"Wilmot's blots" and Cavalier plots, June 1644: fresh evidence from captured correspondence

This article examines two letters of June 1644, each written in cipher, from members of Charles I's household to his nephew, and commander of the Royalist cavalry, Prince Rupert. Both items were intercepted by the Parliamentarians, but remained undeciphered in the archives until their key was b...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inThe Seventeenth century Vol. 36; no. 4; pp. 579 - 596
Main Authors Macadam, Joyce, Roy, Ian
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Durham Routledge 04.07.2021
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
17th century
Attitudes
Correspondence
Digby, George
Epistolography
factionalism
George Digby
Henry Percy
Henry Wilmot
Percy, Henry (1564-1632)
Prince Rupert
Royalist encryption
Royalty
Rupert, Prince (1619-1682)
War
Wilmot, Henry
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

Abstract This article examines two letters of June 1644, each written in cipher, from members of Charles I's household to his nephew, and commander of the Royalist cavalry, Prince Rupert. Both items were intercepted by the Parliamentarians, but remained undeciphered in the archives until their key was broken recently. The article discusses this new evidence relating to the factionalism that was crippling the Royalist war effort prior to the defeat at Marston Moor and, specifically, to the attitudes towards the Prince in particular, and the war in general, of Lord Henry Wilmot, Lieutenant General of the cavalry, and the King's Secretary, Lord George Digby. A description is included of the cipher key used in the despatches, with comments on the efficacy of this particular tool. The article concludes with a brief outline of the outcomes for the parties referred to in the letters.
AbstractList This article examines two letters of June 1644, each written in cipher, from members of Charles I’s household to his nephew, and commander of the Royalist cavalry, Prince Rupert. Both items were intercepted by the Parliamentarians, but remained undeciphered in the archives until their key was broken recently. The article discusses this new evidence relating to the factionalism that was crippling the Royalist war effort prior to the defeat at Marston Moor and, specifically, to the attitudes towards the Prince in particular, and the war in general, of Lord Henry Wilmot, Lieutenant General of the cavalry, and the King’s Secretary, Lord George Digby. A description is included of the cipher key used in the despatches, with comments on the efficacy of this particular tool. The article concludes with a brief outline of the outcomes for the parties referred to in the letters.
Author Macadam, Joyce
Roy, Ian
Author_xml – sequence: 1
  givenname: Joyce
  orcidid: 0000-0001-8013-7127
  surname: Macadam
  fullname: Macadam, Joyce
  email: joyce.macadam@hotmail.co.uk
  organization: University of London School of Advanced Study Institute of Historical Research
– sequence: 2
  givenname: Ian
  surname: Roy
  fullname: Roy, Ian
  organization: King's College London
BookMark eNp9UM1LwzAUDzLBbfonCGEevNj5krZJ50kZfjLwoih4CGmTYEeb1KSd7L-3dfPq5T3e7-vBb4JG1lmN0CmBOYEMLoGyjBD-PqdAe4gvaBzzAzSmkEKUMMJGaDxookF0hCYhrAEgZSmM0cfsraxq154HnFeuDTMsrcJLuZFVqT1uBuwCP3VWY8KS5Aobr8Mn1ptSaVvo_nQ1LmTTdl4rXDjf042zv-QxOjSyCvpkv6fo9e72ZfkQrZ7vH5c3q6igGWsjmqZccW7kQoEGY6gBlcucQsaBJhJywjjPleJJlnBjTLzIU91PZZiOCWHxFJ3tchvvvjodWrF2nbf9SzFkk4RTSHpVulMV3oXgtRGNL2vpt4KAGHoUfz2KoUex77H3Xe98pTXO1_Lb-UqJVm4r542XtiiDiP-P-AGhVXrk
Cites_doi 10.1111/j.1468-2281.1962.tb01425.x
