DEPOSITIONS Taken the 22d of October 1688. BEFORE THE PRIVY-COUNCIL AND PEERS of ENGLAND Relating to the Birth of the Then PRINCE of WALES Published by His MAJESTY's Special Command Price Six pence AT The COVNCIL-CHAMBER IN WHITEHALL Monday the 22d of October 1688. THIS Day an extraordinary Council met where were likewise present by His Majesty's Desire and Appointment Her Majesty the Queen Dowager and such of the Peers of this Kingdom both Spiritual and Temporal as were in Town And also the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the City of London The Judges and several of Their Majesties Council Learn'd hereafter named The King 's most Excellent Majesty Her Majesty the Queen Dowager in a Chair placed on the King's Right Hand His R. H. Prince George of Denmark Lord Chancellor Lord President Lord Privy-Seal Duke of Hamilton Lord Chamberlain Earl of Oxford Earl of Hmntingdon Earl of Peterborow Earl of Craven Earl of Berkeley Earl of Rochester Earl of Murray Lord A. B of Canterbury Duke of Norfolk Duke of Grafton Duke of Ormond Duke of Northumberland Marquiss of Haliyfax Earl of Pembroke Earl of Salisbury Earl of Clarendon Earl of Cardigan Earl of Ailesbury Earl of Burlington Earl of Litchfield Earl of Feversham Earl of Nottingham Earl of Middleton Earl of Melfort Earl of Castlemain Viscount Preston Lord Bellasyse Lord Godolphin Lord Dover Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer Master of the Rolls L. Ch. Justice Herbert Sir Thomas Strickland Sir Nicolas Butler Mr. Titus Viscount Newport Viscount Weymouth Bishop of London Bishop of Winchester Bishop of R chester Bishop of Chester Bishop of St. Davids Lord North Lord Chandois Lord Montague Lord Herbert of Cherbury Lord Vaughan Earl of Carberry Lord Colepepper Lord Churchill Lord Waldgrave The Lord Mayor and Aldermen of the City of London Sir Robert Wright Lord Chief Justice of the King 's Bench. Sir Thomas Powel Justices of the King 's Bench. Sir Robert Baldock Justices of the King 's Bench. Sir Thomas Street Justices of the Common Pleas. Sir Edward Lutwich Justices of the Common Pleas. Sir Thomas Jennor Justices of the Common Pleas. Sir Richard Heath Barons of the Exchequer Sir Charles Ingleby Barons of the Exchequer Sir John Rotheram Barons of the Exchequer Sir John Maynard His Majesty's Serjeants at Law. Sir John Holt His Majesty's Serjeants at Law. Sir Ambrose Philips His Majesty's Serjeants at Law. Sir Thomas Powis His Majesty's Attorney-General Sir William Williams His Majesty's Solicitor-General Sir James Butler Mr. North the Queen's Attorney Mr. Montague the Queen's Solicitor Sir Charles Porter To whom His Majesty spake to this Effect My Lords I Have called you together upon a very extraordinary Occasion but extraordinary Diseases must have extraordinary Remedies The malicious Endeavours of my Enemies have so poison'd the Minds of some of my Subjects That by the Reports I have from all Hands I I have Reason to believe That very many do not think this Son with which God hath blessed Me to be Mine but a supposed Child But I may say that by particular Providence scarce any Prince was ever Born where there were so many Persons present I have taken this Time to have the Matter Heard and Examined here Expecting that the Prince of Orange with the first Eastwardly Wind will Invade this Kingdom And as I have often ventured My Life for the Nation before I came to the Crown so I think My Self more obliged to do the same now I am KING and do intend to go in Person against him whereby I may be exposed to Accidents and therefor I thought it necessary to have this now done in Order to satisfy the Minds of My Subjects and to prevent this Kingdom 's being engaged in Blood and Confusion after my Death defiring to do always what may contribute most to the Ease and Quiet of my Subjects which I have shewed by Securing to them their Liberty of Conscience and the Enjoyment of their Properties which I will always preserve I have desired the Queen Dowager to give Her Self the Trouble to come hither to Declare what she knows of the Birth of My Son and most of the Ladies Lords and other Persons who were present are ready here to Depose upon Oath their Knowledge of this Matter Whereupon the Queen Dowager was pleased to say THat when the King sent for her to the Queen's Labour she came as soon as she could and never stirred from her till she was Delivered of the Prince of Wales Catharina R. And the following Depositions were all taken upon Oath Elizabeth Lady Marchioness of Powis Deposeth THAT about the 29th of December last the Queen was likely to miscarry whereupon she immediatly went unto her and offered Her some effectual Remedies which are made Use of on the like Occasion which the Queen ordered this Deponent to acquaint the Doctors with The Day following the Queen Dowager sent this Deponent to see how the Queen did who replied She had a pretty good Night and did think she had quickned but would not be positive till she felt it again That after this the Deponent did frequently wait on the Queen in the Morning and did see her shift herself several Days and generally saw the Milk and sometimes Wet upon her Smock That sometime after this Deponent went into the Country and came not up till a few Days before the Queen was brought