This is the remarkable and harrowing story of one of the worst people in the world. Admittedly, there’s a long list of people who’ve chosen the Void rather than the Light, but Titus Oates stands out ...

Far from London, where the Popish Plot was still in the full fury of investigation, accusation, trials, and execution, two Catholic priests, John Wall and John Kemble, suffered and died in Wales.

The convulsions of 17th-century England are familiar: a civil war, a regicide and, eventually, a restoration of the monarchy. Not long after came another episode of agitation and unrest, less familiar ...