Cromwell's Spy - by Dennis Sewell (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The remarkable story of George Downing--savvy soldier, politician, diplomat, spy, and one of the most scandalous figures of his era.

Judged by contemporaries to be a "perfidious rogue," Sir George Downing rose to prominence during the English Civil War as Oliver Cromwell's chief of military intelligence. In the Interregnum he proved himself a double-dealer who bribed and blackmailed his way to diplomatic success across Europe (pioneering the practice of judicial kidnapping and starting two major wars in the process), before spectacularly betraying his friends to horrifically violent deaths by defecting to Charles II's court.

Always at the centre of events, Downing engaged with the most illustrious men and women of his times: Samuel Pepys was his clerk; John Milton prepared his letters and dispatches; William of Orange was godfather to his son; his next-door neighbour was Queen Elizabeth of Bohemia; and when Downing finally built his street, his surveyor was Sir Christopher Wren.

Cromwell's Spy tells George Downing's story for the very first time, following him from the asceticism of Puritan New England, across English battlefields, through courts, chancelleries and parliaments, to the heart of wealth and power in Restoration London.

Review Quotes

"Sewell is extremely acute himself in emphasizing how Downing's provisional loyalties emerged in the very particular socio-political circumstances of mid-17th-century England."--Marcus Nevitt "The Spectator"

"What we get from this well-researched book is a fascinating insight into one of the most violent and troubled eras of Britain's past and a survival manual for how to get by without losing your head."--Kathryn Hughes "The Mail on Sunday"

"Sewell follows Sir George Downing from being in the first class to graduate Harvard to rising through the British aristocracy--working for Oliver Cromwell as a spy, and then in the same capacity for Charles II after the Restoration. Downing's trade was torture, bribery, and thuggery, including a kidnapping the author suggests was the first recorded case of extraordinary rendition. Readers are given a flavor of the mayhem, when reminded that under Cromwell, 'Aston, commander of the Royalist troops, was beaten to death with his own wooden leg.' A capable history of a sketchy rogue."-- "Kirkus Reviews"

Praise for Dennis Sewell

"Sewell scores well in his command of history, better in his turn of phrase, and best of all in his delightful vignettes."-- "The Independent"

"Richly entertaining. Excellent."-- "A.N. Wilson, Literary Review"

About the Author

Dennis Sewell is a writer, broadcaster and a contributing editor of the Spectator. He spent twenty-two years on the staff of BBC News, where he worked as a reporter for Newsnight. His previous books include Catholics and The Political Gene.