WOODCOCK, M. orcid.org/0009-0008-8034-4351 (2023) Robert Barret and the Making of an Early Modern Occasional Spy. History, 108 (381). pp. 224-243. ISSN 0018-2648
Abstract
This article examines letters written by the soldier-author Robert Barret in 1581 describing his travels in France and Italy, while a runaway apprentice during the 1570s, that led him to the English College in Rome. Barret's letters constitute a valuable, hitherto overlooked source of first-hand information about British and Irish Catholics in continental Europe, complementing better-known sources by Anthony Munday and Charles Sledd. Barret latterly recast his travels as an intelligence-gathering opportunity in which he collected detailed information both on Catholic exiles (including Thomas Stukeley, Bishop Thomas Goldwell, and Cardinal William Allen) and on putative plans to invade England. The letters provide an exemplary record of the – not uncommon – experiences of someone compelled by circumstances to adopt the role of an occasional spy. This article not only analyses the value of the letters’ contents but discusses broader questions concerning the pliable, shifting nature of early modern intelligence and intelligence-gatherers.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The Author(s). This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: WOODCOCK, M. (2023) Robert Barret and the Making of an Early Modern Occasional Spy. History, 108 (381). pp. 224-243. ISSN 0018-2648, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-229X.13358. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited. |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures (Leeds) > School of English (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 31 Oct 2024 15:45 |
Last Modified: | 18 Nov 2024 14:39 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/1468-229x.13358 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:219070 |
Download
Filename: Woodcock_Final_May.pdf
