Adultery and politics in Jacobean London

Professor Thomas Cogswell
University of California, Riverside

Not far behind the proper facade of early Stuart London, tightly policed by church courts and zealous Calvinists, was a less regulated world in which extramarital sex was an open secret. Such relationships could have far-reaching consequences when political 'players' were involved. Drawing on newly discovered legal documents including depositions from dozens of eyewitnesses, distinguished historian Thomas Cogswell will illuminate the sexual passions, court intrigue, and legal manoeuvring of the last years of James I.

Admission free but booking is essential.