THE GUNPOWDER PLOT CONSPIRATORS
Lord Vaux of Harrowden, Sir William Catesby of Ashby St. Ledgers,
and Sir Thomas Tresham of Rushton Hall (all in Northamptonshire)
were upon more than one occasion arraigned before the Court of the
Star Chamber for harbouring Jesuits. The old mansions Ashby St.
Ledgers and Rushton fortunately still remain intact and preserve
many traditions of Romanist plots. Sir William Catesby's son Robert,
the chief conspirator, is said to have held secret meetings in the
curious oak-panelled room over the gate-house of the former, which
goes by the name of "the Plot Room." Once upon a time it was provided
with a secret means of escape. At Rushton Hall a hiding-place was
discovered in 1832 behind a lintel over a doorway; it was full
of bundles of manuscripts, prohibited books, and incriminating
correspondence of the conspirator Tresham. Another place of
concealment was situated in the chimney of the great hall and in
this Father Oldcorn was hidden for a time. Gayhurst, or Gothurst,
in Buckinghamshire, the seat of Sir Everard Digby, also remains
intact, one of the finest late Tudor buildings in the country;
unfortunately, however, only recently a remarkable "priest's
hole" that was here has been destroyed in consequence of modern
improvements. It was a double hiding-place, one situated beneath
the other; the lower one being so arranged as to receive light and
air from the bottom portion of a large mullioned window--a most
ingenious device. A secret passage in the hall had communication
with it, and entrance was obtained through part of the flooring
of an apartment, the movable part of the boards revolving upon
pivots and sufficiently solid to vanquish any suspicion as to
a hollow space beneath.
[Illustration: ASHBY ST. LEDGERS, NORTHAMPTONSHIRE]
[Illustration: THE PLOT ROOM, ASHBY ST. LEGERS]
As may be supposed, tradition says that at the time of Digby's
arrest he was dragged forth from this hole, but history shows
that he was taken prisoner at Holbeach House (where, it will be
remembered, the conspirators Catesby and Percy were shot), and
led to execution. For a time Digby sought security at Coughton
Court, the seat of the Throckmortons, in Warwickshire. The house of
this old Roman Catholic family, of course, had its hiding-holes,
one of which remains to this day. Holbeach as well as Hagley
Hall, the homes of the Litteltons, have been rebuilt. The latter
was pulled down in the middle of the eighteenth century. Here
it was that Stephen Littleton and Robert Winter were captured
through the treachery of the cook. Grant's house, Norbrook, in
Warwickshire, has also given way to a modern one.
Ambrose Rookwood's seat, Coldham Hall, near Bury St. Edmunds,
exists and retains its secret chapel and hiding-places. There are
three of the latter; one of them, now a small withdrawing-room,
is entered from the oak wainscoted hall. When the house was in
the market a few years ago, the "priests' holes" duly figured in
the advertisements with the rest of the apartments and offices.
It read a little odd, this juxtaposition of modern conveniences
with what is essentially romantic, and we simply mention the
fact to show that the auctioneer is well aware of the monetary
value of such things.
At the time of the Gunpowder Conspiracy Rookwood rented Clopton
Hall, near Stratford-on-Avon. This house also has its little
chapel in the roof with adjacent "priests' holes," but many
alterations have taken place from time to time. Who does not
remember William Howitt's delightful description--or, to be correct,
the description of a lady correspondent--of the old mansion before
these restorations. "There was the old Catholic chapel," she wrote,
"with a chaplain's room which had been walled up and forgotten till
within the last few years. I went in on my hands and knees, for the
entrance was very low. I recollect little in the chapel; but in
the chaplain's room were old and I should think rare editions of
many books, mostly folios. A large yellow paper copy of Dryden's
_All for Love, or the World Well Lost_, date 1686, caught
my eye, and is the only one I particularly remember."[1]
[Footnote 1: Howitt's _Visits to Remarkable Places_.]
Huddington Court, the picturesque old home of the Winters (of
whom Robert and Thomas lost their lives for their share in the
Plot), stands a few miles from Droitwich. A considerable quantity
of arms and ammunition were stored in the hiding-places here in
1605 in readiness for general rising.