to Bed and from the Time of this Deponent's Return she faw the Queen every Day till she was brought to Bed and was in the Room a Quarter of an Hour before and at the Time of her Delivery of the Prince by Mrs. Wilks Her Majesty's Midwife which this Deponent saw and immediatly went with the Prince carried by Mrs. Delabadie into the Queen's little Bed-Chamber where she saw Sir Thomas Witherly sent for by the Midwife who gave the Child Three Drops of something which came into the World with him which this Deponent saw dome And this Deponent doth aver this Prince to be the same Child which was then born and that she has never been from him one Day since Eliza. Powis Anne Countess of Arran Deposeth THAT she went to the Queen from Whitehall to St. James's as soon as she heard that Her Majesty was in Labour When she came she found the Queen in Bed complaining of little Pains the Lady Sunderland Lady Roscommon Mrs. Labadie and the Midwife were on that Side of the Bed where the Queen lay and this Deponent with a great many others stood on the other Side all the Time while the Queen was delivered As soon as Her Majesty was delivered she said O Lord I don't hear the Child cry and immediately upon that this Deponent did hear it cry and saw the Midwife take the Child out of the Bed and give it to Mrs. Labadie who carried it into the little Bed-Chamber where she this Deponent followed her and saw that it was a Son and that likewise she the Deponent hath several Times seen Milk run out upon the
exremely and said Oh I die you kill me you kill me And the Midwife as this Deponent believeth answered This one Pain Madam and 't will be over then presently Ms. Dawson made this Deponent the Sign that the Child was born then this Deponent heard the Queen say Don't tell me what it is yet and Ms. Dawson came to this Deponent and whisper'd him in the Ear 'T is a Prince but don't take Notice of it yet Then Ms. Delabadie brought away the Child from the Bed-Side and carried it into the little Bed-chamber and the King and the Lords of the Council went after her but this Deponent did not follow them Edward Griffin Sir Charles Scarburgh First Physician to the King Deposeth THAT upon the Deponent's coming to visit her Majesty then lying at St. James's on Sunday the 10 of June 1688 as the Deponent went up the Back-stairs he heard the joyful Acclamation that a Prince of Wales wsas born upon which the Deponent hastned presently into the little Bed-chamber where the Deponent found Mrs. Delabadie just sitting down before the Fire with the new born Prince wrapp'd in the Mantles lying in her Lap. Then passing to the Queen in the next Bed-chamber the Deponent congratulated the happy Birth of the Prince and her Majesty's safe Delivery The Queen was wearied and panting but otherwise in good Condition Then the Midwife brought to the Deponent the After-birth reeking warm which Sir Thomas Witherley with the Deponent examined and found very sound and perfect After a while the Deponent understood that a Medicine was mentioned among the Ladies for a ceertain Remedy against Convulsions It was some Drops of Blood from the Navel-string the Deponent consulted Sir Thomas Witherley and the other Physicians and to satisfy the Women it was allowed of there being as was conceived no Danger in the Thing Whereupon the Midwife with a small Knife stit the Navel-string beyond the Ligature from which came some Drops of fresh Blood taken in a Spoon and given the Child being mix'd with a ittle Black Cherry-Water Thus much the Deponent hath to say upon her Majesty's present Delivery Now for the Time of the Queen's Conception she often told the Deponent and others That she had two Reckonings one one from Tuesday the 6th of Sept. when the King return'd from his Progress to the Queen then at Bath and the other from Thursday the 6th of Octob. when the Queen came to the King at Windsor but for some Reasons the Queen rather reckoned from the Latter though afterwards it prov'd just to agree with the Former Moreover her Majesty when according to her Reckoning she was gone with Child 12 Weeks said that she was quick and perceived the Child to move the Deponent returned no Answer to the Queen but privately told those about her That in Truth it could not so be in to short a Time yet the Queen was in the Right only mistook her Reckoning for she was then full 16 Weeks gone with Child about which time she usually quickned with her former Children and accordingly was brought to bed on the 10th of June 1688 nd within Three or four Days of full forty Weeks Charles Scarburgh Sir Thomas Witherely Second Physician to the King Deposeth THAT on Sunday the 10th of June the Deponent was present in the Queen's Bed-chamber when the Prince of Wales was born the Deponent saw Mrs. Delabadie bring the Child from the Midwife and carry him into the next Room whither the Deponent followed her and saw the Child before he was cleaned and having a Command from the Queen that there should be two Drops of the Blood of the Aftere-burthen given the first Thing We the said Deponent and the other Physicians did take two drops of Blood from the Navel-string which remained upon the Child and gave it in a Spoonfull of Black-cherry-water as the Queen commanded After this the Deponent saw as also