Anne Vaux (c. 1562 – in or after 1637) was a wealthy

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

recusant Recusancy (from la, recusare, translation=to refuse) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation. The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign ...

Background

Vaux was the third daughter of

William Vaux, 3rd Baron Vaux of Harrowden William Vaux, 3rd Baron Vaux of Harrowden (before 14 August 1535 – 20 August 1595) was an English peer. He was noted for his Roman Catholic faith and support of Catholic missionary activity. Life The son of Thomas Vaux, 2nd Baron Vaux of Harrow ...

(1535–1595) and his first wife, Elizabeth, daughter of John Beaumont of Grace Dieu, Leicester. She and her sister Eleanor Brooksby supported Catholic priests by renting houses where priests could convene safely. Among these houses was White Webbs in

Enfield Chase Enfield Chase is an area of Enfield that is named for a former royal hunting ground. Much of the former area of the Chase has been developed, but a large part survives between Cockfosters in the west and Enfield in the east as Trent Country ...

, which was visited by several of the

Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby who sough ...

ters. Vaux was particularly devoted to Father

Henry Garnet Henry Garnet (July 1555 – 3 May 1606), sometimes Henry Garnett, was an English Jesuit priest executed for his complicity in the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Born in Heanor, Derbyshire, he was educated in Nottingham and later at Winchester Colle ...

, a Jesuit priest who was later executed for his role in the

. She was related to

Francis Tresham Francis Tresham ( 1567 – 23 December 1605), eldest son of Thomas Tresham and Muriel Throckmorton, was a member of the group of English provincial Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, a conspiracy to assassinate King Jame ...

, one of the plotters. Both Vaux and Tresham have been suspected of being the author of an anonymous letter to

William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle William Parker, 13th Baron Morley, 4th Baron Monteagle (15751 July 1622), was an English peer, best known for his role in the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot. In 1605 Parker was due to attend the opening of Parliament. He was a member of the Hou ...

, warning him to avoid

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

on 5 November 1605, the day that the Gunpowder Plotters intended to blow it up. This letter, which Monteagle gave to Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, was instrumental in foiling the plot. The identity of the letter's author has never been conclusively determined. The theory that it was written by Vaux is based largely on "perceived similarities" between her handwriting and that used in the letter. Vaux suspected the existence of the Gunpowder Plot, but she played no direct role in it. She was arrested shortly after the plot was discovered but was released on a bond put up by Lewis Pickering. After her release, she tried unsuccessfully to hide Garnet at the home of Thomas Abington at

Hindlip Hindlip or Hinlip is a village and civil parish north east of Worcester, in the Wychavon district, in the county of Worcestershire, England. In 2011 the parish had a population of 180. The parish touches Tibberton, Martin Hussingtree, Salwarpe, ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...

. He was discovered and arrested on 25 January; Vaux travelled to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, where Garnet was incarcerated in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...

. She attempted to communicate with him through concealed messages on letters given to Garnet's gaoler. The messages were written in orange juice; historian Anstruther argues that their illegibility indicates that Vaux was near-sighted and unaccustomed to writing. The messages were forwarded to Salisbury, and Vaux was arrested in March 1606. Under interrogation, she proclaimed herself innocent of treason but admitted to receiving conspirators at her houses; she was released in August. Vaux moved to her sister

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It is the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages. The name was introd ...

's family estate in Leicestershire, where she was convicted of

recusancy Recusancy (from la, recusare, translation=to refuse) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation. The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign ...

in 1625, and after her sister's death moved to Stanley Grange,

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

. She founded a school for boys from Catholic noble families, which the

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

authorities tried to shut down in 1635. She died in 1637 or later.

In popular culture

Anne Vaux was played by Helen Longworth in ''The Gunpowder Plot'' on BBC Radio 3, Carolyn Pickles in the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

miniseries ''Gunpowder Women'' and by

Liv Tyler Liv Rundgren Tyler (born Liv Rundgren; July 1, 1977) is an American actress, producer, singer and former model. She began a modeling career at age 14. She later decided to focus on acting and made her film debut in ''Silent Fall'' (1994); she ...

in the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

series ''

Gunpowder Gunpowder, also commonly known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive. It consists of a mixture of sulfur, carbon (in the form of charcoal) and potassium nitrate (saltpeter). Th ...

''.

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vaux, Anne

Anne Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...

Gunpowder Plot 1562 births 1630s deaths 16th-century English people 17th-century English people People from the Borough of Erewash Daughters of barons