Gunpowder Plot Book
SP14/216/109 - Confession of John Wintour, 22 November 1605
The Confessyon of John Wintour written by his selfe unto the Right Honnorable the Lordes of his
Majesty his most Honnorable Preevi Counsil
Fferst Right Ho. as conserning any treson intended to our souffrayne Lord the Kyng or any of his
princly Issue or your Lordshipes of his most honnorable previ Counsil I protest I ame innosent.
For my being in this company and houe I came in, this it was, comming in on monday at nite home to
my brother Grantes where I lay I was demanded by him if I would goe to a horse race. I sayde I
would if I were wel, so on the morroe being tuseday being the fifth of november on wee went to a
little towne called Rugby where wee tooke our Ine and supte; after supper wee went to Cardes and
playd a set or to at marc and being redy to go to bed there came a messenger to the house and
inquered whether there were no jentlemen there that nyte thye of the house answered yes so hee cam
to us and tould us that the jentlemen were at Dunchurch and desired our Company to be merry; upon
this wee mad ourselves redy agayne and rod on to the gyde to Dunchurch where wee found al the company
redy to take horse. I being very ill by reson of nite travel asked Mr Catesby whether he mente to
ryde so late; hee tould me to my brother Grantes, so on we came together til wee came to Emscot, a
house of Sir Thomas Benson. I there knowing where I was and being very hevy, rode on by fore hom
where I had not bin long but all the company cam there. We stayde til day and then they rod on to
my brother Wintores whether I allso went and lay there Wensday at nyte; from thence wee went to
Holbach to the hous of on Mrs Littleton and in the way they sesed the armore of the Lo. windsor
when we were at Holback and had bin there som our or to; I demanded of Mr Perseie, the rest being
most of them aslepe, what they intended to dooe; his answere was that thay would goe on now and
with all asked me whether I wold for sake the company noue or no I tould him I would not but
presently I went doune and made my man make redy my horse and so left them and cam on thinking to
come to the Coorte, but remembering the country was up and lykly to be stayde I derected my Coorse
to the Sherrife with intent to yeld my selfe to him so riding on to my brothers where I thought to
find him, I met by the way soum country people of my acquaintance of whom I demanded if the sherrife
were at at my brothers or not; they answered me hee was gone to Dudlay after the jentlemen that were
risen and had takne the castle of dudlay, but that his Deputy and the clarke of the pese were ther
and had sesde on all that there was, and so I cam on to the house and knocte at the gate, the porter
opening it a little, askt me what I would, I demanded for the clarke of the pese of any of the
Sherif his offisers; he told me thay were within, demanding of me what I would with them, I taking
of my sword delevered it to him desiering him tul them I had broth them a prisnor so in I went to
them and delevered my selfe into thayr handes wherre thay kept me that nite in the hous on the next
day being satterday that brougt me to Worsuster where the clarke of the pese committed me to the
castle bing the prison for the county. This Right Honorable is al that I knoue of the matter wherein
if I offended the Kyngs Majesty or the state it was through ignorance and not in mallis and so
referring my selfe and my cause to his Majesty his most gratious favour and your Lord shipes
favourable construction of a poor inocent mans cause I end from the Towes this twenty three of
November
A poor prisoner,
John Winter
(Endorsed) 22 November 1605
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