The Secret History of the Rye-House Plot: and of Monmouth's Rebellion: Written by Ford Lord Grey, in Mdclxxxv

The Secret History Of The Rye-House Plot: And Of Monmouth's Rebellion: Written By Ford Lord Grey, In MDCLXXXV. Ford Grey, an English statesman and the author presented here, offers a firsthand account and confession of two defining conspiracies in late Stuart Britain. In this manuscript, Grey recounts the Rye House Plot and the Monmouth Rebellion, detailing the principal actors—Shaftsbury, Ruffel, and especially the Duke of Monmouth—and the extensive planning that aimed to topple the government. The text includes Grey's letter to the King and a candid confession about his own involvement, the conversations, meetings, and strategic proposals across London, Oxford, Taunton, and the West. Though Grey’s narrative blends personal defense with political justification, it remains a crucial primary source for understanding the motives, networks, and risks that led to civil upheaval in 1685. The work was originally published from a manuscript signed by Grey while he was imprisoned in the Tower.