Discover how invisible ink, codes, and women shaped early modern espionage.

Paul Bavill is joined by historians Nadine Akkerman and Pete Langman, co-authors of Spycraft: Tricks and Tools of the Dangerous Trade from Elizabeth I to the Restoration, to expose the myths and realities of Tudor and Stuart espionage. In partnership with the Gloucester History Festival, they explore the hidden world of spies, secret codes, and the overlooked women who shaped Britain’s first intelligence wars.

Breaking the Myth:

Spying wasn’t a men-only game. Nadine and Pete challenge the enduring assumption that espionage in this period was dominated by Walsingham and Cecil, revealing the crucial roles played by women—often underestimated, unseen, and therefore the perfect agents.

The Tricks of the Trade:

Listeners are taken deep into the techniques of early modern spycraft. From invisible inks and counterfeit seals to origami-like folded letters and even messages swallowed in wax balls, the sophistication of Tudor and Stuart espionage is laid bare.

Plots and Intrigue:

From the Babington Plot and the downfall of Mary Queen of Scots to the near-success of the Gunpowder Plot, Nadine and Pete uncover how these intelligence networks worked—and how luck, deception, and paranoia often decided the fate of monarchs.

Forgotten Figures:

Far beyond the famous “spymasters,” we meet Arthur Gregory, an inventive genius who poisoned himself in pursuit of better forgery methods, and Lady Carlisle, a double agent whose true loyalties remain mysterious. These overlooked individuals demonstrate the real breadth of Britain’s first intelligence wars.

This episode reveals espionage not as a primitive sideline to Tudor politics, but as a dangerous, ingenious, and often deadly world—where women played a far greater role than history usually admits.

Guest Information:

Catch Nadine Akkerman and Pete Langman at the Gloucester History Festival on Wednesday, 17th September at 8:00 pm. Tickets are available at 👉 https://www.gloucesterhistoryfestival.co.uk/events/spycraft/

Buy their book Spycraft: Tricks and Tools of the Dangerous Trade from Elizabeth I to the Restoration: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/10120/9780300267549

Follow Nadine on X (Twitter): @misswalsingham

Follow Pete on X (Twitter): @elegantfowl

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