Edward Turberville or Turbervile (c. 1648 – 1681) was a Welsh professional soldier and priest hunter, better known to history as an informer who perjured himself in support of the fictitious Popish Plot.
[3] Turberville claimed that Stafford had tried to hire him to assassinate King Charles II of England but never explained why he waited so long to reveal the fact.
The Commons was then seeking evidence to proceed with the long-delayed trials of Stafford and the rest of the "five popish lords", which had received a serious setback from the recent death of the leading informer William Bedloe (two prosecution witnesses being necessary in a treason trial)[5] The Commons requested the King to grant Turberville the usual royal pardon for all treasons, felonies and misdemeanours committed before the date of the pardon, and the King duly granted it.
Edward had already acted briefly as a priest hunter, using his local knowledge of the large Catholic community in South Wales, but without much success, on one occasion suffering the embarrassment of being arrested himself.
Also, presumably in an effort to add convincing background detail to his story (Titus Oates had always been good at this), he claimed that Stafford suffered from gout, which was untrue.
After the trial of Fitzharris, Turberville reading the straws in the wind, or as Gilbert Burnet thought, being "under new (i.e. Crown) management" gave evidence against College who was found guilty of treason and executed.