At Dunchurch, they met Everard Digby and his group, which included Robert and Thomas's half-brother, John Wintour.
The next day, the group raided Warwick Castle for supplies. Robert strongly disagreed with this. He said it would cause "a great uproar" in the country. They later arrived at Huddington Court and met Thomas. Early the next morning, everyone at Huddington went to confession and took part in Mass. This suggests they believed they didn't have long to live. They gathered more weapons from Hewell Grange. But when they tried to get more people to join them, they were refused. The plotters thought they were fighting for "God and country." But the men of Hewell Grange said they were for "King James as well as God and Country."
Late that night, they arrived at Holbeche House, near Kingswinford in Staffordshire. They were pulling a wet cart full of weapons and armor. Robert was asked to go see if his father-in-law, John Talbot of Grafton, could help. Robert refused. Thomas went instead with Stephen Littleton. However, Talbot was loyal to King James. He sent them away, saying their visit was "as much as his life was worth."
While returning to Holbeche, they received a message. It said Catesby, Rookwood, John Grant, and another man were dead. The rest had supposedly fled. Tired and desperate, the plotters had tried to dry their wet gunpowder by the fire. A spark ignited it. Littleton chose to leave, begging Thomas to follow. But Thomas continued to Holbeche. He found the remaining plotters alive but injured.
Several plotters, including Robert and his half-brother John, chose to disappear. But Catesby, Percy, the Wright brothers, Grant, Rookwood, and Thomas stayed. Thomas asked them what they planned to do. They replied, "We mean here to die." Thomas said, "I will take such part as you do."
Richard Walsh, the Sheriff of Worcester, arrived with about 200 men on November 8. Thomas was the first to be hit, in the shoulder, while crossing the courtyard. The Wright brothers were next, followed by Rookwood. Catesby and Percy were shot down by a single lucky shot. The sheriff's men then took the defenders' valuables. But Thomas was saved by the sheriff's assistant. His fine sword was never seen again. He and the others were taken to Worcester, and then to the Tower of London.
Robert Wintour and Stephen Littleton managed to avoid capture until January 9, 1606. They hid in barns and houses for about two months. They were eventually found at the house of Humphrey Littleton in Hagley. A cook, John Finwood, told on them. Humphrey escaped but was caught later.
Thomas's Confession and Its Importance
Much of what we know about the Gunpowder Plot comes from Thomas's confession. He signed it on November 23, 1605. Details about his trips to Spain were added three days later. Thomas Wintour's confession was one of only two printed in the King's Book. This book was a biased account of the event from that time. Thomas's confession was the only detailed story from a plotter who had been involved from the very beginning. Guy Fawkes, weakened by torture, was central to the group. But he wasn't at the first meetings.
Some historians question the document. Thomas's signature, 'Thomas Winter,' is different from his usual signature, 'Thomas Wintour.' The government always used 'Thomas Winter.' The signature might have been faked by William Waad, who was in charge of the Tower of London. This happened only weeks after Thomas was shot in the shoulder at Holbeche House. However, other historians believe the handwriting is truly Thomas's. They say it looks like an author's work, not an editor's.
Another concern is a report from Waad to Salisbury on November 21. It said, "Thomas Winter finds his hand so strong that after dinner he will write what he has told your Lordship." This suggests he might have been told what to write. A draft of Thomas's confession, written by Edward Coke, put more blame on the Jesuits. Thomas's confession also talks about the tunnel supposedly dug towards Parliament. This was not mentioned in Fawkes's first confession.
Trial and Execution
The trial for the eight surviving plotters began on Monday, January 27. The two Wintour brothers and the other plotters were brought by boat from the Tower to Whitehall. They were held in Star Chamber before being led into Westminster Hall. They were accused of high treason. They had no lawyers to defend them, so the outcome was certain.
The Attorney General, Edward Coke, spoke about Thomas's trips to Spain. He also condemned the Jesuits, like Henry Garnet. Each of the brothers' confessions was read aloud. While in the Tower, Robert and Fawkes had cells next to each other. They could talk. But their private conversation was secretly recorded. This recording was read aloud during the trial.
When asked if he had anything to say before being sentenced to death, Thomas spoke. He regretted bringing Robert into the plot. He asked to be executed for Robert's part as well as his own. Robert simply begged for mercy. At the end of the trial, the jury found them all guilty of high treason.
Everard Digby, Robert Wintour, John Grant, and Thomas Bates were executed on Thursday, January 30, 1606. They were dragged by horse to Old St Paul's Cathedral. Robert was the second to be executed. He prayed quietly before he was executed. The next morning, the remaining four were dragged to the Old Palace Yard at Westminster. This was across from the building they had planned to destroy. Thomas was the first to go onto the platform. People usually gave a speech, but Thomas, looking "very pale and lifeless," said it was "no time to talk: he had come to die." He said the Jesuits were not involved in the plot. He asked Catholics to pray for him and declared his loyalty to the Catholic faith. He was executed. Their half-brother John was executed near Worcester, on April 7.
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