George Porter (c.1659 – 1728) was an English soldier and conspirator.

Life

The son of Thomas Porter, he is described in contemporary accounts as a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

, a man of pleasure, and a haunter of Jacobite taverns. On 10 December 1684, a true bill of

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was brought in against him for causing the death of Sir James Halkett during a fracas at a theatre; but he escaped punishment. In 1688, he was a captain in Colonel Henry Slingsby's regiment of horse. In May 1692, he was mentioned in a proclamation as a dangerous Jacobite, but he soon felt it safe to return to his old haunts, and in June 1695, he was temporarily taken into custody for rioting in a

Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster. Notable landmarks ...

tavern and drinking King James's health. After the death of Queen Mary, Porter associated himself more closely with

Sir George Barclay Sir George Barclay (c. 1636–1710) was a Scottish army officer who headed a Jacobite assassination plot against King William II of Scotland in 1696. The plotters intended to ambush the king at Turnham Green Turnham Green is a public park on ...

Robert Charnock Robert Charnock (or Chernock) (''c''. 1663 – 18 March 1696) was an English academic and Jacobite conspirator. Life Charnock belonged to a Warwickshire family, and was educated at Adams' Grammar School and Magdalen College, Oxford, becoming a ...

, and other conspirators in the Jacobite plot. In December 1695 Charnock told him of the intention to secure the person of

William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198) * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...

, alive or dead. Porter brought his servant Keyes into the plot; who organised the details of the plan. William was to be surprised in his coach in a miry lane between

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...

and Turnham Green, while his guard was straggling after the passage of Queensferry. It was arranged that Porter should be one of the three leaders of the attack on the guards. On the eve of the intended assassination, 21 February 1696, the conspirators assembled in the lodging that Porter shared with Charnock in Norfolk Street, Strand. The plot having been revealed, Porter and Keyes were pursued by the hue and cry and captured at

Leatherhead Leatherhead is a town in the Mole Valley District of Surrey, England, about south of Central London. The settlement grew up beside a ford on the River Mole, from which its name is thought to derive. During the late Anglo-Saxon period, Leath ...

. Fortunately for Porter,

Sir Thomas Prendergast, 1st Baronet Brigadier-General Sir Thomas Prendergast, 1st Baronet ( 1660 – 11 September 1709) was an Irish politician and soldier. Early life He was the son of Thomas Prendergast (d. 1725) of Croane, County Limerick, a small Catholic landowner, and Eleano ...

, the informer, who was under obligation to him, stipulated that Porter's life should be spared. Porter turned king's evidence, gaining a pardon and a grant from the exchequer (1 August 1696). His testimony facilitated the conviction of Charnock, King, Friend, Parkyns, Rookwood, Cranbourne, and Lowicke. Porter's betrayed his servant Keyes, whom he had inveigled into the plot. In November 1696 Sir John Fenwick was alarmed at the information possessed by Porter on the ramifications of this and previous plots, and he made a strenuous effort to get him out of the country. On condition that he immediately transported himself to France, he promised Porter three hundred guineas, an annuity, and a free pardon from James II. The negotiations were conducted through a barber named Clancy. Porter reported the intrigue to the authorities at Whitehall. On the day proposed for his departure to France, he met Clancy by arrangement at a tavern in

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

. At a given signal Clancy was arrested, and subsequently convicted and pilloried. Later in the month Porter gave evidence against Fenwick. Porter probably retired at the end of the year upon substantial earnings. In June 1697, he was accused of rape.

References

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Porter, George 1659 births 1728 deaths English Jacobites