Robert Charnock (or Chernock) (''c''. 1663 – 18 March 1696) was an English academic and Jacobite conspirator.

Life

Charnock belonged to a

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

family, and was educated at

Adams' Grammar School Haberdashers' Adams Grammar School is a selective state grammar school for high-achieving boys and girls aged 11–18 with boarding for boys, located in Newport, Shropshire, offering day and boarding education. As of 2024, boarding fees are £14, ...

and

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

, becoming a fellow of his college and a Roman Catholic

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

. When in 1687 the dispute arose between

James II of England James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...

and the fellows of Magdalen over the election of a president, Charnock favoured the first royal nominee, Anthony Farmer, and also the succeeding one, Samuel Parker, bishop of Oxford. Almost alone among the fellows he was not driven out in November 1687, and he became dean and then vice-president of the college under the new regime, but was expelled in October 1688. Residing at the court of the Stuarts in France, or conspiring in England, Charnock and Sir George Barclay appear to have arranged the details of the unsuccessful attempt to kill William III near Turnham Green in February 1696. It was Charnock whom the Jacobites deputed to go see King James and ask for 10,000 French troops. This was refused as the troops were needed by the French on account of tensions with William III in the Low Countries. Barclay escaped, but Charnock was arrested, tried and found guilty, and hanged on 18 March 1696. The

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

Armoury in the White Tower has a blunderbuss labelled as belonging to Robert Charnock with which he intended to shoot King William III.

References

External links

Paper delivered to the sheriffs of London and Middlesex, at Tyburn, the place of execution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charnock, Robert 1660s births English criminals People from Warwick 1696 deaths People educated at Adams' Grammar School English Jacobites Executed people from Warwickshire People executed by Stuart England