Talk:Robert Catesby/GA1

GA Review

Article (edit | visual edit | history) · Article talk (edit | history) · Watch

Reviewer: Nikkimaria (talk) 03:31, 18 July 2010 (UTC)

I'll be reviewing this article for possible GA status. My review should be posted shortly. Cheers, Nikkimaria (talk) 03:31, 18 July 2010 (UTC)

 Doing... - review in progress, will finish in the morning. Nikkimaria (talk) 04:22, 18 July 2010 (UTC)

All things considered, I'm going to pass this as a GA now - consider the below comments as suggestions for further improvement. Nikkimaria (talk) 17:48, 18 July 2010 (UTC)

Writing and formatting

• "He was shot, and later found dead, clutching a picture of the Virgin Mary. His body was later exhumed, and, as a warning to others, his head exhibited outside Parliament." - phrasing seems a bit awkward here, especially the repeated "later"
  • Reworded slightly. I'm pretty happy with the factual content of the article, but it does need another read-through and a copyedit before I take it to FAC. This was one of the few awkward bits that needed doing.
• "college noted for its Catholic intake" - what does "intake" refer to here? Catholic ideas, Catholic funds, Catholic teachings, Catholic students, Catholic teachers?
  • Almost certainly students and teachers, but since the source doesn't elaborate then neither will I.
• "daughter of the Sir Thomas Leigh of Stoneleigh in Warwickshire" - is "the" needed here?
  • Typo, gone.
• When you say that Catesby reverted to Catholicism after being a Church Papist, what is the implication here? If he was already Catholic (as your note suggests), then how can he "revert" to Catholicism? Did he begin openly practicing Catholicism?
  • Most of Catesby's thoughts and feelings at that time are, I think, speculation. Sources tread lightly around the subject, but it seems that he was probably Catholic and then married into a Protestant family. Whether or not he gave up his Catholicism is unknown (but unlikely), chances are being a Protestant was just a handy way of keeping the government off his back. I don't know a better word than "reverted", can you suggest one? As in "stopped pretending to be a Proddie."
    • Done. Parrot of Doom 09:09, 19 July 2010 (UTC)
• "Shortly after he discovered that his wife had been sent a rosary from the pope however" - phrasing is a bit awkward, perhaps begin with "However,"?
  • Not a fan of however at the start of sentences, I think its ok as it is.
• "Percy was reported to have had a "wild youth" before his conversion" - meaning a conversion to Catholicism? Might want to specify
  • Reworded.
• Should link Low Countries, as American readers especially will likely be unfamiliar with the term
  • Linked.
• Was Catesby's address to Thomas an invitation or a summons? Those words have different connotations
  • Its probably the former but the source uses the latter, I think to imply that Catesby could be quite commanding.
• "Two months later[nb 6] Catesby recruited his servant, Thomas Bates, into the plot,[34] after the latter accidentally became aware of it,[33] and by March 1605 three more were admitted; Thomas Wintour's brother, Robert, John Grant, and John Wright's brother, Christopher." - sentence is a bit long, especially with the notes mid-stream. Also, semi-colon should probably be a colon
  • Agree on the semicolon but I think the length is fine.
• "He decided that the letter was too vague to constitute any meaningful threat to the plan, and decided to forge ahead" - repetitive "decided"
  • Reworded.
• "Late on Monday 4 November...Late that night" - repetitive
  • Reworded
• "at about 6:00 pm that evening" - this would be 5 November? The last date you mentioned was 4 November; though the date is implied, it could be clearer
  • Reworded to clarify
• 36 went to Hewell Grange? The text accounts for no more than 10 conspirators on this journey; who are the others?
  • A motley band of supporters, mostly Digby's men I think. Will check tomorrow.
• "Rookwood. Catesby and Percy were reportedly dropped by the same lucky shot, while stood near the door" - I'm not sure what this means - were they "standing" near the door?
  • Yes, changed to standing.
• Catesby was exhumed, but when/where was he buried before that?
  • Haven't the foggiest, neither have any of the sources. The bodies (stripped naked by then) would have been quickly buried to prevent the spread of disease. Orders then arrive from London, dig them up, chop the heads off, bring 'em to London. Parrot of Doom 22:59, 18 July 2010 (UTC)

Accuracy and verifiability

• Ref 1 also needs subscription
• No Fraser 1999 in bibliography
• Ref 62: formatting
• No Haynes 1999 in bibliography
• Ref 44 is misspelled
• Web link for ref 1 says published 2004 - does the subscriber version say otherwise?
• ODNB refs should all have the same formatting
• Use publisher name instead of URL - for example, publisher for ref 18 should be BBC
  • All fixed, however I always use urls for web sources. Parrot of Doom 23:06, 18 July 2010 (UTC)

Broad

• Perhaps mention that he sheltered priests, in particular Gerard?
  • Struggling to find the sources for that, what I have just hints at it.
• If you're going to say that Wintour fought for England in the Low Countries, you need a bit more contextualization - even just a couple of wikilinks or a "during x battle / x war / x campaign"
  • Bit too much detail for this one, maybe in Wintour's article... Parrot of Doom 23:07, 18 July 2010 (UTC)

Neutrality

No issues noted

Stability

No issues noted

Images

• The lead image is an exact copy of Catesby in the group engraving - are these by the same engraver, or is one a derivative of the other?
  • Probably a derivative but the source doesn't say. Parrot of Doom 23:07, 18 July 2010 (UTC)