    robert wintour (1568 â 30 january 1606) and thomas wintour (1571 or 1572 â 31 january 1606), also spelt winter, were members of the gunpowder plot, a failed conspiracy to assassinate king james i. both were related to other conspirators, such as their cousin, robert catesby, and a half-brother, john wintour, also joined them following the plot's failure. thomas was an intelligent and educated man, fluent in several languages and trained as a lawyer, but chose instead to become a soldier, fighting for england in the low countries, france, and possibly in central europe. by 1600, however, he changed his mind and became a fervent catholic. on several occasions he travelled to the continent and entreated spain on behalf of england's oppressed catholics, and suggested that with spanish support a catholic rebellion was likely. as a momentum was building behind a peace settlement between the two countries, thomas's pleas fell on deaf ears. instead, in 1604 he decided to join with catesby, who planned to restore england to catholicism by killing the king, and inciting a popular revolt in the midlands, during which james's daughter, princess elizabeth, would be installed as titular queen. thomas returned to the continent and again failed to elicit spanish support, but instead met guy fawkes, with whom he returned to england. robert, a devout catholic who inherited huddington court near worcester, joined the conspiracy the following year. the plot began to unravel following the delivery of an anonymous letter to william parker, 4th baron monteagle, warning him to stay away from parliament. thomas and catesby confronted monteagle's brother-in-law, the recently recruited francis tresham, threatening to kill him, but tresham managed to convince them of his innocence. at that stage thomas reportedly asked catesby to abandon the 
1570s_births 1606_deaths 16th-century_English_people 16th-century_Roman_Catholics 17th-century_English_people 17th-century_Roman_Catholics 17th-century_criminals English_Roman_Catholics English_criminals English_people_executed_by_hanging,_drawing_and_quartering Executed_Gunpowder_Plotters People_executed_by_Stuart_England_by_hanging,_drawing_and_quartering People_from_Worcestershire People_of_the_Stuart_period People_of_the_Tudor_period