10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199575855.001.0001
10.4324/9781315458212
10.1017/S0018246X00018069
10.1111/criq.12072
10.1353/hlq.2019.0017
10.1017/CBO9780511495915.004
10.3366/shr.2000.79.2.213
10.1017/CBO9780511522550.005
10.1007/978-1-137-01965-3_2
10.1017/CBO9780511522819
10.1017/CBO9780511495915.007
10.1080/0268117X.2006.10555570
ContentType Journal Article
Copyright 2020 The Seventeenth Century 2020
2020 The Seventeenth Century
Copyright_xml – notice: 2020 The Seventeenth Century 2020
– notice: 2020 The Seventeenth Century
DBID AAYXX
CITATION
DOI 10.1080/0268117X.2020.1792337
DatabaseName CrossRef
DatabaseTitle CrossRef
DatabaseTitleList

DeliveryMethod fulltext_linktorsrc
Discipline Languages & Literatures
History & Archaeology
EISSN 2050-4616
EndPage 596
ExternalDocumentID 10_1080_0268117X_2020_1792337
1792337
Genre Articles
GroupedDBID -DZ
.QK
0BK
0R~
123
4.4
AAAVI
AACJB
AAMFJ
AAMIU
AAPUL
AAZMC
ABBKH
ABCCR
ABCCY
ABFIM
ABJVF
ABLIJ
ABLJU
ABPEM
ABPTK
ABPTX
ABQHQ
ABSSG
ABTAI
ABXUL
ACGFS
ACLSK
ACTIO
ACTOA
ADAHI
ADCVX
AECIN
AEGYZ
AEISY
AEKEX
AEMXT
AETEA
AEYOC
AEZRU
AFOLD
AFWLO
AGDLA
AGMYJ
AGRBW
AIJEM
AKBVH
ALMA_UNASSIGNED_HOLDINGS
ALQZU
AVBZW
BEJHT
BLEHA
BMOTO
BOHLJ
CCCUG
CLO
DGFLZ
DKSSO
EAP
EBS
EHI
ESX
E~B
E~C
F5P
FUNRP
G-F
GTTXZ
HF~
HQDSM
HZ~
IPNFZ
KDLKA
KYCEM
LJTGL
M4Z
MLAFT
NV0
O9-
P2P
QE9
QN7
RIG
RNANH
ROSJB
RSYQP
S-F
STATR
TEA
TFH
TFL
TFW
TN5
TNTFI
TRJHH
UT5
V1K
WU5
~01
~45
~S~
AAYXX
ABJNI
ABXYU
ACWXD
ADKVQ
ADMHG
AHDZW
AWYRJ
CITATION
H13
TBQAZ
TDBHL
TUROJ
ID FETCH-LOGICAL-c286t-2557d77fa9d0e0ff2f0dbab2087024a0b1677bdd74847fff39b5ef39df6e31163
ISSN 0268-117X
IngestDate Tue Nov 19 22:46:49 EST 2024
Fri Dec 06 03:22:49 EST 2024
Tue Jul 04 18:17:34 EDT 2023
IsPeerReviewed true
IsScholarly true
Issue 4
Language English
LinkModel OpenURL
MergedId FETCHMERGED-LOGICAL-c286t-2557d77fa9d0e0ff2f0dbab2087024a0b1677bdd74847fff39b5ef39df6e31163
ORCID 0000-0001-8013-7127
PQID 2557147204
PQPubID 44912
PageCount 18
ParticipantIDs crossref_primary_10_1080_0268117X_2020_1792337
proquest_journals_2557147204
informaworld_taylorfrancis_310_1080_0268117X_2020_1792337
PublicationCentury 2000
PublicationDate 2021-07-04
PublicationDateYYYYMMDD 2021-07-04
PublicationDate_xml – month: 07
  year: 2021
  text: 2021-07-04
  day: 04
PublicationDecade 2020
PublicationPlace Durham
PublicationPlace_xml – name: Durham
PublicationTitle The Seventeenth century
PublicationYear 2021
Publisher Routledge
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Publisher_xml – name: Routledge
– name: Taylor & Francis Ltd
References cit0012
cit0034
cit0032
Carte T. (cit0009) 1851; 6
cit0030
Barrett J. (cit0004) 2004
Falconer M. (cit0017) 1895; 3
Akkerman N. (cit0002) 2018
Newman P. (cit0029) 1993
Day W. A. (cit0013) 1879
Symonds R. (cit0042) 1859
The Accusation Given by his Majestie Against (cit0001)
Chadwyck Healey C. (cit0010) 1902
Walker S. E. (cit0045) 1705
Kahn D. (cit0023) 1967
Hutton R. (cit0022) 1982
Barrett J. (cit0003) 2004
Roberts P. (cit0033) 2003
cit0039
cit0018
cit0015
cit0037
cit0038
cit0035
cit0014
cit0036
Morrah P. (cit0028) 1976
Spencer C. (cit0041) 2007
cit0021
Green M. A. E. (cit0019) 1857
cit0040
Ellison K. (cit0016) 2018
Clarendon E. H. (cit0011) 1888; 6
Gutch J. (cit0020) 1781; 2
Bray W. (cit0005) 1906
Warburton E. (cit0046) 1849; 3
Tomokiyo S. (cit0043)
Warwick S. P. (cit0048) 1813
Underdown D. (cit0044) 1971
cit0008
cit0006
cit0007
Potter L. (cit0031) 1989
cit0026
cit0027
cit0024
cit0025
cit0047
References_xml – volume-title: Diary and Correspondence of John Evelyn: To Which Is Subjoined the Private Correspondence between King Charles I
  year: 1906
  ident: cit0005
  contributor:
    fullname: Bray W.
