GUNPOWDER PLOT BOOKS——PART I., NO. 52.
“The examinacon of William Kyddall of Elsam in the Countie of
Lincolne s^{r}vant to Mr. Robert Turrett of Kettleby[A] in the
said Com. taken the viii^{th} daie of November 1605 before S^{r}
Richard Verney Knighte high Sherriff for the Com. of Warr. S^{r}
John fferrers & Willm Combes Esq^{r} Justices of peace there
saith as followeth.
[Footnote A: Kettleby is near Brigg, in Lincolnshire. Twigmore, where John
Wright had lived, is also near the same town. (Communicated by R. H.
Dawson, Esq., of Beverley, a descendant of the Pendrells, of Boscobel.)]
“That he was intreated of Mr. John Wrighte, who was dwellinge at Twigmore
in the Countie of Lincolne, to bringe his daught^{r} beinge eight or nine
yere old to Lapworth to Nicholas Slyes[B] house where he hath harbored
this half yere. He brought the child to Lapworth the xxiiii^{th} of
October, and there was Mr. John Wrighte and his wife and Mr. Christopher
Wrighte and his wife, soe he continued at Lapworth from Wednesdaie to
Monday, from thence he goeth to London w^{th} Mr. Christopher Wrighte and
came to London on Wednesdaie betwixt two & three a Clocke to St. Giles to
the signe of the Maydenhead from whence Mr. Wrighte wente into the Towne
and he stayed at the Inn, uppon ffriday one Richard Browne s^{r}vant to
Mr. Wrighte wente downe into Surrey, and on ffriday at night Browne
returned and he & Browne wente uppon Sattersdaie for the Child to a Towne
he knoweth not about Croydon Race and broughte it to the Maydenhead at St.
Gyles to Mr. Wrighte the ffath^{r} who seeinge the child too little to be
carried sent them backe w^{th} it to the place whence thei fetched it on
Sonday Morninge, and thei retorned Sondaie night to the Maydenhead and it
was purposed by Mr. Wright to come awaie w^{th} this examinate uppon
Mondaie morninge but staied because Mr. Wrightes Clothes were not made
till Tuesdaie morninge and then Mr. Wrighte sent this examinate _and[A]
William Ward nephew to Mr. Wrighte downe to Lapworth in Warwickshire_
whither they were now goinge. He saith he lefte Mr. Wright at London and
knoweth not the causes why he came not away w^{th} them he saith that
Browne lyeth in Westminster neare Whitehall at one Bonkers house. Thei
broughte in their Cloakbagge a suit of Cloathes for Mr. John Wright a
Petronell and a Rapier & dagger thinkinge to find him at Lapworth.
[Footnote B: Probably Nicholas Sly and his house were well known to
Shakespeare. John Wright appears to have gone to Lapworth (which belonged
to Catesby) about May, 1605. Who Mrs. John Wright was I do not know.]
[Footnote A: William Ward, one of the sons of Marmaduke Ward, _it will be
remembered, had an uncle who lived at Court_. This surely must have been
Thomas Ward. And I opine that the boy had been on a visit to this uncle;
for at this time his father was at Lapworth, the house of John Wright. It
is possible, however, that Christopher Wright and Kyddall may have brought
young Ward up to London from Lapworth; but I do not think so, otherwise we
should have been told the fact in Kyddall’s evidence, most probably. (The
italics are mine.)]
“Richard Verney.[B]
Jo: fferrers.[C]
W. Combes.”[126][D]
[Footnote B: Sir Richard Verney, Knt., would be a friend, belike, of Sir
Thomas Lucy, Knt., of Charlcote (a Warwickshire Puritan gentleman).]
[Footnote C: Of the Ferrers, of Baddlesley Clinton (a very old Catholic
family).]
[Footnote D: From whom Shakespeare bought land. To John Combes, brother to
William, the poet bequeathed his sword by Will.]
(No endorsement).
Mistress Dorothie Robinson, Widdow, of Spur Alley, on the 7th of November,
1605, also deposed as follows:——
GUNPOWDER PLOT BOOKS——PART I., NO. 41.
“The examinacon of Dorathie Robinson[127] widdow of Spurr Alley.
