The Gunpowder Plot and Lord Mounteagle's Letter Part 7

[Footnote B: See also Sir Ralph Sadler's Papers. Edited by Sir Walter Scott.]

Hence, is it quite within the bounds of possibility that his remote kinsman, Thomas Warde, of Mulwith, may have been in the diplomatic service of Queen Elizabeth. The Hawkesworths and the Wardes had, in days long gone by, twice formed alliances by marriage, so that the families were distantly akin. Indeed it was from Sir Simon Warde, of Esholt, in the Parish of Otley, and of Givendale, in the Parish of Ripon, that the Hawkesworths of Hawkesworth had by marriage alliance gained the Hawkesworth Estate.--See Foster's "_Pedigrees of Yorks.h.i.+re Families_."

But is there any evidence that links Thomas Ward (or Warde), of Mulwaith (or Mulwith), and the Ward (or Warde) family in general, of Givendale, Newby and Mulwith, with the Lord Mounteagle?[C]

[Footnote C: It will be seen as this narrative further unfolds itself that it is almost certain that Thomas Warde (or Ward) was in the service of the Government as a Catholic diplomat under Walsingham. And, moreover, it will appear probable that the servant Warde (or Ward) "had as much, off" as the master Walsingham.]

And, first of all, is there any evidence to show that Marmaduke Ward ever had a brother in London, who lived at Court?

There is.

CHAPTER XVIII.

For in Foley's "_Records_"[70] we are told that Father George Ward, alias Ingleby, was a son of Marmaduke Ward, Esquire, of Newby, near Ripon, by his wife Ursula Wright.[A] And in a note at the foot of the self-same page, it is stated that William Ward entered the English College at Rome in the name William Ingleby vere Ward, 4th October, 1614, at the age of twenty-three; that the family was of distinction in the county, _and his uncle lived at Court_. (The italics are mine.)

[Footnote A: I am, however, inclined to think that Ursula Ward died early in the year 1588, after the birth of her son, probably George, and that the Elizabeth Ward, who is mentioned in Peac.o.c.k's "_List of Roman Catholics in Yorks.h.i.+re in 1604_" as the wife of a Marmaduke Ward, of the Parish of Ripon, was the mother of Elizabeth Ward, Teresa (or Ann) Ward, William Ward, and Thomas Ward. Indeed, the mother of all Mary Warde's father's children, except Mary herself, Barbara, John, and George.

I think, moreover, that Elizabeth Ward was a Sympson, probably of Great Edston, near Kirbymoorside, Rydale, in the North Riding of the County of York. The Sympsons, of Edston, had a daughter Elizabeth at this time.--See Foster's Ed. of "_Glover's Visitation_."

In the Ripon Minster Registers there is certainly the entry under date 15th May, 1588, of a wedding between a "Marmaduke Warde and Elizabeth Sympson." Now Mary Warde, the eldest child of Ursula Warde, was born the 23rd day of January, 1585-86, and Barbara in the year 1586; so that if Ursula Warde died in the year 1588 (at the early part) after giving birth to George Warde, Marmaduke Warde might be conceivably married again in May, 1588. Sir Thomas More's case would afford a precedent for so early a second marriage. The marriage of Marmaduke Warde and Elizabeth Sympson may have taken place at Ripon from the house of friends, in the presence of some semi-popish conforming Vicar. Winefrid Wigmore styles George Ward Mary's "owne brother," implying that there was at least one half-brother.--See "_Life of Mary Ward_" vol. i., p. 427. John Ward, the elder brother, died from wounds received in a duel. He must have taken after his uncle John Wright, who was one of the most expert swordsmen of his time, and never happy but when sending a challenge to some swordsman or another who specially boasted himself of skill in the use of that ancient weapon.]

Moreover, there is evidence tending to prove, with absolute cert.i.tude, that the "Ward" or "Warde" family, of Givendale, Newby, and Mulwith were connected with the family of Mounteagle, both on his mother's side through the Mounteagles, and on his father's side through the Barons Morley.[71]

Also is there evidence tending to prove, with moral cert.i.tude, that either through the Stanleys or the Morleys, or some other family or families, the Wards (or Wardes) were connected by marriage and actually related to Lord Mounteagle by blood.