did the other Physicians the After-burden entire Tho. Witherley Sir William Waldegrave Kt. her Majesty's first Physician Deposeth THAT in the Progress of her Majesty's being with Child the Deponent having the Honour to wait upon her as usual upon the 13th of February 1688 about 10 in the Morning she told the Deponent she had Milk in her Breasts which dropt out it was then thought the 19th Week according to one Reckoning but according to another Reckoning it was the One or two and twentieth Week The Deponent also affirmeth That her Majesty took such adstringent Medicins during the most part of her being with Child in order to avoid Miscarriage that if she had not been with Child they must have been prejudicial to her Health and of dangetous consequence Upon the 10th of June 1688 the Deponent was call'd at his Lodging in Whitchall to wait upon the Queen being told she was in Labour upon which the Deponent immediately went to St. James's and so into the Queen's Bed-chamber and found her beginning her Labour it being about eight of the Clock in the Morning the Deponent stirr'd not from thence but to get such Medicines as were fit for her Majesty and then returned again and was in the Bed-chamber when she cried out and was delivered The Deponent followed Mrs. Delabadie who took the Prince in her Arms so soon as he was born and carried him into the little Bed-chamber where the Deponent saw him upon her Lap and was by when he took two or three Drops of the Navel-string fresh warm Blood which was mix'd with Black-cherry-water then returned into the great Bed-chamber where the Deponent saw the After-burthen fresh and warm William Waldegrave Dr. Robert Brady one of His Majesty's Physicians in Ordinary Deposeth THAT a little before 10 of the Clock in the Morning on the 10th of June 1688 the Deponent was in the Queen 's little Bed-chamber at St. James's where the Deponent saw the Prince of Wales in Mrs. Delabadie's Lap by the Fire-side the Deponent desired to see the Linnen and Blankets opened in which he was wrapped which being done the Deponent saw it was a Male Child and the Navel-string hanging down to or below the virile Parts with a Ligature upon it not far from the Body but did not see any After-burden hanging at or joined to it not being at the Birth The Deponent asked how long he had been born the Standers-by told him at three quarters of an Hour after Nine of the Clock the Queen was delivered Robeert Brady James St. Amand their Majesties Apothecary Deposeth THAT from the Beginning of November last he hath generally every Day till the 9th of June 1688 given by the Physicians Orders restringent and corroborating Medicines to the Queen's Majesty That on the 10th of Juae he was sent for in haste to come to St. James's to her Majesty who the Messenger told him was in Labour That the Deponent then received a Note from the Physicians for Medicines for her Majesty which the Deponent was oblig'd to stay and prepare and so came
not to St. James's till the Queen was delivered the Deponent meeting just as he was going into the Bed-chamber Mrs. Delabadie with the young Prince in her Arms the King and several of the Lords soon afteer following into the little Bed-chamber where the Deponent saw the Child naked before it was cleansed from the Impurities of the Birth and also saw the Navel-string cut and some Drops of fresh Blood received into a Spoon which she mingled with a little Black cherry water and saw them given by the Physicians Orders to the Child and afterwards going into the great Bed-chamber where the Queen was delivered he saw the After-burthen c. fresh Ja. St. Amand. After these Depositions were taken His Majesty was pleased to acquaint the Lords That the Princess Anne of Denmark would have been present but that she being with Child and having not lately stirred abroad could not come so far without Hazard Adding further AND now My Lords although I did not question but every Person here present was satisfied before in this Matter Yet by what you have heard you will be better able to satisfy others Besides if I and the Queen could be thought so wicked as to endeavour to impose a Child upon the Nation you see how impossible it would have been neither could I my Self be imposed upon having constantly been with the Queen during her being with Child and the whole time of her Labour And there is none of you but will easily believe Me who have suffered so much for Conscience sake uncapable of so great a Villany to the prejudice of my own Children And I thank God that those that know Me know well that it is My Principle to do as I would be done by for that is the Law and the Prophets And I would rather die a thousand Deaths than do the least Wrong to any of my Children His Majesty further said IF any of My Lords think it necessary the Queen should be sent for it shall be done But their Lordships not thinking it necessary Her Majesty was not sent for 'T IS Ordered this Day by His Majesty in Council That the several Declarations here before made by his Majesty and by her Majesty the Queen Dowager together with the several Depositions here entred be forthwith Enrolled in the Court of Chancery And the Lord Chancellor is Ordered to cause the same to be Enrolled accordingly IN Pursuance of which Order