– volume-title: The Code Breakers: The Comprehensive History of Secret Communications from Ancient Times to the Internet
  year: 1967
  ident: cit0023
  contributor:
    fullname: Kahn D.
– ident: cit0034
  doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2281.1962.tb01425.x
– volume-title: Secret Rites and Secret Writing: Royalist Literature, 1641-1660
  year: 1989
  ident: cit0031
  contributor:
    fullname: Potter L.
– volume: 3
  volume-title: Memoirs of Prince Rupert and the Cavaliers: Including Their Private Correspondence
  year: 1849
  ident: cit0046
  contributor:
    fullname: Warburton E.
– volume-title: Diary of the Marches of the Royal Army … Kept by Richard Symonds
  year: 1859
  ident: cit0042
  contributor:
    fullname: Symonds R.
– volume-title: The Battle of Marston Moor: The Battle of the Five Armies
  year: 2003
  ident: cit0033
  contributor:
    fullname: Roberts P.
– volume: 6
  volume-title: First Earl Of, the History of the Rebellion and Civil Wars in England
  year: 1888
  ident: cit0011
  contributor:
    fullname: Clarendon E. H.
– volume-title: Invisible Agents: Women and Espionage in Seventeenth Century Britain
  year: 2018
  ident: cit0002
  contributor:
    fullname: Akkerman N.
– volume-title: The Pythouse Papers: Correspondence Concerning the Civil War …
  year: 1879
  ident: cit0013
  contributor:
    fullname: Day W. A.
– volume-title: A Material History of Medieval and Early Modern Ciphers: Cryptography and the History of Literacy
  year: 2018
  ident: cit0016
  contributor:
    fullname: Ellison K.
– ident: cit0021
  doi: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199575855.001.0001
– ident: cit0027
– ident: cit0015
  doi: 10.4324/9781315458212
– volume: 2
  volume-title: Collectanea Curiosa
  year: 1781
  ident: cit0020
  contributor:
    fullname: Gutch J.
– ident: cit0012
  doi: 10.1017/S0018246X00018069
– ident: cit0025
– volume-title: Historical Discourses upon Several Occasions
  year: 1705
  ident: cit0045
  contributor:
    fullname: Walker S. E.
– ident: cit0006
  doi: 10.1111/criq.12072
– volume-title: the Lord Wilmot Together with the Lord Wilmot’s Declaration of his innocency. Also A Petition of the Officers of the old Horse to his Majesty in behalfe of the Lord Wilmot: With his Majesties Answer thereunto, British Library
  ident: cit0001
  contributor:
    fullname: The Accusation Given by his Majestie Against
– ident: cit0038
  doi: 10.1353/hlq.2019.0017
– volume: 6
  volume-title: The Life of James, Duke of Ormond
  year: 1851
  ident: cit0009
  contributor:
    fullname: Carte T.
– volume-title: Bellum Civile: Hopton’s Narrative of His Campaign in the West (1642-1644)
  year: 1902
  ident: cit0010
  contributor:
    fullname: Chadwyck Healey C.
– ident: cit0014
– volume-title: Charles I’s Cipher Revealed: Sir Charles Wheatstone’s Codebreaking
  ident: cit0043
  contributor:
    fullname: Tomokiyo S.
– ident: cit0040
  doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511495915.004
– volume-title: Memoires of the Reigne of King Charles I
  year: 1813
  ident: cit0048
  contributor:
    fullname: Warwick S. P.
– ident: cit0018
– ident: cit0008
– ident: cit0030
  doi: 10.3366/shr.2000.79.2.213
– volume-title: The Old Service: Royalist Regimental Colonels and the Civil War, 1642-46
  year: 1993
  ident: cit0029
  contributor:
    fullname: Newman P.
– volume-title: Cavalier Generals: King Charles I and His Commanders in the English Civil War, 1642-1646
  year: 2004
  ident: cit0004
  contributor:
    fullname: Barrett J.
– volume: 3
  volume-title: Oxford Books, a Bibliography of Printed Works Relating to the University and City of Oxford or Printed or Published There
  year: 1895
  ident: cit0017
  contributor:
    fullname: Falconer M.