The proof is this:--In the "_Life of Mary Ward_," [72] by Mary Catherine Elizabeth Chambers, it is stated that Mary Ward was in some way related to the before-mentioned lady of high family, Winefrid Wigmore, of Lucton, Herefords.h.i.+re, who was an accomplished woman, speaking five languages fluently.

Now it is known that Winefrid Wigmore's father, Sir William Wigmore, had married Anne Throckmorton, one of the daughters of Sir Nicholas Throckmorton. Now Lady Wigmore, through the Throckmortons and the Treshams, "was connected with the families of Lord Mounteagle, Morley, Berkeley, and Vaux."[73]

Hence it follows that, through the Wigmores,[A] the Throckmortons, and the Treshams, there was a connection of some kind or another between Mary Ward's family and the families of Mounteagle, Morley, Berkeley, and Vaux.[74]

[Footnote A: Since the text was written, I have found out that Winefrid Wigmore, through her mother, was a cousin once removed to Elizabeth, Lady Mounteagle (_nee_ Tresham).--See Notes 30 and 76 _postea_.]

Again, Mary Ward was related to Mary Poyntz (p.r.o.nounced Poynes), a lady whose ancient family had come over with William the Conqueror.[75] Mary Poyntz, herself a lovely woman, was the daughter of Edward Poyntz, Esquire, of Iron Acton and Tobington Park, in the County of Gloucester.[76]

Sir Nicholas Poyntz, who was living in 1580, the father of Edward Poyntz, had married Margaret Stanley, the daughter of Edward Earl of Derby. This lady was the mother of Edward Poyntz, the father of Mary Poyntz, the relative of Mary Ward.

Now I find (from Burke's "_Extinct Peerages_") that Henry Parker Lord Morley, the grandfather of William Parker fourth Lord Mounteagle, had married Elizabeth Stanley, daughter of Edward Earl of Derby.

Hence the Poyntz and the Mounteagles were cousins. Again, the Wards were in some way or other related to the Poyntz family. Hence it follows that through the Poyntz the Wards were related in some sort with Lord Mounteagle, by means of the Stanleys, Mounteagle's father's ancestors and mother's ancestors.[77]

For it is obvious that families connected with or related to the same family are connected with or related to each other.

Again, there was certainly a further marriage connection and a probably blood relations.h.i.+p between the Morleys, Mounteagles, and Wards through the great House of Neville.

(We may be sure that a young n.o.bleman like the fourth Lord Mounteagle would be glad to recognise the Wards of Mulwith, Newby, and Givendale as "Cousins" if such were the fact, and to treat them in every respect as being on an equality with him.)

Therefore the combined Evidence so far gives us this conclusion:--

That a Christopher Wright was the brother-in-law of Marmaduke Ward, of Mulwith, in the Parish of Ripon.

That Marmaduke Ward was of the same place--Mulwith (or Mulwaith)--as a person named Thomas Warde, who was married in a church in York in the year 1579, and whose wife died in the year 1590, and whose burial is recorded to this day at Ripon Minster.

That _a_ Christopher Wright, most probably the brother-in-law of Marmaduke Ward, and thus most probably the connection of Thomas Warde, was residing at Newby, near Mulwith,[78] in the Parish of Ripon, between the years 1594 and 1596 inclusive, and in the neighbourhood of the City of Ripon, and within the boundary of its parish, from the year 1589 to 1601.

That Marmaduke Ward's son, William, had an uncle who lived at Court.[A]

That the Wardes were connected with, and related to Lord Mounteagle by common family ties.[79]

[Footnote A: The fact that a Christopher Wright who lived at Newbie in 1596, and at Skelton (Newbie itself is in the Parish of Skelton) in 1601, when he called one of his children "Marmaduke," raises a strong presumption, I maintain, that this Christopher Wright was the brother-in-law of Marmaduke Ward.

