Robert Keyes
Robert Keyes | |
---|---|
High treason | |
Criminal penalty | Hanged, drawn and quartered |
Role | Guarding the explosives |
Enlisted | October 1604 |
Robert Keyes (1565 -1606) was a member of the group of provincial English
Unlike several other conspirators Keyes was not a particularly wealthy man. He was trusted by Robert Catesby, the plot's author, with guarding the explosives stored at the latter's lodgings in London. When the plot was uncovered he fled the city, and was captured several days later in Warwickshire. He was tried with his co-conspirators, found guilty, and in January 1606 hanged, drawn and quartered.
Life before 1604
Born in about 1565, Robert Keyes was the son of the
Gunpowder Plot
English Catholics had hoped that the persecution of their faith would end when the apparently more tolerant
The
Keyes and his cousin-in-law Ambrose Rookwood spent the night before the planned explosion at the house of an Elizabeth More, near Temple Bar.[14] They were visited late that evening by Fawkes (in charge of the explosives beneath the House of Lords) who collected a watch left by Percy, for timing the fuse.[15] Several hours later Fawkes was discovered guarding the explosives, and was arrested.[16]
Failure and death
When Keyes heard that Fawkes had been captured he took to his horse and fled for the Midlands. He was overtaken at
The conspirators were tried on 27 January 1606 at Westminster Hall. Despite entering pleas of not guilty (only Digby professed his guilt), all eight were found guilty. They were each allowed to speak "wherefore judgement of death should not be pronounced against them".[20] Keyes made no attempt to excuse his actions, claiming that "death was as good now as at any other time",[21] preferable to living "in the midst of so much tyranny".[22][23] The Jesuit Oswald Tesimond wrote in his Narrative of Keyes's defence:
He claimed that his motive had been to promote the common good. That is, he hoped that his native land would be turned back to the Catholic faith. The violence of the present persecution had driven him also to take part in the conspiracy.[10]
On 31 January 1606 Keyes, Rookwood, Thomas Wintour and Fawkes were taken to the Old Palace Yard in Westminster, to be hanged, drawn and quartered. Rookwood and Wintour were the first to ascend to the gallows. Grim-faced, Keyes went "stoutly" up the ladder, but with the halter around his neck he threw himself off, presumably hoping for a quick death. The halter broke, and he was taken to the block to suffer the remainder of his sentence.[24]
References
- ^ a b Haynes 2005, p. 55
- ^ a b Fraser 2005, pp. 130–131
- ^ Bengsten 2005, p. 125
- ^ Fraser 2005, p. 131
- ^ Fraser 2005, pp. 41–42
- ^ Haynes, Alan (5 November 2009), The Enduring Memory of the Gunpowder Plot, BBC, retrieved 14 July 2010
- ^ Fraser 2005, p. 140
- ^ Fraser 2005, p. 120
- ^ Gerard & Morris 1871, p. 87
- ^ a b Tesimond 1973, p. 214
- ^ Northcote Parkinson 1976, p. 96
- ^ Northcote Parkinson 1976, pp. 62–63
- ^ Haynes 2005, p. 82
- ^ Simons 1963, p. 157
- ^ Fraser 2005, p. 201
- ^ Fraser 2005, pp. 201–203
- ^ Fraser 2005, pp. 204–205
- ^ Fraser 2005, p. 211
- ^ Fraser 2005, p. 235
- ^ Fraser 2005, p. 270
- ^ Fraser 2005, p. 271
- ^ Fraser 2005, p. 358
- ^ Fraser 2005, pp. 263–271
- ^ Fraser 2005, pp. 282–283
- Bibliography
- ISBN 0-7538-1401-3
- Bengsten, Fiona (2005), Sir William Waad, Lieutenant of the Tower, and the Gunpowder Plot (illustrated ed.), Trafford Publishing, ISBN 1-4120-5541-5
- Gerard, John; Morris, John (1871), The condition of Catholics under James I : Father Gerard's narrative of the Gunpowder Plot, vol. 1, London: Longmans, Green
- Haynes, Alan (2005) [1994], The Gunpowder Plot: Faith in Rebellion, Sparkford, England: Hayes and Sutton, ISBN 0-7509-4215-0
- ISBN 0-297-77224-4
- Simons, Eric (1963), The Devil of the Vault – A Life of Guy Fawkes, London: Fredrick Muller Limited
- Tesimond, Oswald (1973), The Gunpowder Plot: the narrative of Oswald Tesimond alias Greenway, London: Folio Society, ISBN 978-0-85067-068-4