The Atterbury Plot
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The Atterbury Plot Eveline Cruickshanks and Howard Erskine-Hill Studies in Modern History General Editor: J. C. D. Clark, Joyce and Elizabeth Hall Distinguished Professor of British History, University of Kansas Titles include: James B. Bell THE IMPERIAL ORIGINS OF THE KING’S CHURCH IN EARLY AMERICA 1607–1783 Jonathan Clark and Howard Erskine-Hill (editors) SAMUEL JOHNSON IN HISTORICAL CONTEXT Eveline Cruickshanks and Howard Erskine-Hill THE ATTERBURY PLOT Richard R. Follett EVANGELICALISM, PENAL THEORY AND THE POLITICS OF CRIMINAL LAW REFORM IN ENGLAND, 1808–30 William Anthony Hay THE WHIG REVIVAL 1808–1830 Karin J. MacHardy WAR, RELIGION AND COURT PATRONAGE IN HABSBURG AUSTRIA The Social and Cultural Dimensions of Political Interaction, 1521–1622 Robert J. Mayhew LANDSCAPE, LITERATURE AND ENGLISH RELIGIOUS CULTURE, 1660–1800 Samuel Johnson and Languages of Natural Description Julia Rudolph WHIG POLITICAL THOUGHT AND THE GLORIOUS REVOLUTION James Tyrrell and the Theory of Resistance Anthony Waterman POLITICAL ECONOMY AND CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY SINCE THE ENLIGHTENMENT Essays in Intellectual History Doron Zimmerman THE JACOBITE MOVEMENT IN SCOTLAND AND IN EXILE, 1746–1759 Studies in Modern History Series Standing Order ISBN 0–333–79328–5 (outside North America only) You can receive future titles in this series as they are published by placing a standing order. Please contact your bookseller or, in case of difficulty, write to us at the address below with your name and address, the title of the series and the ISBN quoted above. Customer Services Department, Macmillan Distribution Ltd, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS, England Also by Eveline Cruickshanks THE GLORIOUS REVOLUTION 1678–1714 THE STUART COURTS (editor) THE STUART COURT IN EXILE AND THE JACOBITES (with Edward Corp) BY FORCE OR BY DEFAULT? The Revolution of 1688–89 THE JACOBITE CHALLENGE (with Jeremy Black) IDEOLOGY AND CONSPIRACY: Aspects of Jacobitism 1689–1759 (editor) POLITICAL UNTOUCHABLE: The Tories and the ‘45 Also by Howard Erskine-Hill THE SOCIAL MILIEU OF ALEXANDER POPE: Lives, Example and the Poetic Response THE AUSGUSTAN IDEA IN ENGLISH LITERATURE POETRY AND THE REALM OF POLITICS: Shakespeare to Dryden POETRY OF OPPOSITION AND REVOLUTION: Dryden to Wordsworth ALEXANDER POPE: Selected Letters (editor) The Atterbury Plot Eveline Cruickshanks and Howard Erskine-Hill © Eveline Cruickshanks and Howard Erskine-Hill 2004 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. No paragraph of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 4LP. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The authors have asserted their rights to be identified as the authors of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2004 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 Companies and representatives throughout the world PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 0–333–58668–9 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Cruickshanks, Eveline. The Atterbury plot / by Eveline Cruickshanks & Howard Erskine-Hill. p. cm. – (Studies in modern history) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0–333–58668–9 1. Atterbury, Francis, 1662–1732. 2. Conspiracies–Great Britain–History–18th century. 3. Church and state–England–History– 18th century. 4. Great Britain–History–George I, 1714–1727. 5. Tories, English–History–18th century. 6. Church of England–Bishops–Biography. 7. Politicians–Great Britain–Biography. 8. Exiles–Great Britain–Biography. 9. Stuart, House of. 10. Jacobites. I. Erskine-Hill, Howard II. Title. III. Studies in modern history (Palgrave Macmillan (Firm)) DA501.A8C78 2004 941.07´1–dc22 2004041507 10987654321 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 Printed and bound in Great Britain by Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham and Eastbourne Contents List of Illustrations ix Acknowledgements x Introduction: Continuous Conspiracy 2 Models of revolution 2 The question of treason 3 Motives and oaths 4 Situations and aims 6 The Jacobite Rebellion of 1715 8 Continuous conspiracy 9 Kinds of plot 10 Dramatis personae 12 1 John Law and the First Phase of the Atterbury Plot 23 The Tories and the Hanoverian succession 23 The Duke of Ormonde and Atterbury: Proscription of 24 the Tories The 1715 Rebellion 25 Atterbury appointed James III’s representative in England: The Whigs and the Anglo-French alliance 27 Was Dubois in the pay of England? 