Rye House Plotters

In 1683, a group of men conspired to assassinate King Charles II and his brother, James, Duke of York and encourage a subsequent uprising. Individuals including founding Whig party member, Anthony Ashley-Cooper and the Philosopher John Locke were implicated. The attack was set to take place near the Rye House at Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire, as the King and his brother returned from Newmarket. Due to a fire which had destroyed half of Newmarket, the King and his brother returned earlier than expected and the plot never took place. The backdrop to the conspiracy was the anti-Catholic sentiment which had grown among parliamentary members after the Restoration of the Monarchy under Charles II. The recent discredited 'Popish Plot' of 1678, had stirred fear among Protestants and brought an end to the Whig party. There has been much speculation surrounding the details of the plot, including who was involved and how realised the plot had been. It none the less resulted in the many arrests, trials and the execution of Elizabeth Gaunt, the last woman to be executed for a political crime in England.