John "Jack" Wright

(John Wright is on the right in the profile photo)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_and_Christopher_Wright

John (Jack) Wright (January 1568 – 8 November 1605), and Christopher (Kit) Wright (1570? – 8 November 1605), were members of the group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, a conspiracy to assassinate King James I by blowing up the House of Lords. Their sister married another plotter, Thomas Percy. Educated at the same school in York, the Wrights had early links with Guy Fawkes, the man left in charge of the explosives stored in the undercroft beneath the House of Lords. As known recusants the brothers were on several occasions arrested for reasons of national security. Both were also members of the Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex 's rebellion of 1601.

John was one of the first men to join the conspiracy, which was led by Robert Catesby. Christopher joined in March 1605. At about midnight on 4 November Fawkes was discovered and arrested, following which John, Christopher and the rest of the conspirators travelled across the Midlands, attempting to gain support for a popular uprising. Eventually the group opted to wait for the authorities at Holbeche House, on the border of Staffordshire. On 8 November the Sheriff of Worcester arrived with a large group of armed men, and both brothers were killed in the ensuing firefight.

John 'Jack' and Christopher 'Kit' Wright who were co conspiritors in the Gun Powder Plot with Guy Fawkes and were shot outside Warwick in 1605 soon after the plot failed, They are both mentioned in Guy Fawkes's confession.

A curious entry is noted in Catholic Recusancy in the City of York 1558-1791 by J.C.H.Aveling: "f.6v 19 July Margaret, wife of John Wright of York/suspected in religion/she promised to go to church and was enjoined to do so and certify; no bond". This is almost certainly a reference to Robert's younger brother and his wife. The entry occurred along with entries regarding the arrest of Alice Oldcorne, who we know was imprisoned for recusancy between 1560 and 1580 along with John's sister-in-law. No further details of John are available, but present research is attempting to determine if the Wrights of Skelton, from whom the priests William Wright and his brother Thomas Wright are descended, are descendants of either John or Christopher, the younger brothers of Robert Wright of Plowland.”

There was also a Francis Wright at Newbie, and a John Wright at Grantley. They may have been the children of John and Christopher Wright, the uncles of John and Christopher Wright, the Gunpowder plotters. In the Register of Welwick Church are the following entries of Burials:

13 October 1654, Ffrauncis (sic) Wright, Esquire

2 May 1664, Ffrauncis (sic) Wright, Esquire (this was the son of Nicholas Wright)

Note about parents:

While the parents of the Gunpowder Plot Wrights are officially not known, they were known to have been born and raised in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and tradition has it that they were born in Plowland Manor, which is in Welwick, outside of Hull. Given their birth dates, that means they would have to have been the offspring of one of the Wright owners of that manor. Some web trees make them children of Robert Wright, Esq, Sheriff of Yorkshire, and Ursula, his second wife. Robert remarried in around 1555, so presuming Ursula was about 20 at that time, the dates work out pretty well for this hypothesis.