Short Notes. 



185 



Dec. 30, 1684. 



"Yesterday His Majesty's warrants for the pardon of Mr. St. John & 



Coll Webb ; were sent to Mr. Solicitor Finch, who is to draw up their 

 pardon." 



Jan. 13, 1684-5. 



" This day St. Johns & Web's pardons were sealed." [MS. news letter 

 at Longleat.] 



"The Pardon of Mr. St. John & Col. Webb are not passed the Sealers, 

 but since the signing the warrant they have been granted their liberty on 

 bail." [Muddiman's MS. Journal, p. 63.] 



"Jan. 20, 1684. Sessions at Old "Bailey on 16th. Nothing remarkable 

 than that Mr. St. John and Coll Webbs pardons were pleaded and allowed 

 & Mr. John Brampston for killing Mr. Wiseman at a Tavern was brought 

 in guilty of manslaughter." [Ibid, p. 66.] 



Bp. Thos. Barlow, of Lincoln, 1692, writing on cases of conscience in No. 2, 

 discusses " whether it be lawful for His Sacred Maj y King Ch. II. to reprieve 

 or pardon a person convicted and legally condemned for murder — Written 

 upon occasion of Mr. St. John being unfortunately convicted for the unhappy 

 death of Sir W m . Estcourt Bart." 



[All the above are from extracts made by Canon Jackson.] 



Mr. G. A. Hansard, writing on the matter to Mr. Cunnington in 1869, 

 says : — " Bp. Burnet mentions the affair, vol. 2., p. 600 — but not with perfect 

 correctness ; oral tradition supplies a different version. The circumstances 

 are as follows : on the morning of the 20th Dec, 1684, Mr. Henry St. John, 

 son of Sir Walter St. John, of Battersea [and Lydiard Tregoze], and father 

 of Lord Bolingbroke, Secretary of State to Queen Anne, being at a Wiltshire 

 County Club with Edmond Webb, Sir William Estcourt, Roland St. John, 

 and Michael Styles, a quarrel arose about the drinking a Republican health 

 proposed by one of the company but declined by Sir William Estcourt — 

 eventually, tradition says, the whole party sallied out into the street and a 

 melee combat ensued, in which Sir William was mortally stabbed, either by 

 St. John or Webb. They were arrested and intended to plead not guilty, but 

 on the night before the trial a messenger came secretly to them from the 

 court, saying that ' two great ladies ' [Mrs. Nell Gwyn and Lady Castle- 

 maine] had heard of their mishap, pitied and would intercede with the King 

 for a pardon, provided they pleaded to the indictment of murder. Knowing 

 that Jefferies was to be their judge they caught at this chance for life, and 

 were condemned accordingly. Then the agent reappeared with a message 

 that £16,000 was the price of the ladies' interference, and unless that were 

 promptly paid the utmost rigour of the law awaited them. The men, being 

 both of wealthy Wiltshire families, procured the sum and a long reprieve of 

 fifty years was granted — the King took £8000 and gave the remainder to 

 the ladies. 



" There is a patent roll in which Charles, about three weeks after the duel, 

 restores to Henry St. John and Edmond Webb and Rowland St. John all 



o 2 