in Council the Lord Chancellor on Saturday the 27th Day of October following in the High Court of Chancery many of the Nobility and Lords of His Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council being there present caused the aforesaid Order of Council and Declaration of His Majesty and likewise that of Her Majesty the Queen Dowager to be openly and distinctly Read in Court and the same are Entred in the Words aforesaid in the Council Book And the Lords and Ladies and other Persons who made the respective Depositions aforesaid being present in Court were Sworn again and having heard their several Depositions distinctly Read in the Words aforesaid and being severally Interrogated by the Court to the Truth thereof they all upon their Oaths affirmed their respective Depositions to be true And did likewise Depose except some few who came in late to the Council Chamber or some who stood at too great a Distance That they heard His Majesty and her Majesty the Queen Dowager make the several Declarations aforesaid and that the same as they had been Read were truly Entred as they did believe in the Council Book according to the Sense Intent and Meaning of what His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen Dowager did then declare And forasmuch as the Earl of Huntingdon and the Earl of Peterburrow who were able to Depose to the Matters aforesaid had not been examined at the Council Board but had brought their several Depositions in Writing which they delivered into Court the said Lord Chancellor after the said Earls were severally Sworn Ordered their Depositions to be openly Read in the Words following UPON Trinity Sunday Tenth of June 1688 I went to St. James's House about Nine a-clock in the Morning and followed my Lord Chancellor through the Lodgings to the Dressing Room next to the Queen's Bed-chamber where divers Lords of the Council were met upon occasion of the Queen's being in Labour the King came several times into the Room and amongst other things was pleased to tell us that the Queen came exactly according to her first Reckoning which was from the King 's Return from his Progress to Bath in September 1687 After this the Counsellors were ordered to come into the Bed-chamber and I stood on that Side of the Bed that had the Curtains drawn open I heard Her Majesty cry out several times I stay'd in the Room during the Birth of the Prince of Wales I saw him carried in to the Little Bed-chamber whither the King the Lords and my self in particular did follow him Huntingdon I Had the Honour to be in the King's Chamber in the Morning when Word was brought him the Queen was not well and followed him into the Dressing Room next Her Majesty's Bed-chamber where I stay'd till his Majesty call'd me to come in which was about the Beginning of her Pains I confess the Compassion I had for her Majesty hearing her Cries made my Stay there very uneasy one of the last especially seem'd to me so sharp as it really forced me for a little Time to stop my Ears with my Fingers to avoid hearing more of the like when setting them at liberty I heard no more but perceived a sudden Satisfaction in the Faces of the Assistants several saying that the Queen was Delivered and soon thereupon I saw the Prince brought from about the Bed and carried into the Little Bed-chamber whither I went afterwards to behold him more particularly where I saw him as a Child newly Born. Peterburrow AFter which the said Earls did severally upon their Oaths affirm their Depositions to be true as they had been Read and that they were present in Council and heard His Majesty and Her Majesty the Queen Dowager make the several Declarations aforesaid and that the same were Entred in the Council Book as they did believe according to the Effect true Sense and Meaning of what their Majesties declared in Council Whereupon his Majesty's Attorney General moved the Court that the said Declarations of His Majesty and of Her Majesty the Queen Dowager and the several Depositions and the Order of Council should be Enrolled in the Petty-bag-office and in the Office of Enrolments in the Court of Chancery for the safe Preservation and Custody of them which the Lord Chancellor Ordered accordingly EDINBURGH The Ninth Day of November 1688 Years Present in Council The Earl of Perth Lord H. Chancellor The Lord Arch-bishop of St. Andrew's The Lord Arch-bishop of Glasgow The Marq. of Athol Lord Privy-Seal The Lord Duke of Gordon The Earl of Errol The Earl of Cassils The Earl of Linlithgow L. Justice General The Earl of Dumferline The Earl of Strathmore The Earl of Lauderdale The Earl of Traquaire The Earl of Belcarras The Earl of Broadalbine The Lord Vis Tarbat The Lord Strathnaver The Lord Maitland The Lord Duffus The Lord Kinaird The M. of Balmerinoch The Lord P. of S. The Lord Advocat The Lord J. Clerk. The Lord Castlehill The Lord Lochore Sir George Monro The Laird of Nidry The proceeding Depositions concerning the Birth of HIs Royal Highness JAMES Prince of Scotland and Wales being transmitted to His Majesty's Privy-Council of this Kingdom by the Secretaries of State and being solemnly read in Council were ordered to be forthwith printed and published Extracted forth of the Records of Privy-Council by me WILL. PATERSON Cls. Sti. Concilii