“Shee sayeth that one Mr. Christopher Wright gent did lye in her
house about a Moneth past for xviii^{en} dayes together and no
more. And there did come to him one Mr. Winter w^{ch} did
continually frequent his Company and about a moneth past the
said Winter brought to her house two hampers[A] locked w^{th}
two padlockes, and caused them to be placed in a little Closet
at the end of Mr. Wright’s Chamber. But what was in the said
hamps, was privately conveyed away by Winter w^{th}out her
knowledge, and the hamps was geven to her use.
“Shee sayeth that Mr. Wright could not chuse but know of the
conveying of those thinges w^{ch} were in the hamper as well as
Mr. Winter.
“Shee sayeth that Mr. Winter by report of his man, was a
Worcestershire man, and his living Eight score poundes by the
yeare at the lest.
“_The said Mr. Wright hath a brother in London,[B] whose servant
came to him in this woman’s house, and the same morning of his
going away, w^{ch} was a Moneth on Tuesday last._
“That the said Wright was to seeke his loding againe at this
woman’s house; but she tould him her lodgings were otherwayes
disposed of. And then he went his wayes. And since that tyme
shee never saw him.
“_She sayeth that shee saw Mr. Winter uppon Sunday last in the
afternoone. But where he lodgeth she knoweth not._ (The italics
are mine.)
“I can find no manner of thing in this woman’s house whereby to
geve us any incouragem^{t} to proceede any further.
“The said Mr. Wright did often goe to the Salutation to one Mr.
Jackson’s house; And one Steven the drawer as shee thinketh will
tell where hee is.”
[Footnote A: These hampers contained the fresh gunpowder, no doubt,
mentioned by Thomas Winter in his “_Confession_” written in the Tower.
This sentence tends to confirm the genuineness of the Confession.]
[Footnote B: _Who was this brother?_ I _suggest_ that by brother is meant
brother-in-law, and that as a fact Christopher Wright _had_ married
Margaret Ward, the sister to both Marmaduke and Thomas Ward. If this be
correct, then we have demonstrative proof of the servant of Thomas Ward
calling upon Christopher Wright (probably with a message from Thomas Ward)
the very same morning as, I hold, that Christopher Wright went down into
Warwickshire, where he would be within twenty miles of Father Oldcorne.
This evidence is important. The word _came_, too, is noticeable, implying,
I think, a habit of coming, a frequentative use of the past tense of the
verb. Observe also “_and the same morning_,” implying _cumulative_ acts of
“_coming_,” the visit of that day being the last of a series of visits.]
Mr. Jackson also deposed:——
“He sayeth that he knoweth Mr. Wright very well, _But it is
about a fortnight past,[128] since he ws at his house, and since
that tyme he knoweth not what is become of him._ (The italics
are mine.)
“He sayeth further that he knoweth not any other of his Consorts
or Companyons, yf hee did he would reveale it.
(Endorsed) “The examinacon of Dorathy Robinson Widdow of Spurr
Alley.”
Furthermore, we have the following Evidence of Mistress Elizabeth More:——
7 Nov: 1605.
STATE PAPERS DOMESTIC——JAS. I., Vol. xvi., No. 13.
“The Declaracon of Elizabeth More the wief of Edward More taken the 5th of
November 1605.
“She saieth that the gent that lay at her howse w^{th} Mr. Rookwood this
last night and the night before his name is Mr. Keyes and he took upp the
Chamber for the said Mr. Rookwood.
“And she saieth that uppon ffryday night last Mr. Christofir Wright came
to this exaite howse w^{th} the said Mr. Rookwood and lay that night in a
chamber on the said Mr. Rookwoode Chamber.
(Endorsed) “5th No: 1605.
“The Declaracon of Elizabeth More.”
Mistress More, I find, lived near Temple Bar.[A]
[Footnote A: Where was Spur Alley? and how far were Temple Bar and Spur
Alley from the town-house in the Strand of the Lord Mounteagle, and
therefore of his Lordship’s secretary, Thomas Ward?
It will be noted by the judicious reader that the conjectured fact that
Christopher Wright’s London lodgings were within a short distance of
where, doubtless, his——I suggest——_brother-in-law_ (Ward) was to be found
tends to support my theory.]