William Parry (spy) facts for kids

William Parry (who was also known as Parrie) was a Welshman who lived a long time ago. He worked for the Queen's court and was also a spy. He is most remembered for planning to harm Queen Elizabeth I, and he was later executed for this.

Early Life and Career

William Parry was born in Northop, Wales. His father, Harry ap David, worked for King Henry VIII. William went to a grammar school and later trained with a lawyer in Chester. Around 1560, he moved to London to find his way in the world.

He married a woman named Mrs. Powell, which helped him get some money. Later, he worked for a powerful nobleman, the Earl of Pembroke. After the Earl died in 1570, Parry began working for Queen Elizabeth I. Even though he worked for important people, he often had money troubles.

A Spy's Journey

Parry asked Lord Burghley, a powerful advisor to the Queen, for a job as a spy. He wanted to travel to Europe and watch Catholics there. This was also a way for him to escape people he owed money to.

On his first trip, he visited cities like Rome in Italy. He returned to England in 1577 but still had money problems. In 1579, he left England suddenly again. During this time, he secretly became a Catholic.

In 1580, Parry came back to England. He got into more trouble with people he owed money. He even attacked one of them. He was found guilty and faced a serious punishment, but Queen Elizabeth I pardoned him. This means she forgave him and stopped his punishment.

A Double Agent

In 1582, Parry traveled abroad for a third time. It seems he became a "double agent" during this trip. This means he pretended to work for one side while secretly working for the other. He began to support the Catholic side and even thought about harming Queen Elizabeth.

He started by suggesting that the Queen should be kinder to Catholics in England. He met with other Catholics and read books by a famous Catholic leader, Cardinal William Allen. Parry then tried to get support for his plan to harm the Queen from different Catholic groups in France and Italy.

Informant and Plotter

When Parry returned to England in 1584, he told the Queen some of what he had done. He claimed he was only pretending to be against her to uncover plots by Protestants. The Queen believed him and pardoned him again. Parry then started asking for rewards.

The Queen gave him some money and a seat in Parliament, which is like being a lawmaker. At this point, Parry was playing a very risky game. He even spoke out in Parliament against how Catholics were being treated.

However, Parry still couldn't pay his debts. He tried to create another "plot" that he could then "discover" to make himself look good. He approached another man, Sir Edmund Neville, and suggested they attack the Queen. It's not clear if Parry truly meant to harm the Queen or if he just wanted to impress people by "exposing" Neville.

Parliament met in November, and they discussed a new law against Catholic priests. Parry spoke against this law. He was questioned by the Queen's advisors but was released the next day by the Queen's order.

Six weeks later, Neville told the authorities about Parry's plot to harm the Queen. Parry was arrested for a very serious crime called high treason. He was taken to the Tower of London. He wrote a full confession to the Queen and sent letters to her advisors.

Death and Legacy

On February 11, 1585, Parry was removed from Parliament. He made a confession on February 13. His trial began on February 18. He pleaded guilty, perhaps hoping for another pardon. However, he later said he was innocent and that his confession was false.

He was sentenced to a harsh punishment and executed on March 2 in Westminster Palace Yard. On the day he died, he again said he was innocent. He also asked the Queen to treat her Catholic subjects more kindly.

After Parry's death, a book was published that accused him of many terrible crimes. It was likely put out by the government to make him look bad.