The King’s Smuggler by John Fox (The History Press, £20) (From The Northern Echo)

The King’s Smuggler by John Fox (The History Press, £20)

12:03pm Saturday 20th February 2010 in

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THE political intrigues, sectarian hatreds and bloodshed of the Stuart period in England, especially during the Civil War, are vividly portrayed in this book.

Its central character is a feisty redheaded woman, whose face had been disfigured by smallpox. Her loyalty to King Charles I was unwavering, and she repeatedly involved herself in plots to save him from the executioner’s block. Jane Whorwood (1612-1684) had a German-born Scottish father, and worked for the Palace of Whitehall.

During the Civil War, King Charles fled from London to Oxford and ultimately ended up imprisoned on the Isle of Wight. During these years, Jane acted as his intelligence agent and, it seems, also briefly consoled him in bed.

Although this book contains too much complex genealogical and other detail, it will provide a fascinating read for devotees of British social and political history.

Anthony Looch