Conspiracy Culture in Stuart England – The Mysterious Death of Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey: Studies in Early Modern Cultural, Political and Social History

Introduction. The Bottomless Pit: Conspiracy Theories & the Death of a Westminster JP Historical, political and conspiratorial perspectives Chapter summary 1. The Usual Suspects: the Case against the Catholics The English anti-Catholic conspiracist tradition Rumours, hearsay and the corpus delicti Accusers and accused 2. An Inside Job? The Earl of Danby and other Court Suspects A constitutional and conspiratorial crisis Thomas Osborne, earl of Danby An Anglican Plot? Israel Tonge's 'very honourable friends' Plots and counterplots: Danby in the Tower 3. 'The Devil in his Clothes': Suicide Theories, Then and Now Early suicide theories Roger L'Estrange's crime scene investigation 'Master of a dangerous secret ': Godfrey's mental state Spectral sightings: tracking Godfrey's last movements Ockham's razor? 4. 'Managery... behind the Curtain'? Oppositional Plots and Whig Lords True crime, false leads and tall tales Shaftesbury and subornation Whig suspects and oppositional secrets 5. 'Horrible Secrets...not for his Majesty's Service': William Lloyd's Shorthand The correspondence of Roger L'Estrange and William Lloyd Royal suspects and secrets 'Died Abner as a fool dieth '? What William Lloyd believed Conclusion. A Bipartisan Martyr? In Search of the Real Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey 'Keeping faire with boeth sides': Godfrey as critic, courtier, mediator and sleuth A plausible suspect: the secrets of 'a certain great man' A possible murder scenario Select Bibliography Index