The Strange Death of Edmund Godfrey
Author | : Alan Marshall |
Publisher | : The History Press |
Total Pages | : 188 |
Release | : 1999-11-18 |
ISBN-10 | : 9780752494746 |
ISBN-13 | : 0752494740 |
Rating | : 4/5 (46 Downloads) |
Download or read book The Strange Death of Edmund Godfrey written by Alan Marshall and published by The History Press. This book was released on 1999-11-18 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the evening of 17 October 1678 the body of Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey, a Westminster Justice of the Peace, was discovered in a ditch near Primrose Hill. He had been pierced with his own sword and apparently strangled. His death lead to a widespread popular hysteria about a "Popish Plot". Although a magistrate famous for his fierce rectitude, Godfrey was closely involved with the alternative healer and "stroker", Valentine Greatrakes and also played a part in many plots and and intrigues centred on the uninhibited court of Charles II and Restoration London. His death brought to a head a series of rumours about Catholic plots to kill Charles II and install his brother, James, Duke of York, on the throne. Identified as the victim of a Jesuit hit-man, Godfrey became overnight a Protestant martyr and cult figure.