Holbeche House
 Holbeche House in 2007 is a care home |
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| Town | Kingswinford near Dudley (formerly in Staffordshire) |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
Holbeche House (also, in some texts, Holbeach) is a mansion located near Kingswinford,[1] on the borders of Staffordshire.[2] It is the building in which some of the central Gunpowder plotters were captured, and the rest killed.
[edit] Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot was an attempt by a small party of provincial English Catholics to blow up of the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament, thereby killing James I and his court, the prelude to a revolt during which a Catholic monarchy would be restored to the English throne.
It was after the failure of the plot that the fugitives took shelter in Holbeche House, owned by Stephen Lyttelton. Several were maimed when gunpowder left to dry in front of the fire was ignited by a stray spark. On 8 November 1605 the house was surrounded by a posse led by Richard Walsh (the Sheriff of Worcester), and in the ensuing fight most of the plotters were either killed or wounded. Those still alive were taken to London, and later executed.[2]
| Action at Holbeche House | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Gunpowder Plot | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
| Gunpowder plotters | Government posse | ||||||
| Commanders | |||||||
| Robert Catesby† | Richard Walsh | ||||||
[edit] Notes
- ^ Holbeche house at Brittania.com accessed 18 October 2007
- ^ a b Aikin, L. p.244
[edit] References
- Lucy Aikin Memoirs of the Court of King James the First . 1822
- Katherine Thomson Recollections of literary characters and celebrated places. 1854
- John Bond The Hazards of Life and All That: A Look at Some Accidents and Safety Curiosities, Past and Present . CRC Press, 1996. ISBN 0750303603