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ON THIS DAY - 20 September 1586

Updated: 6 days ago

On This Day (20 Sep) in 1586, Anthony Babington and 6 of his co-conspirators were executed, following their convictions for high treason.

'Babington with his Complices in St. Giles fields' Year: 1627 © The British Museum
'Babington with his Complices in St. Giles fields' Year: 1627 © The British Museum
Born into a Catholic gentry family in 1561, Babington was a long-time supporter of Mary, Queen of Scots claim to the English throne.

Mary had been under house arrest in England following her forced abdication from Scotland in 1567; since Dec 1585, she had been held at Chartley Manor, the Staffordshire residence belonging to Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, and rising star within the Elizabethan court.

'Chartley Manor' Artist: Michael Burghers Year: 1685 © William Salt Library
'Chartley Manor' Artist: Michael Burghers Year: 1685 © William Salt Library
It was during her imprisonment at Chartley that Babington corresponded with Mary, advising of his intent to assassinate Elizabeth I and place Mary on the throne, to which Mary gave her support. These letters were encrypted, using a cypher, and were moved in and out of Chartley in beer barrels.

© The National Archives
© The National Archives
Elizabeth's security forces, led by Sir Francis Walsingham, were made aware of this conspiracy, and infiltrated the conveyance of the letters, therefore providing evidence against both Babington (and his co-conspirators), as well as Mary.

On 20 Sep 1586, Babington and his co-conspirators were taken from the Tower of London, and paraded through the streets of London to St Giles' Field, where a scaffold had been erected. There, the men were hung, drawn and quartered, with their body parts later distributed across London as warnings to others.

'Mary, Queen of Scots' After Nicholas Hilliard Year: 1578 © National Portrait Gallery, London
'Mary, Queen of Scots' After Nicholas Hilliard Year: 1578 © National Portrait Gallery, London
Mary was subsequently arrested in Aug 1586, whilst out riding; she was initially taken to Tixhall Hall, Staffordshire, and later moved to Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire. It was at Fotheringhay that she underwent her own trial, where she was found guilty of high treason, and sentenced to death; this was carried out on 08 Feb 1587.

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