Historical Background to the book

"Charcoal Boy" By Mary Rosambeau

In Tudor times life became dangerous when King Henry the Eighth broke ties with the Catholic Church because the Pope objected to his divorce from Queen Kathrine of Aragon.

About the same time Protestants, people who wanted to sweep away many of the Catholic Church’s practices, rose up all over Europe leading to religious persecution at home and war abroad. On Henry’s death his son Edward a protestant, reigned for seven years followed by his stepsister Mary, such a fanatical Catholic, who persecuted anyone who was not a catholic to such an extent that she has been nicknamed Bloody Mary.

Queen Elizabeth who came to the throne after Mary’s death wisely issued a series of orders which calmed some of this unrest. Services were to be conducted in English, not Latin. The new English translation of the Bible was to be read. Any Images associated with old superstitions were to be removed from church walls. Attendance at church was mandatory and absence incurred a fine.

On the surface life settled down but plotters were still fired with religious unrest. Catholic, Mary Queen of Scots, Queen Elizabeth’s cousin, was seen as a potential replacement Queen were Elizabeth to die without an heir. Mary Queen of Scots returning to Scotland after the premature death of her French husband had married Lord Darnley and given birth to a son. When Darnley was murdered and it seemed that she may have been involved, the scandal forced her to flee for help back to England.

Her presence was however was so politically embarrassing that it was decided she must remain inside Chartley Castle under guard. Despite this, catholic plotters still saw her as the rightful queen of England were Queen Elizabeth to die. A plot was formulated to try and make this happen. The chief conspirators in this plot were Anthony Babington and John Ballard. Babington who had once served as a page to Mary at Fotheringhay Castle Babington, a young recusant, was recruited by Ballard, a Jesuit priest who hoped to rescue the Scottish queen. Longing to help her to the throne, he drew a group of young man around him and at one point foolishly ordered a portrait to be painted of the group which unfortunately eventually identified them all. Working for Walsingham were double agents Robert Poley and Gilbert Gifford, as well as Thomas Phelippes, a spy agent and cryptanalyst, and the Puritan spy Maliverey Catilyn. The turbulent Catholic deacon Gifford had been in Walsingham's service since the end of 1585 or the beginning of 1586. Gifford obtained a letter of introduction to Queen Mary from a confidant and spy for her, Thomas Morgan. Walsingham then placed double agent Gifford and spy decipherer Phelippes inside Chartley Castle, where Queen Mary was imprisoned. Gifford organised the Walsingham plan to place Babington's and Queen Mary's encrypted communications into a beer barrel cork which were then intercepted by Phelippes, decoded and sent to Walsingham. The Babington Plot (1586) ultimately resulted in not just the execution of Anthony Babington and his conspirators, but also Mary, Queen of Scots, a hugely significant event since it involved the execution of a monarch. The plot also resulted in an increase in action by Elizabeth against Catholics. Hundreds were arrested, with dozens of Catholic priests executed.