Francis Tresham | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | c. 1567 |
| Died | 23 December 1605 (aged 37–38) |
| Cause of death | Strangury |
| Spouse | Anne Tufton |
| Children | Lucy, Thomas, Elizabeth |
| Parent(s) | Sir Thomas Tresham, Meriel Throckmorton |
| Motive | Gunpowder plot, a conspiracy to assassinate King James VI & I and members of the Houses of Parliament |
| Role | Funding |
| Enlisted | 14 October 1605 |
Francis Tresham (c. 1567 – 23 December 1605) was a member of the group of English provincial Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605, a conspiracy to assassinate King James I of England.
Tresham joined the Earl of Essex's failed rebellion against the government in 1601, for which he was imprisoned. Only his family's intervention and his father's money saved him from attainder. Despite this, he became involved in two missions to Catholic Spain to seek support for English Catholics (then heavily persecuted), and finally with the Gunpowder Plotters.
According to his confession, Tresham joined the plot in October 1605. Its leader, Robert Catesby, asked him to provide a large sum of money and the use of Rushton Hall, but Tresham apparently provided neither, instead giving a much smaller amount of money to fellow plotter Thomas Wintour. Tresham also expressed concern that if the plot was successful, two of his brothers-in-law would be killed. An anonymous letter delivered to one of them, William Parker, 4th Baron Monteagle, found its way to the English Secretary of State, Robert Cecil, an event which eventually proved decisive in the conspiracy's failure.
Historians have long suspected that Tresham wrote the letter, a hypothesis that remains unproven. Catesby and Wintour shared the same suspicion and threatened to kill him, but he was able to convince them otherwise. He was arrested on 12 November and confined to the Tower of London. In his confession, he sought to allay his involvement in the plot, but never mentioned the letter. He died of natural causes on 23 December 1605.