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William Watson (c. 23 April 15599 December 1603) was an English Roman Catholic priest and conspirator, executed for treason.


Life

In 1586 Watson became a Roman Catholic priest in France, and during the concluding years of Elizabeth's reign he paid several visits to England; he was imprisoned and tortured more than once. He became prominent in the Archpriest Controversy as a champion of the secular priests in their dispute with the Jesuits, and in 1601 some writings by him on this question appeared which were answered by Robert Parsons. In September of that year he was resident at Fulham Palace, under the protection of
Richard Bancroft Richard Bancroft (1544 – 2 November 1610) was an English churchman, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1604 to 1610 and "chief overseer" of the King James Bible. Life Bancroft was born in September 1544 at Farnworth, now part of Widnes, Che ...
. When Elizabeth died, Watson hastened to Scotland to assure James I of the loyalty of his party, and to forestall the Jesuits, who were suspected of intriguing with Spain. The new king did not, however, as was hoped, cease to exact the fines on recusants; and the general dissatisfaction felt by the Roman Catholics gave rise to the "
Bye plot The Bye Plot of 1603 was a conspiracy, by Roman Catholic priests and Puritans aiming at tolerance for their respective denominations, to kidnap the new English King, James I of England. It is referred to as the "bye" plot, because at the time i ...
," or "Watson's plot," in which connection this priest's name is best known, and to its sequel the Main Plot; Watson discussed the grievances of his co-religionists with another priest, William Clark, with Sir
Griffin Markham Sir Griffin Markham (d. aft. 1644) was an English soldier. Life Griffin Markham was the son of Thomas Markham (1530–1607) and of Mary Griffin (1540-ca.1633) of Ollerton, Nottinghamshire. He likely converted to Roman Catholicism early in his life ...
and
Anthony Copley Anthony Copley (1567–1609) was an English Catholic poet and conspirator. He reproached the Jesuits and their meditations on martyrdom, and loyally praised Queen Elizabeth. He is principally known to posterity for his long allegorical poem in ...
, and with a disappointed Protestant courtier, George Brooke; they took another Protestant, Thomas Grey, 15th Baron Grey de Wilton, into their confidence, and following Scottish precedents it was arranged that James should be surprised and seized, while they talked loudly about capturing the Tower of London, converting the King to Catholicism, and making Watson Lord Keeper. One or two of the conspirators drew back; but Watson and his remaining colleagues arranged to assemble at Greenwich on 24 June 1603, and under the pretence of presenting a petition to carry out their object. The plot was a complete failure; Henry Garnet and other Jesuits betrayed it to the authorities, and its principal authors were seized, Watson being captured in August at Hay-on-Wye on the Welsh border. They were tried at
Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
and found guilty; Watson and Clark were executed on 9 December 1603, and Brooke suffered the same fate a week later. Grey and Markham were reprieved. Before the executions took place, however, the failure of the Bye plot had led to the discovery of the Main plot. Brooke's share in the earlier scheme caused suspicion to fall upon his brother Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham, the ally and brother-in-law of Sir Robert Cecil. Cobham appears to have been in communication with Spain about the possibility of killing "the king and his cubs" and of placing
Lady Arabella Stuart Lady Arbella Stuart (also Arabella, or Stewart; 1575 – 25 September 1615) was an English noblewoman who was considered a possible successor to Queen Elizabeth I of England. During the reign of King James VI and I (her first cousin), she marrie ...
on the throne. He was seized, tried and condemned to death, but although led out to the scaffold he was not executed. It was on suspicion of being associated with Cobham in this matter that
Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellion ...
was arrested and tried.


Notes


References

* *Documents printed by Thomas Graves Law in ''The Archpriest Controversy'' (1896–1898); and the same writer's ''Jesuits and Seculars'' (1889) *
Samuel Rawson Gardiner Samuel Rawson Gardiner (4 March 1829 – 24 February 1902) was an English historian, who specialized in 17th-century English history as a prominent foundational historian of the Puritan revolution and the English Civil War. Life The son of ...
, ''History of England'', vol. i. (1905). {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, William 1559 births 1603 deaths 16th-century English Roman Catholic priests People executed under the Stuarts for treason against England