Religious Studies Brownbag: Karen Britland, “Women’s piety and coded writing: the case of Anne Halkett (c. 1623-1699)”

Anne Halkett (née Murray) was a royalist agent during the British civil wars (1642–60), notably aiding Prince James’s escape to France. In her memoir, she used secret writing techniques—drawing on Catholic equivocation and verbal obfuscation—to depict her political actions. Her narrative trains readers to read between the lines, revealing how her religious beliefs shaped both her covert work and literary self-presentation.