This article establishes for the first time the identity of Edward Colman, the Catholic courtier executed for treason in 1678. Discoveries about his background are used to show how he made his way into court circles in the 1660s, at an earlier date than has usually been assumed. It is suggested that his cousin, Richard Colman, may have been the person who introduced him to the duke of York. Another relative, William Battie, also had connections at court, but he and Colman later quarrelled over the issue of religious toleration. Thereafter, Bishop Compton acted as Battie's patron to further the campaign by himself and the earl of Danby against Colman and the other court Catholics.