Elizabethan Secret Agent

BY TIMOTHY ASHBY SCOTLAND STREET PRESS £24.99 ★★★★

Every family has an urban legend of a famous or influential historical figure in their lineage (if my grandmother is to be believed, we are ‘related’ to Alexander the Great) but not all of us are lucky enough to not only have record of them but have access to enough history to write 311 pages about it.

Timothy Ashby has drafted an engrossing account of his ancestor, William Ashby, mapping the heightened tensions between Scotland and England during the 16th century, each country’s individual and combined relationships with France and Spain, and the political figures making moves in the light and shadow.

Ashby’s story reads like a spy novel, full of personal and political tension and almost unbelievable details that wouldn’t be out of place if it were told on the big screen.