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s literacy increased in England, so did letter writing. Through various quirks of fate, many of these letters still exist, and those that have been collected and edited are a gold mine of information for those of us interested in learning about the past. Most people have heard of the Paston letters. The Verney letters are also well known. But the correspondence of Arthur Plantagenet, Viscount Lisle and Lord Deputy of Calais and his family is unique. It covers only seven years and it has been preserved because, in 1540, Lisle and his wife were arrested on suspicion of treason. All their papers, including their private correspondence, were seized. Over four hundred years later, The Lisle Letters was published in six volumes. This annotated collection takes the reader straight back into the past and provides a wealth of delicious detail.

The Lisles made great use of “tokens” (gifts verging on bribes) to win favor with those who had influence at court.

Their offerings, however, sometimes went astray.