Gilbert Gifford facts for kids

Gilbert Gifford (born around November 1560 – died November 1590) was a double agent. This means he secretly worked for two different sides at the same time. He helped Sir Francis Walsingham, who was in charge of Queen Elizabeth I's security. Gifford played a key part in uncovering the Babington Plot, a plan to remove the Queen from power. Before he died in Paris, he became a Catholic priest in Rheims. It's still not fully clear who he was truly loyal to: Queen Elizabeth I or Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Catholic cause.

Gilbert Gifford's Early Life

Gilbert Gifford was born in Staffordshire, England, in 1560. His father, John Giffard, was a wealthy Catholic landowner and a former Member of Parliament. In 1577, Gilbert joined Cardinal Allen's English College in Douai, France. He hoped to become a missionary priest.

Two years later, he moved to the English College in Rome. He was later asked to leave this college. However, Cardinal Allen gave him another chance. In 1582, Gifford returned to Allen's college, which had moved to Rheims. He left again, went back to England, then to France, and finally to Rome. In October 1583, he returned to Rheims. Despite some doubts, Allen let him back into the college. Gifford became a deacon, a step towards becoming a priest, in 1585.

Becoming a Double Agent

Around this time, Gifford became friends with John Savage. Savage was a student and former soldier. He was involved in a plot to harm Queen Elizabeth and put Mary, Queen of Scots, on the throne. According to Savage's own statement, he agreed to this plot in front of Gilbert Gifford, Gilbert's cousin William Gifford, and a close friend named Christopher Hodgson.

In October 1585, Gifford left Rheims again and went to Paris. There, he met Thomas Morgan, who worked for Mary, Queen of Scots. He also met Charles Paget, another person involved in the plot against the Queen. In December, Gifford traveled to the port of Rye in southern England. He was arrested there and taken to London for questioning. He was questioned by Sir Francis Walsingham, who was the head of the Queen's security.

During his questioning, or perhaps even before, Gifford agreed to become a double agent. Walsingham gave him the secret code name "No. 4." Gifford also used several other fake names, such as Colerdin, Pietro, Cornelys, and Nicolas Cornelius. He visited Mary, Queen of Scots, while she was held prisoner at Chartley in Staffordshire. He quickly earned her trust. He took on the job of secretly sending encrypted letters to and from her. He hid these letters in beer barrels. Some of the letters used a secret code that had been used before by Michel de Castelnau. These letters were secretly given to Walsingham and decoded. This led to the arrest and execution of Anthony Babington and the other people involved in the plot. It also led to the execution of Queen Mary.

Gifford's Escape to France

Gilbert Gifford knew that the Babington Plot was going to fail. So, he left for France without Walsingham's permission. In a letter from August 2, 1586, Walsingham wrote that he was "sorry" Gifford was gone and wondered why he had left. Gifford became a priest in Rheims in March 1587. Even though he was a Catholic, Gifford was against both the Jesuits and a planned invasion of England by Spain.

He was first put in the Bishop's prison. His captors thought about sending him back to Walsingham. Eventually, he was moved to the Bastille prison to wait for a trial. Records of his questioning show that he tried to blame Morgan and Paget for working as double agents. In August 1589, he went before the court. He was sentenced to twenty years in prison for acting against the Catholic Church. At that time, Paris was controlled by the Catholic League. This group had risen up against the French King.

While in prison, Gifford's health got worse. In March 1590, the Catholic League's army was defeated at the Battle of Ivry. The King then marched towards Paris, planning to starve the city into giving up. The siege lasted until August and caused a famine. Gifford died a few months later, in November 1590.

Was Gifford Loyal?

Everyone agrees that Gilbert Gifford was a double agent. However, people often think he was more loyal to Walsingham and Queen Elizabeth than to Mary, Queen of Scots. This idea doesn't quite fit with some facts. For example, he was a Catholic, he fled England when the Babington Plot was stopped, and Walsingham was unhappy about him leaving.

The English ambassador in Paris, Sir Edward Stafford, looked through Gifford's papers after he was arrested in 1587. Stafford concluded that Gifford "had showed himself to be the most notable double, treble villain that ever lived." One historian has even suggested that Gifford was actually working to help the plot against Queen Elizabeth.