– ident: cit0026
– ident: cit0035
  doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511522550.005
– volume-title: The Royalist War Effort, 1642-1646
  year: 1982
  ident: cit0022
  contributor:
    fullname: Hutton R.
– ident: cit0047
– volume-title: Prince Rupert of the Rhine
  year: 1976
  ident: cit0028
  contributor:
    fullname: Morrah P.
– ident: cit0037
  doi: 10.1007/978-1-137-01965-3_2
– ident: cit0039
  doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511522819
– volume-title: Prince Rupert: The Last Cavalier
  year: 2007
  ident: cit0041
  contributor:
    fullname: Spencer C.
– ident: cit0007
– ident: cit0024
– volume-title: Royalist Conspiracy in England
  year: 1971
  ident: cit0044
  contributor:
    fullname: Underdown D.
– ident: cit0036
  doi: 10.1017/CBO9780511495915.007
– volume-title: Cavaliers: The Royalist Army at War, 1642-1646
  year: 2004
  ident: cit0003
  contributor:
    fullname: Barrett J.
– volume-title: Letters of Queen Henrietta Maria, Including Her Private Correspondence with Charles I
  year: 1857
  ident: cit0019
  contributor:
    fullname: Green M. A. E.
– ident: cit0032
  doi: 10.1080/0268117X.2006.10555570
RelatedPersons Wilmot, Henry
Rupert, Prince (1619-1682)
Percy, Henry (1564-1632)
Digby, George
RelatedPersons_xml – fullname: Rupert, Prince (1619-1682)
– fullname: Wilmot, Henry
– fullname: Digby, George
– fullname: Percy, Henry (1564-1632)
SSID ssj0005650
Score 2.226731
Snippet This article examines two letters of June 1644, each written in cipher, from members of Charles I's household to his nephew, and commander of the Royalist...
This article examines two letters of June 1644, each written in cipher, from members of Charles I’s household to his nephew, and commander of the Royalist...
SourceID proquest
crossref
informaworld
SourceType Aggregation Database
Publisher
StartPage 579
SubjectTerms 17th century
Attitudes
Correspondence
Digby, George
Epistolography
factionalism
George Digby
Henry Percy
Henry Wilmot
Percy, Henry (1564-1632)
Prince Rupert
Royalist encryption
Royalty
Rupert, Prince (1619-1682)
War
Wilmot, Henry
Title "Wilmot's blots" and Cavalier plots, June 1644: fresh evidence from captured correspondence
URI https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0268117X.2020.1792337
https://www.proquest.com/docview/2557147204
Volume 36
hasFullText 1
inHoldings 1
isFullTextHit
isPrint
