Titus oates

15 September 1649 – 12 July 1705. English informer and shady character, who had a large share in the Popish Plot.

Titus Oates was born in Hastings as son of Samuel Oates, a baptist preacher and rector of All Saints Church, and Lucy, midwife from Hastings. He had an elder brother, Samuel, and two sisters, Hannah and Anne. His father Samuel was considered to be a radical preacher. Titus' years of childhood were characterised by his father's temper and dislike for his second son. [sources needed]

Oates attended Merchant Taylor school in London (under William Scott, whom he later accused of playing a part in the Popish Plot), Seddlescombe near Hastings, Gonville and Caius College in Cambridge. Particularly during his time in Cambridge he gained reputation as being stupid and a “Canting fanatical way” [what does this mean? sources needed]. Besides he was engaged in several homosexual incidents, which were forbidden in that time. After Oates changed to St John's College in 1669, he left without a degree in the same year. [sources??]

Nonetheless, he claimed to hold a Bachelor degree in order to get a licence to preach from the Bishop of London. However, his lifestyle and crude temper caused disputes with the parishioners, so that Oates got dismissed and returned to Hastings. Already in 1675 he planned his first 'local plot', when he accused the local schoolmaster William Parker of sodomy, because he wanted his position. These false accusations led to a trial of perjury, from which Oates fled to London and joined the ship Adventure. Here he heard the first rumours regarding the Popish Plot to which he later became one of the main characters. He got dismissed from the ship in 1676 due to homosexual incidents. [sources??]

Oates later got arrested and returned to Hastings in order to await his trial for perjury. Once more, he fled to London and became a member of the Roman Catholic Church. Oates was offered the opportunity to attend the English Jesuit College in Valladolid, Spain, in 1677. Why he was offered the place remains unclear. Oates attended the college under a false name and after his return to London in 1678 he claimed to have received a doctorate from the University of Salamanca. Which he had not.

In 1678 Oates met Israel Tonge, who later became his partner in the Popish Plot, which was initiated quickly after they met. During the Popish Plot, Oates impressed everyone, especially the House of Commons, with his stories and his confident delivery.

After coming to the throne in 1685, James II brought Oates to trial. Oates was convicted of perjury, and imprisoned for life. Besides he had to endure regular public humiliations, where he was whipped or could be pelted with eggs by townsfolk. Oates was pardoned in 1689 under William of Orange and Mary II. In his late years he moved to a house in Axe Yard, Westminster, and made his living by writing pamphlets and re-telling the story of the Popish Plot. Moreover he made plans for new plots such as a Franco-Jacobite plot, which remained unfinished. He died 12 July 1705 in Axe Yard.

Sources:

Elliot, Adam. A Modest Vindication of Titus Oates, the Salamanca Doctor, from Perjury. Proquest, 2011: exact source??.

Korthals, Eckehard. Die antipapistische Bewegung in England während der Restaurationszeit, 1970. Exact bibliographical reference??

Marshall, Allan. "Oates, Titus (1649–1705)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, September 2004. Exact bibliographical reference??