the imaginary revelations of the popish plot, and the popular disdain for the policy of charles ii which danby had carried out, led to a violent political reaction against catholicism and the court party, managed in part by danby's rival lord shaftesbury. the king dissolved the cavalier parliament, and new elections were held in february 1678/9. norreys campaigned in oxford and oxfordshire for the court candidates to the new parliament, but without success: he was shouted out of the streets of oxford by a mob. the country party dominated the commons, and danby was forced to resign his offices. a royal pardon only heightened the outrage against him, and he was committed to the tower of london while the commons, who had impeached him, debated his fate with the lords. norreys remained a staunch supporter of the court, and danby, corresponding with the king from the tower that summer, recommended his advancement in the peerage. although enthusiastic, norreys was notoriously unwell, having suffered from "black jaundice" (perhaps weil's disease), reputedly to the point of interfering with his parliamentary business.