29 Abandoned by France, the Jacobites turn to Sweden and Spain 30 John Law’s genius 31 Origins of John Law 32 Law’s System 34 Law reaches supreme power in France 37 Law as the friend of James III and the protector of Jacobites 38 Law’s System reaches its zenith 39 Law’s friends 40 Atterbury looks to the Regent and John Law for assistance 41 Two Jacobite Lords go to Paris 42 Strafford, Law and the Regent 48 Orrery and the Regent 52 The fall of Law 54 v vi Contents 2 A Jacobite Opportunity: The South Sea Crisis and the Possibility of a Constitutional Restoration 56 The South Sea Company 57 A Whig takeover of the South Sea Company 57 The ‘friends’ of the South Sea Bill 58 The South Sea scheme accepted by Parliament 59 The South Sea Bubble 60 The Jacobite response 61 Lord Carteret appointed secretary of state 63 Destouches and Chammorel, two well-informed diplomats 63 The Secret Committee of Inquiry into the South Sea Bubble 64 Sunderland seeks an alliance with the Tories 65 The Tories save Sunderland 68 Cowper’s Cabal 69 The Duke of Wharton 70 The campaign of Protests in the House of Lords 71 Lord Orrery’s Club 73 The bill of indemnity 74 Jacobite London 75 The last session of the 1715 Parliament 77 The 1722 election 77 A brilliant propaganda campaign 80 3 A Call to Arms 91 The birth of the Prince of Wales 91 The quest for troops 92 Lord North and Grey 93 The Earl of Arran 95 Lord Lansdowne 96 General Dillon 98 The Earl of Mar 98 The Duke of Ormonde 101 Christopher Layer and John Plunkett 103 Lord Burlington 108 James III’s financial resources 108 Robert Knight in Rome 109 The search for troops 110 ‘The time has now come’ 112 Sir Henry Goring’s mission to Paris 112 Lansdowne’s trumpet 114 Plans in Scotland 115 Contents vii The Duke of Orléans asked to intervene 115 The anti-Jacobite alliance 116 A change of plans 117 All set 117 The Jacobite establishment 118 Elections and insurrection 119 Scotland left out 120 The rising postponed 121 4 Walpole and the ‘Horrid Conspiracy’ 124 Sunderland’s death 124 Sunderland’s papers searched 125 The Jacobites keep their heads down 126 Did Lord Mar give information? 127 England put on alert 129 Kelly’s arrest 130 Jacobite propaganda 130 5 The Military and Naval Resources of the Jacobites 132 The plot continues 132 Fundraising 133 The donations 134 The quest for funds in London 136 Layer’s lottery 137 Military commissions 137 London is the key 138 Enlisting for James III 139 The plan to capture London 141 Jacobite ships and seamen 149 6 The Arrests 153 Walpole strikes 153 Dennis Kelly 155 The net spreads wider 156 Thomas Carte 157 Philip Neynoe 157 John Sample 158 Bishop Atterbury 160 Walpole’s ‘evidences’ 161 Christopher Layer 162 Lord North and Grey 163 Lord Orrery 163 viii Contents Intercepted correspondence 164 Proceedings in Parliament 165 The Duke of Norfolk 166 The tax on Catholics 167 James III’s Declaration 167 More arrests 168 The English prisoners 169 7 The Case of Christopher Layer 171 The examinations of Christopher Layer 171 The trial of Layer 172 8 The Trials of John Plunkett and George Kelly 184 The legal procedure 184 The trial of John Plunkett 185 The trial of George Kelly 190 9 The Trial of Bishop Atterbury 199 Atterbury’s harsh treatment in the Tower 199 The bill of pains and penalties against Bishop Atterbury 200 Atterbury at the Bar of the House of Lords 208 10 The Aftermath 224 Atterbury in exile 224 Atterbury’s retirement 228 Final fidelities 230 John Law 233 Dubois and the Regent 234 Exile, loyalty and the Stuart cause 235 Conclusion 238 Appendix A: ‘Considerations on the Nature of Oaths at present’ 244 Appendix B: ‘A State of England’ (RASP 65/16) 246 Appendix C: ‘Loyal Gentlemen in the County of Norfolk (RASP 65/10) 255 Appendix D: Rep. BY 18 258 Appendix E: The ‘Intercepted’ Letters 259 Notes and References 263 Notes on Sources 287 Index 293 List of Illustrations 1. Francis Atterbury, Bishop of Rochester, holding a portrait of Archbishop Laud. Anonymous engraving, c. 1722. (Ashmolean Museum) 1 2. King George I. Engraving with etching by Jacob Houbraken after Sir Godfrey Kneller, 1752. (Private Collection) 13 3. King James III. Engraving by Marie-Nicole Horthemels after Alexis-Simon Belle, 1712. (Private Collection) 15 4. James, 2nd Duke of Ormonde. Mezzotint by John Simon after Michael Dahl, 1714.