John Overholtoverholt@glammr.us
Aug 20, 2026, 6:17 PMSir John Fenwick was beheaded in 1697 for plotting the overthrow and assassination of William III. The Crown seized his estate after the execution, including a horse. William died in 1702 after being thrown from that same horse, an amazing trick if you can pull it off.
The horse is said to have stumbled over a molehill, leading William's Jacobite enemies to begin toasting "To the little gentleman in black velvet." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_John_Fenwick,_3rd_Baronet
![Screenshot of Wikipedia text:
By his wife, Mary (d. 1708), daughter of Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Carlisle and his wife Anne Howard, he had three sons and one daughter,[5] all of whom died young, and are buried with Fenwick at St Martin-in-the-Fields.[2] Following the act of attainder, what remained of Fenwick's property was granted to his nephew, Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle.[1]](https://files.cloudisland.nz/media_attachments/files/117/131/358/049/476/952/original/dfd4753938f5de8b.png)