Most of us know something about the Tudor period (1485-1603), thanks to Henry VIII’s escapades and Elizabeth I’s policies. And, I would hazard a guess that most of my readers will know something of the Georgian era (1714-c.1830), thanks to Jane Austen’s brilliant regency novels. But there’s a sliver of history between those periods known as the Restoration (1660-1700) which is so full of drama and intrigue and I would like to bring you along on a journey of discovery into that era because it was such an important moment for Catholics in England.

My reason for this foray? Dear reader, I have a secret to share….For the past 20 years, I have been tinkering away at a novel (as any self-respecting English major probably does). The germ of an idea came while reading some historical notes wherein was the curious fact that during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII, some ecclesiastical treasures went missing and have never been accounted for. I began to ponder their disappearance and to wonder where they had gone and who might have them. My musings led to the idea of a company of Catholic gentlemen entrusted with these treasures by a soon-to-be imprisoned abbot of the great monastery at Glastonbury. One thing led to another and before I knew it, a group of friends calling themselves “The Company of the White Stag” was born.

But generations passed, monarchs came and went, politics shifted, and conspiracies wiggled their way into English imaginations. The Company, which for over a hundred years, had managed to stay secretive, now finds itself at the heart of one of the most notoriously heinous so-called Catholic conspiracies in history: the Titus Oates or Popish Plot.

After 20 years of tinkering with this story and writing and rewriting endless drafts of it, I’ve finally determined to finish the thing (for better or worse). My novel is currently being edited with a view to publication and, in the mean time, I thought I’d use this space to share tid-bits I’ve learned over the years about the era, the real-life characters, the Titus Oates plot, and some excerpts from my novel to whet your appetites.

Your feedback would be appreciated and, when the book is finally ready to be read in its entirety, I hope you will get a copy of your own and share the story in your own circles. It’s a time which has received little consideration from Catholic (fiction) authors, as far as I can tell (except the incomparable Robert Hugh Benson in Oddsfish!), and I think it’s time that fact was remedied! So, stay tuned for upcoming posts on Catholicism and life in the 17th century, and kindly keep me in your prayers as I wrap up this project over the next few months.

Thank you for reading!