link http://utb.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/link/0/eLvHCXMwpV3PT9swFLagXHZBW8eADSYLATtAkOPYMeVWAVNBbAcGAsEhspNYHFBbreFQ_vq9ZzukHUj8uliRrcap3xf7vZf3vkfIulZIgp7YiCutI5EbE-1qaFhuWJ5oqYUj0_n1O-2di-NLedmUO3LZJZXZye-fzCt5i1ShD-SKWbKvkOzDTaEDrkG-0IKEoX2RjDc4h7caFtt53c3tAGMiuPsesK9hIswkGfpezL8AfRLMFoFOAAtW9s1WGUqK-iSTXA_xcwKmuWHFjuGg7wYn1VcE1R_H-YQBGDdbuT-yJtzaugh514Nxg5lT7_A7CkgMTgYeu4DUxsk4HZ3kdyeegvkZuzr3cJC4Ps4ki0Tqkyfr7dXzmwQYiYm9UvoqMuHYlb6w7aMdPYRAwmw4GRj0HDqR9NBzxfxHlh1GZskcEiOKFpnr9g6uLpqgn1QGr5t_-DqnC9nWn5piSluZ4rJ9dHY7heTsI5kPlgTtelh8IjNlv00WPO3LmG5S5BTWrm7zuE0WT4JfegQjJw9U2qPP5HrNQ-jHiDoArVGAD63hQx18timChyJ49qiDDq2hQxE6tIYOnYbOAjn_eXi234tCxY0o57tpFYF9qQqlrO4UrGTWcssKow1nsKtzoZmJU6VMUSABrbLWJh0jS2gLm5ZJDKr9F9LqD_rlEqGg6EorOByfiRVGJx2N1HhwmavUaC6XyU69stnQE6tkcc1XG0SRoSiyIIpl0plc_6xyHi3ry89kyTO_XamFlYX3d5Thn40FFmn6-o5bfyMfmhdmhbSqv3flKuiplfkewPcP9fSL7w
link.rule.ids 314,780,784,27924,27925,59651,60440
linkProvider Library Specific Holdings
linkToHtml http://utb.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/link/0/eLvHCXMwpV1LT9wwEB61cKAXyhvKoxaq2gtZso4TE24IFYXtwgEt0ko9WLYTC6lVdkWyB_j1zCQOrwr1wMWybNnyYzyeGc18A_BNSwJBj1zApdaBsMYERxqL0JrQRjrWogHTubhMsmsxGMfjZ7Ew5FZJOrRrgSIaXk2Pm4zRnUvcIeoNFB85RvWOYxNB4EXyI8zHaRLj45wfXQ2y7MnRI4m9pQX1JRzVxfG8NdGLH-oFfuk__Lr5hM4-g-2W3_qe_OnNatOz96-QHd-3vyVY9DIqO2mJahk-FOUKrLWAInfsOyO0Wt1kBL5bgY2ht3hW2DN8BGmuVuH3PrIcpIQfFTN_J3W1z3BF7FQjbeNfzKbUdsAGs7JgqE2JY-Zw2A0rfJ5TRpEvzOopTZcz26QRmU7KpnMNrs9-jk6zwOdyCCw_SuoANReZS-l0modF6Bx3YW604SHyCy50aPqJlCbPCdpUOuei1MQFlrlLiqiPQuM6zJWTstgEhiJU7ARHxhw5YXSUagJdw6qVidE83oJed39q2kJ2qH6HhOpPVtHJKn-yW5A-v2VVN7YS1yY2UdF_xu50JKH8668UbbYvKP3Pl3dM_RUWstHFUA3PL39twydOzjRkVxY7MFffzopdlIZqs-fJ_QEV5P2Y
linkToPdf http://utb.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/link/0/eLvHCXMwpV3fT9swED6xIk17GdAxYJTNqqbxQkriOHHLG2Kruq5D09RKSDxYdhILiSmNlvQB_nruEmcbILQHXqwoli3_OJ_vTufvA_ioJYGgh9bjUmtPJMZ4Q42Fnxg_CXWkRQ2m8_08nizE9CJqswlLl1ZJPrRtgCJqXU2Hu0htmxF3jG4DPY-8QO-O4y9CwAvlC1iPiT65A-vzn9PJ5G-eRxy5QAu6S9iqfcbzVEf3Lqh78KWP1HV9B403wLSjb1JPrgerygyS2wfAjs-a3ia8dhYqO21EagvWsrwL2w2cyA37xAirVtd8wDdd2Jm5eGeJNbM_EM3lG7jso8JBOTgsmfm1rMo-wwGxM42SjTcxK-jfEZuu8oyhLyVOmMVmVyxzLKeM3r2wRBfUXcqSmkSkWOZ15TYsxl_mZxPPMTl4CR_GlYd-i0yltHqU-plvLbd-arThPmoLLrRvglhKk6YEbCqtteHIRBmWqY2zMECT8S108mWe7QJDAyqygqNaDq0wOhxpglzDz0TGRvNoDwbt9qmiAexQQYuD6lZW0coqt7J7MPp3k1VVR0psQ2uiwv-07bUSodzZLxVNNhBE_vPuGV1_gJc_Po_V7Ov5t314xSmThoLKoged6vcqO0BTqDLvnbDfAfJy_Dw
openUrl ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=%22Wilmot%27s+blots%22+and+Cavalier+plots%2C+June+1644%3A+fresh+evidence+from+captured+correspondence&rft.jtitle=The+Seventeenth+century&rft.au=Macadam%2C+Joyce&rft.au=Roy%2C+Ian&rft.date=2021-07-04&rft.pub=Routledge&rft.issn=0268-117X&rft.eissn=2050-4616&rft.volume=36&rft.issue=4&rft.spage=579&rft.epage=596&rft_id=info:doi/10.1080%2F0268117X.2020.1792337&rft.externalDocID=1792337
thumbnail_l http://covers-cdn.summon.serialssolutions.com/index.aspx?isbn=/lc.gif&issn=0268-117X&client=summon
thumbnail_m http://covers-cdn.summon.serialssolutions.com/index.aspx?isbn=/mc.gif&issn=0268-117X&client=summon
thumbnail_s http://covers-cdn.summon.serialssolutions.com/index.aspx?isbn=/sc.gif&issn=0268-117X&client=summon