Maritime Networks: Priests, Mariners, and Their Landing Places in Elizabethan and Early Stuart England

Abstract

This article seeks to present post-Reformation priestly missions in England as a practice rooted in a maritime structure of seaports, sea routes, and mariners. While historiography has traced the networks that brought priests to England in the second half of the sixteenth century, it has not focused exclusively on their maritime dimension. As a result, the role of sea conveyors in assisting travelling priests has been largely overlooked, leaving an incomplete picture. By examining landing sites, methods of conveyance, and the mariners involved, this article aims to address that gap. It also offers additional analysis to support the conclusions of scholars such as John Bossy, Alan Dures, and Michael Williams.