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Execution of Cromwell Assassins

When
1654
Where
England
Episodes
1

In 1654, Peter Vowell and John Gerard were executed for plotting to assassinate Oliver Cromwell. Gerard was beheaded at Tower Hill, while Vowell was hanged at Charing Cross.

Episodes

  1. May 1654 · EnglandArrest of Conspirators

    Gerard and Vowell were arrested in May 1654 for plotting to assassinate Cromwell.

Background and detail

Background. John Gerard, a Royalist ensign, and Peter Vowell, a schoolmaster, conspired to attack Oliver Cromwell. The plot involved 30 mounted men intending to overwhelm Cromwell's bodyguard as he traveled to Hampton Court.

Arrest and Trial. After returning to England in May 1654, Gerard was arrested with two others for conspiring against the government. Vowell was also arrested for his role in the plot. Both were sentenced to death for high treason.

Execution. On 10 July 1654, John Gerard was beheaded at Tower Hill. Peter Vowell was hanged at Charing Cross on the same day. Gerard died with undaunted courage.

People involved

Sources

  1. Peter Vowell Wikipedia, revision of 2025-05-30
  2. John Gerard (Royalist) Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-30

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.