Anthony
Babington, was born into a wealthy Catholic family in Dethick, Derbyshire.
as a child Babington served as a page to Mary
Stuart while
she was imprisoned at Sheffield.
In
December 1585, Gilbert Clifford was arrested in Sussex. While being
interviewed, Clifford confessed that he had been involved in a Catholic
plot to overthrow Elizabeth
I.
The man in charge of protecting Elizabeth was Francis
Walsingham. He offered to release Clifford if he was willing to
work as a double-agent. Clifford agreed and went to his contact in
the French embassy telling him that he knew how to smuggle letters
to and from Mary
Stuart.
He explained that every week a barrel of beer was sent from Burton
to where Mary was imprisoned. Clifford arranged to have letters placed
in a waterproof package inside the stopper of the barrel.
Another
double-agent, Thomas Philips, who was inside the prison, told Mary
how she would be receiving letters in her beer barrel. However, before
they were placed inside the beer barrel, they were read by Walsingham.
More importantly, Francis Walsingham
was also able to read the letters that Mary sent to her Catholic friends
in France and Spain. In these letters Mary explained how she wanted
France and Spain to help her become queen by invading England.
Walsingham allowed the
letters to continue to be
sent because he wanted to discover who else was
involved in this plot to overthrow Elizabeth.
Eventually, on 25 June 1586, Mary wrote
a letter to Babington. In his reply,
Babington told Mary that he and a group of
six friends were planning to murder Elizabeth.
Walsingham was now ready
to act against what was now known as the Babington
Plot. Babington
was arrested and his home was searched for documents that would provide
evidence against him. When interviewed, Babington made a confession
in which he admitted that Mary had written a letter supporting the
plot.
Babington and six others
were executed for high treason on 18 September, 1586. An attempt to
kill the monarch was the most serious crime in
England and the punishment was to be hung, drawn and quartered. The
men were tied face downwards on a hurdle drawn by horses. They were
then dragged through the streets of London.
At Tyburn they were hung for a short period.
After being revived the men had their intestines cut out.
At the execution the crowd
complained about the agonies the men had to suffer before they died.
When she heard this Elizabeth gave
instructions that the rest of the conspirators due to be executed
the next day should be dead before they were cut down.
(1)
Letter sent by Anthony
Babington to Mary
Stuart (July, 1586)
We... will undertake the delivery of your royal persons from
the hands of your enemies... For the dispatch of the usurper (Elizabeth)...
six noble gentlemen, who, for the zeal they have to the Catholic cause...
will undertake that tragical execution.
(2)
Letter sent by Mary
Stuart to
Anthony
Babington (July, 1586)
When all is ready, the six gentlemen must be set to work,
and.... when it is accomplished, I may be in some way got away from
here... then we will await foreign assistance.
(3)
H. Amold-Forster, History of England
(1898)
While Mary
was in England, plot
after plot was made against Elizabeth by Mary's friends, and by men
who looked to her as their rightful queen. Whether Mary knew of these
plots is uncertain... Letters were found... but there were many who
said then, and many who still believe, that these letters were forgeries
- that is to say, that they were written by Mary's enemies for the
purpose of making people believe she was guilty.
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