At this time there was also a Francis Wright at Newbie, and a John Wright at Grantley. They may have been the children of John and Christopher Wright, _the uncles_ of John and Christopher Wright, the Gunpowder plotters. And, of course, it is _possible_ that the Christopher Wright who lived in Bondgate, Newbie, and Skelton between the years 1589 and 1601 _may have been a cousin or other kinsman_ of Christopher Wright the plotter, or even of different families altogether. But in the Register of Welwick Church are the following entries of Burials: "13 October 1654 ffrauncis Wright Esquire and 2 May 1664 ffrauncis Wright Esquire"

(communicated by the Rev. D. V. Stoddart, M.A., Vicar of Welwick), entries which tend to prove that the Newby Wrights and the Plowland Wrights were one and the same persons, and, therefore, of one and the same clan.

There seem, from the "_Memorials of Ripon_," vol. iii. (Surtees Soc.), to have been "Wrights" in Ripon and the neighbourhood for many generations, certainly long before the reign of Henry VIII., when the grandfather of the plotters is said to have come from Kent into Yorks.h.i.+re.--See Foster's "_Glover's Visitation of Yorks.h.i.+re_." Possibly the Wrights of Kent originally sprang from Yorks.h.i.+re.

"A Christopher Wright" lived at South Kilvington, near Thirsk, in the nineteenth century.--See the tablet to his memory in the church of that parish.]

Hence, from the foregoing evidence, the conclusions are inevitable, first, that Thomas Warde, of Mulwith, who married Marjory (or Margery) Slater[A]

in 1579, was almost certainly a connection and relative of Lord Mounteagle, in whose household Warde held an honoured and honourable position; or, as doubtless we should say nowadays, was the young peer's private secretary: and, secondly, that, through the said Thomas Warde, Christopher Wright likewise was almost certainly by affinity connected with, if not related by blood to, the same highly-favoured English n.o.bleman.

[Footnote A: This marriage of Thomas Warde, of Mulwaith, to Marjory (or Margery) Slater, "servant to Mr. Cotterill," of the Parish of St. Wilfrid, York, forcibly reminds one of the romance which Lord Tennyson has immortalized in his charming little poem, "The Lord of Burleigh."

Moreover, it is worthy of remark that there was a family connection between the family of Cecil and a family of Ward, most probably the Wards of Mulwith, or those akin to them.--See Hatfield's "_Hist. MSS._" (Eyre & Spottiswoode), pt. viii., p. 553, where it says, "Pedigree connection of the Cecil and Ward families, partly in Lord Burleigh's hand," pt. i., 204-289.]

CHAPTER XIX.

But again, seeing that we know that a certain Thomas Ward lived at Court, by reason of his being a member of the household of Lord Mounteagle, who had been admitted to Court ever since the accession to the throne of James the First, by this point also I know not how to escape from these several probable conclusions: that the Thomas Warde (or Ward), the gentleman-servant of Lord Mounteagle, was the brother of Marmaduke Warde (or Ward); that, by consequence, he was the connection of Christopher Wright; and that by remoter consequence, Christopher Wright himself was a connection of Lord Mounteagle likewise.

Now, granting the family connection between Thomas Warde and Wright, there is no antecedent improbability, but the contrary, in the supposal that Christopher Wright, if and when stricken with remorse at the thought of his sworn part and lot in the iniquitous Gunpowder Plot, had recourse to this Thomas Warde, who was his connection, for trustworthy and effectual help in saving from a sudden and cruel death, haply himself and his confederates, but certainly his Sovereign and the Senators of his Fatherland, along with Heaven alone knows whom else beside!

Furthermore, if there were any antecedent improbability in such a supposal as that Christopher Wright should have recourse to this particular Yorks.h.i.+reman, Thomas Warde, in the hour of his need, it should be had in continual remembrance--as a self-evident proposition from the const.i.tution of human nature--that the person or persons to whom a Yorks.h.i.+reman like Christopher Wright (supposing him to have been the revealing plotter) almost certainly would have recourse would be, if possible, some tried and constant native of his own County, whose intellect, he would think, there was some guarantee for being shrewd and practical, his heart not devoid of fellow-feeling with a "brother in adversity," and his will at once indomitable and energetic.[80] One who indeed laughs at alleged impossibilities and who cries: "_It shall be done!_"

CHAPTER XX.

Lastly, there is proof, indirect indeed but very telling, that Thomas Warde must have been closely akin to Marmaduke Warde, and that both must have been related to Lord Mounteagle.