Conspiracy Culture in Stuart England: The Mysterious Death of Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey

In 1678, Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey, a Westminster justice of the peace, disappeared after investigating a supposed Popish Plot. Rumors of his murder by Catholics circulated, leading to a moral panic and the emergence of a partisan press. Conspiracy theories about the king's involvement fueled the Exclusion Crisis, a major challenge to the British monarchy. This book presents compelling new evidence and a solution to the mystery.

Format: Hardback
Length: 284 pages
Publication date: 20 December 2022
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd

For centuries, scholars and amateur sleuths have been perplexed by the enigmatic demise of Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey. This captivating book presents compelling new evidence and finally unravels the enigma that has haunted the minds of enthusiasts. On a chilly October afternoon in 1678, Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey, the esteemed Westminster justice of the peace, bid farewell to his home in Charing Cross and never returned. Within mere hours of his disappearance, London was abuzz with rumors that the magistrate had fallen victim to a Catholic assassination in retribution for his diligent investigation into a purported Popish Plot against the government. Five days later, the speculation escalated into a moral panic as Godfrey's lifeless body was discovered in a shallow ditch, impaled upon his own sword in an apparent clumsy suicide.

This book delves into the anatomy of a conspiratorial crisis that rocked the foundations of late Stuart England, eroding public trust in authority and official sources of information. Speculation about Godfrey's death intertwined with suspicions about covert diplomacy at the court of Charles II, fostering the emergence of a partisan press and an oppositional political culture where the most fantastical claims found credence and plausibility. Ultimately, conspiracy theories linking the king's principal minister, his queen, and his brother to Godfrey's murder fueled the flames of passion and division, culminating in the Exclusion Crisis, the most significant threat to the British monarchy since the Civil War.

Weight: 590g
Dimension: 241 x 164 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781783277629