Thomas Wintour

on right in photo

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

Robert Wintour (1568 – 30 January 1606) and Thomas Wintour (1571 or 1572 – 31 January 1606), also spelt Winter, were members of the Gunpowder Plot, a failed conspiracy to assassinate King James I. Both were related to other conspirators, such as their cousin, Robert Catesby, and a half-brother, John Wintour, also joined them following the plot's failure. Thomas was an intelligent and educated man, fluent in several languages and trained as a lawyer, but chose instead to become a soldier, fighting for England in the Low Countries, France, and possibly in Central Europe. By 1600, however, he changed his mind and became a fervent Catholic. On several occasions he travelled to the continent and entreated Spain on behalf of England's oppressed Catholics, and suggested that with Spanish support a Catholic rebellion was likely.

As a momentum was building behind a peace settlement between the two countries, Thomas's pleas fell on deaf ears. Instead, in 1604 he decided to join with Catesby, who planned to restore England to Catholicism by killing the king, and inciting a popular revolt in the Midlands, during which James's daughter, Princess Elizabeth, would be installed as titular queen. Thomas returned to the continent and again failed to elicit Spanish support, but instead met Guy Fawkes, with whom he returned to England. Robert, a devout Catholic who inherited Huddington Court near Worcester, joined the conspiracy the following year.

The plot began to unravel following the delivery of an anonymous letter to William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle, warning him to stay away from Parliament. Thomas and Catesby confronted Monteagle's brother-in-law, the recently recruited Francis Tresham, threatening to kill him, but Tresham managed to convince them of his innocence. At that stage Thomas reportedly asked Catesby to abandon the scheme, to no avail. When Fawkes was captured at about midnight on 4 November 1605, Thomas fled to Robert's house at Huddington. Catesby and most of the others spent two days travelling across the Midlands attempting to incite a rebellion, but with an ever-diminishing group of supporters they eventually settled at Holbeche House in Staffordshire, and waited for government forces to arrive. Thomas, by then reintegrated into the group, chose to remain with them, and in the ensuing firefight was shot in the shoulder, and captured. Robert, who had left before the battle, evaded capture until January 1606.

Much of what is written about the plot is based on Thomas's confessions, given in the Tower of London in November 1605. The brothers were tried on 27 January 1606, and hanged, drawn and quartered several days later in London.

Thomas Winter
Winter was born around 1571 into a Worcestershire Catholic family. An uncle of his - a Catholic priest - was executed in 1586. Winter fought as a soldier in Flanders and France during the 1590s, and visited Rome in 1600.

By 1602 he was involved with his cousins Robert Catesby and Francis Tresham, and with Lord Monteagle, in discussions with the Spanish government about providing military help for English Catholics.

In early 1604 Winter was among the first to be drawn into the Gunpowder Plot by Catesby. He was doubtful about its chances of success, but went to Flanders to find out if the Spanish would help. Whilst there he recruited Fawkes. Winter was closely involved in all the subsequent preparations.

Winter found out about the betrayal of the plot, from one of Monteagle's servants, and tried unsuccessfully to persuade the other conspirators to abandon it. After Fawkes' arrest, he fled London, and met up with the others at the Winter family house at Huddington, near Worcester.

After a vain attempt to drum up support from local Catholics, Winter joined the other conspirators at Holbeach in Staffordshire. In the brief fight with the authorities on 8 November, he was wounded several times and captured.

Taken to London, he eventually provided the fullest account of the plot. He was tried on 27 January 1606, and executed in Old Palace Yard on the 31 January.

• https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/evolutionofparliame...
• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pL5IZLqMjEZKER0uOWmkUFt_VU9pixK...