[Illustration: HUDDINGTON COURT, WORCESTERSHIRE]
[Illustration: ENTRANCE PORCH, HUDDINGTON COURT]
Two other houses may be mentioned in connection with the memorable
Plot--houses that were rented by the conspirators as convenient
places of rendezvous an account of their hiding-places and masked
exits for escape. One of them stood in the vicinity of the Strand,
in the fields behind St. Clement's Inn. Father Gerard had taken
it some time previous to the discovery of the Plot, and with
Owen's aid some very secure hiding-places were arranged. This he
had done with two or three other London residences, so that he
and his brother priests might use them upon hazardous occasions;
and to one of these he owed his life when the hue and cry after
him was at its highest pitch. By removing from one to the other
they avoided detection, though they had many narrow escapes. One
priest was celebrating Mass when the Lord Mayor and constables
suddenly burst in. But the surprise party was disappointed: nothing
could be detected beyond the smoke of the extinguished candles;
and in addition to the hole where the fugitive crouched there
were two other secret chambers, neither of which was discovered.
On another occasion a priest was left shut up in a wall; his
friends were taken prisoners, and he was in danger of starvation,
until at length he was rescued from his perilous position, carried
to one of the other houses, and again immured in the vault or
chimney.
The other house was "White Webb's," on the confines of Enfield
Chase. In the Record Office there is a document describing how,
many Popish books and relics were discovered when the latter
was searched. The building was full of trap-doors and secret
passages. Some vestiges of the out-buildings of "White Webb's"
may still be seen in a quaint little inn called "The King and
Tinker."
But of all the narrow escapes perhaps Father Blount's experiences
at Scotney Castle were the most thrilling. This old house of
the Darrells, situated on the border of Kent and Sussex, like
Hindlip and Braddocks and most of the residences of the Roman
Catholic gentry, contained the usual lurking-places for priests.
The structure as it now stands is in the main modern, having
undergone from time to time considerable alterations. A vivid
account of Blount's hazardous escape here is preserved among the
muniments at Stonyhurst--a transcript of the original formerly
at St. Omers.
One Christmas night towards the close of Elizabeth's reign the
castle was seized by a party of priest-hunters, who, with their
usual mode of procedure, locked up the members of the family securely
before starting on their operations. In the inner quadrangle of
the mansion was a very remarkable and ingenious device. A large
stone of the solid wall could be pushed aside. Though of immense
weight, it was so nicely balanced and adjusted that it required
only a slight pressure upon one side to effect an entrance to
the hiding-place within. Those who have visited the grounds at
Chatsworth may remember a huge piece of solid rock which can be
swung round in the same easy manner. Upon the approach of the
enemy, Father Blount and his servant hastened to the courtyard
and entered the vault; but in their hurry to close the weighty
door a small portion of one of their girdles got jammed in, so
that a part was visible from the outside. Fortunately for the
fugitives, someone in the secret, in passing the spot, happened
to catch sight of this tell-tale fragment and immediately cut
it off; but as a particle still showed, they called gently to
those within to endeavour to pull it in, which they eventually
succeeded in doing.
At this moment the pursuivants were at work in another part of
the castle, but hearing the voice in the courtyard, rushed into
it and commenced battering the walls, and at times upon the very
door of the hiding-place, which would have given way had not
those within put their combined weight against it to keep it
from yielding. It was a pitchy dark night, and it was pelting
with rain, so after a time, discouraged at finding nothing and
wet to the skin, the soldiers put off further search until the
following morning, and proceeded to dry and refresh themselves
by the fire in the great hall.
When all was at rest, Father Blount and his man, not caring to
risk another day's hunting, cautiously crept forth bare-footed,
and after managing to scale some high walls, dropt into the moat
and swam across. And it was as well for them that they decided
to quit their hiding-hole, for next morning it was discovered.
The fugitives found temporary security at another recusant house
a few miles from Scotney, possibly the old half-timber house of
Twissenden, where a secret chapel and adjacent "priests' holes"
are still pointed out.
The original manuscript account of the search at Scotney was
written by one of the Darrell family, who was in the castle at
the time of the events recorded.[1]
[Footnote 1: See Morris's _Troubles of our Catholic
Forefathers._]