Robert Ware (23 October 1639 – 7 April 1697) was a historian and forger of historical documents, which he applied to

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

polemics Polemic () is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called ''polemics'', which are seen in arguments on controversial topics ...

. Ware was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, the son of historian

Sir James Ware Sir James Ware (26 November 1594 – 1 December 1666) was an Irish historian. Personal details Born at Castle Street, Dublin on 26 November 1594, James Ware was the eldest son of Sir James Ware (1568–1632) and Mary Bryden, daughter of Ambrose ...

and his wife Elizabeth Newman. Nothing is known of his education, and he was likely educated by his father in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. On his father's death in 1666, he inherited a large collection of historical manuscripts, which he eventually sold to

Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon Henry Hyde, 2nd Earl of Clarendon, PC (2 June 163831 October 1709) was an English aristocrat and politician. He held high office at the beginning of the reign of his brother-in-law, King James II. Early life He was the eldest son of Edward Hyd ...

in 1686. While the manuscripts were in his possession, he added a large number of fabricated documents to them. This put him at odds with

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

interests in Ireland, and he went into exile in England during the reign of

King James II of England James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious ...

. On 24 December 1666, Robert married Elizabeth, the daughter of his cousin

Sir Henry Piers, 1st Baronet Sir Henry Piers 1st Baronet (1629–1691), of Tristernagh Abbey, County Westmeath, Ireland was an Anglo-Irish landowner, soldier, Member of Parliament, Sheriff of Counties Longford and Westmeath, Sheriff of St Johnstown, and an antiquarian. Bio ...

and Mary Jones. He died in 1697 (1696

old style Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) indicate dating systems before and after a calendar change, respectively. Usually, this is the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries between 158 ...

), survived by one son. Ware's invented documents misled historians of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

for centuries afterwards;

Thomas Edward Bridgett Thomas Edward Bridgett (20 January 182917 February 1899) was an English Catholic priest, missionary preacher and historical writer. Life He was the third son of Joseph Bridgett, a silk manufacturer of Colney Hatch, and his wife Mary (born Gregson ...

finally exposed him in 1890, but it was not until the 20th century that historians were able to sort out the implications of his findings.

References

1639 births 1697 deaths 17th-century Irish writers 17th-century Irish historians Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom Writers from Dublin (city) Irish book and manuscript collectors {{Ireland-bio-stub