FERGUSON, ROBERT (c. 1637-1714)

This article appears in Volume V10, Page 272 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: FAT-FLA

FERGUSON, ROBERT (c. 1637-1714) , British conspirator and pamphleteer, called the " Plotter," was a son of William Ferguson (d. 1699) of Badifurrow, Aberdeenshire, and after receiving a good education, probably at the university of Aberdeen, became a Presbyterian minister. According to Bishop Burnet he was Cast out by the Presbyterians; but whether this be so or net, he soon made his way to England and became vicar of Godmersham, Kent, from which living he was expelled by the Act of Uniformity in 1662. Some years later, having gained meanwhile a reputation as a theological controversialist and become a person of importance among the Nonconformists, he attracted the notice of the

earl

EARL

of Shaftesbury and the party which favoured the exclusion of the duke of

York

YORK
YORK (
HOUSE
- HOUSE
- HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in Gothic it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)
OF)
LANGLEY
- LANGLEY, SAMUEL PIERPONT (1834-1906)
_DUKE_OF.html">YORK, EDMUND OF
LANGLEY
- LANGLEY, SAMUEL PIERPONT (1834-1906)
, DUKE OF (1341-1402)
YORK, EDWARD
YORK, FREDERICK
AUGUSTUS
- AUGUSTUS (a name 1 derived from Lat. augeo, increase, i.e. venerable, majestic, Gr. Ee0avr6s)
, DUKE OF (1763-1827)
YORK, RICHARD, DUKE

(afterwards King James II.) from the throne, and he began to write political pamphlets just at the time when the feeling against the Roman Catholics was at its height. In 168o he wrote " A

Letter

LETTER (through Fr. lettre from Lat. littera or litera, letter of the alphabet; the origin of the Latin word is obscure; it has probably no connexion with the root of linere, to smear, i.e. with wax, for an inscription with a stilus)

to a Person of Honour concerning the ` Black Box,' " in which hesupported the claim of the duke of Monmouth to the crown against that of the duke of

York

; returning to the subject after Charles II. had solemnly denied the existence of a marriage between himself and Lucy Waters. He took an active part in the controversy over the Exclusion Bill, and claimed to be the author of the whole of the pamphlet " No Protestant Plot " (1681), parts of which are usually ascribed to Shaftesbury. Ferguson was deeply implicated in the Rye House Plot, although he asserted that he had frustrated both this and a subsequent attempt to assassinate the king, and he fled to Holland with Shaftesbury in 1682, returning to England early in 1683. For his share in another plot against Charles II. he was declared an outlaw, after which he entered into communication with Argyll, Monmouth and other malcontents. Ferguson then took a leading part in organizing the rising of 1685. Having overcome Mon-mouth's reluctance to take part in this

movement

MOVEMENT

, he accompanied the duke to the west of England and drew up the manifesto against James II., escaping to Holland after the battle of Sedge-moor. He landed in England with William of Orange in 1688, and aided William's cause with his pen; but William and his advisers did not regard him as a person of importance, although his services were rewarded with a sinecure appointment in the Excise. Chagrined at this treatment, Ferguson was soon in correspondence with the exiled Jacobites. He shared in all the plots against the life of William, and after his removal from the Excise in 1692 wrote violent pa mphlets against the government. Although he was several times arrested on suspicion, he was never brought to trial. He died in great poverty in 1714, leaving behind him a great and deserved reputation for treachery. It has been thought by Macaulay and others that Ferguson led the English government to believe that he was a spy in their interests, and that his frequent escapes from justice were due to official connivance. In a proclamation issued for his arrest in 1683 he is described as " a tall lean man, dark brown

hair

HAIR (a word common to Teutonic languages)

, a great Roman nose, thin-jawed, heat in his face, speaks in the Scotch tone, a

sharp

piercing eye, stoops a little in the shoulders." Besides numerous pamphlets Ferguson wrote: History of the Revolution (1706); Qualifications requisite in a Minister of State
(1710); and part of the History of all the Mobs, Tumults and Insurrections in Great Britain (London, 1715).
See James Ferguson, Robert Ferguson, the Plotter (Edinburgh, 1887), which gives a favourable account of Ferguson.

End of Article: FERGUSON, ROBERT (c. 1637-1714)

If you wish, you can link directly to this article.

<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/FAT_FLA/FERGUSON_ROBERT_c_1637_1714_.html">
FERGUSON, ROBERT (c. 1637-1714)
</a>

(Previous)
FERGUSON, JAMES (1710-1776)

(Next)
FERGUSON, SIR SAMUEL (1810-1886)

JCSM was founded in 1997 and exists to help the community and bring people into a life-changing and productive relationship with Jesus Christ. JCSM offers over 200,000 free web pages, including its weekly inspirational emails that were sent continuously for over a decade.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
1-888-887-0417 or Email