St John's College, Cambridge conference in September on William Cecil, Lord Burghley

 This conference marks the 500th anniversary of William Cecil, Lord Burghley's birth, presenting new research on his life and activities.

About this event

2020 /1 marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of William Cecil (Lord Burghley from 1572), one of the most important statesmen and patrons of the Elizabethan age. Burghley was described by the Spanish ambassador as ‘the man who does everything’. Indeed his reach extended far beyond the world of the court to encompass the counties of England and the City of London, where he connected into expanding circles of trade and economic activity that spanned across the known world. At home, he became the leading architectural patron of the time, using his houses to exercise and reflect the magnificence of the state as well as his own dynastic ambitions. The scope of his interests was remarkable.

Events commemorating Cecil’s birth includes this major three-day conference at St John’s College in Cambridge, 20-22 September 2021, directed by Professor Susan Doran (University of Oxford) and Professor Norman Jones (Utah State University). The conference will focus on exploring the breadth and significance of Cecil’s activities as well as gathering together new research into Cecil and his world, presented through papers and roundtable discussion sessions with the aim of promoting and galvanizing future directions of study.

The conference will be preceded by six recorded talks by distinguished scholars, establishing the field of study as it currently stands and highlighting key areas of Burghley's life and activities.

Draft programme

Pre-conference recorded talks and live Q&As, to be accessed via the Lord Burghley 500 website using individually issued login details to be sent a week before the lectures launch.

From 30 August:

Susan Doran, Burghley and the Queen

Norman Jones, Burghley and his Religion

Live Q&A Wednesday 1 September, 17.30-18.30

From 3 September:

Stephen Alford, Burghley and Intelligence

Gemma Allen, Burghley and the Cecil women

Live Q&A: Thursday 9 September, 17.30-18.30

From 10 September:

Jill Husselby, Burghley and architecture

Karen Hearn and Helen Hackett, Elizabeth at 60

Live Q&A: Thursday 16 September 17.30-18.30

Draft conference programme, St John’s College Cambridge and online

Monday 20 September

11.00 Conference welcome from the Marquess of Salisbury and introduction from the conference directors, Professor Susan Doran and Professor Norman Jones

11.30 – 12.30 Session 1: Cecil’s Early Career

Alan Bryson - William Cecil and the Lady Elizabeth

Emily Chambers - William Cecil and Elite Female Evangelical Scholarly Patronage Networks, 1536-1553

12.30 – 13.30 Lunch

13.30 – 15.00 Session 2: Burghley, the Privy Council and Queen.

David J. Crankshaw - ‘Burghley, the Queen and the Privy Council: The Dynamics of Policy Formation and Decision-Making in Elizabethan England’

Rosie Cousins - Lord Burghley’s role in the disgrace of Secretary Davison (Title tbc)

Neil Younger - Vipers or singing birds? Assessing the collegiality of Elizabeth’s ministers.

15.00 – 15.30 Break

15.30 – 17.00 Session 3: Political Networks and Governance

Matthew Clark - William Cecil and the Elizabethan militia: case studies in communication and state formation in early modern England

Fergal Leonard - Burghley and the Borders: William Cecil and the Governance of the Anglo-Scottish Marches.

Simon Healy – Lord Treasurer Burghley and his chief critics (fiscal policy)

17.15 – 17.45 Session 4: Globalism

Matthew Dimmock – Did Burghley have a global perspective?

18.00 – 19.00 Roundtable discussion, Burghley, the Court and Politics, sponsored by the Society for Court Studies. Chair: Susan Doran

Tuesday 21 September

9.00 – 11.00 Session 5: Political Thought

Glyn Parry - Lord Burghley the Alchemist

Anthony Maggs - Constructing William Cecil’s Political Creed

Cathy Shrank - “The counsel of such grave and discrete men”: William Cecil and political dialogue

Ferenc Hörcher – Reason of State and Prudence: Lord Burghley, as an example of early modern realist political thought

11.00 – 11.30 Break

11.30 – 12.30: Session 6: Universities and Inns of Court

Alan Ford - Lord Burghley and the Irish University Problem

Eva Griffith – Gray’s Inn admissions: William Cecil and Thomas Seckford as associates from Law School

12.30– 13.30 Lunch

13.30 – 15.00 Session 7: Burghley and Friendships

Cathryn Enis – ‘The worst peace is better than the best war’: Lord Burghley and Henry Goodere

Deborah Spring – ‘Your Ladyship’s lovinge brother in law’. William Cecil and Anne Cooke Bacon.

Daniel Starza Smith, on behalf of the commentary editors of the Letters of John Donne (OUP, in progress): Dennis Flynn, Donald R. Dickson, Anne James, Margaret Maurer, and Jeanne Shami - A Respectable Front: Burghley and Sir Thomas Egerton

15.00 – 15.30 Break

15.30– 16.30 Session 8: Diplomacy

Heather McTaggart - Cecil in the Middle: The Spanish Ambassadors' Perceptions of Cecil in England.

Jade Scott - The Intelligence Networks of Lord Burghley and the Correspondence of Lady Anne Percy, Countess of Northumberland (1536-91)

16.45 – 17.45 Session 9: Politics and Religion

Alexandra Gajda - The political theology of Sir William Cecil

Susan M. Cogan – Cecil and management of Catholics (Title tbc)18.00 – 19.00

18.00 - 19.00 Roundtable discussion: Burghley’s Networks. Chair: Norman Jones

Wednesday 22 September

9.00 – 10.30 Session 10: Burghley and the Nobility

Margaret Scard – Elizabeth, Burghley and different approaches to enlarging the nobility

Janet Dickinson - Burghley and the younger generation

Andrew Thrush - The ennoblement of William Cecil in February 1571 and the role of Parliament in peerage creations under Elizabeth

10.30 – 11.00 Break

11.00 – 12.30 Session 11: Burghley and image-making

Abigail Gomulkiewicz - William Cecil, and his world through the lens of dress

Lyndan Warner - William Cecil and Kinship Riddles: an exploration of visual sources of family relationship puzzles

12.30 – 13.30 Lunch

13.30 – 15.30 Session 12: Burghley and his Houses

Emily Cole - A House Fit for the Queen: The Plan and Interiors of Theobalds, Hertfordshire

Manolo Guerci - The Cecils in the Strand: 1559-1690

Susie West - The Cecils and Early Modern Rooms for Books

Paula Henderson – ‘His greatest greatness and only happiness’: Lord Burghley and his gardens

15.30 – 16.00 Break

16.00 – 17.30 Session 13: Reputation

Miroslav Beneš - The Second Life of William Cecil

Natalie Mears - The public memory of Lord Burghley

Rory Rapple - Burghley’s role in the administration of Ireland

17.30 – 18.30 Roundtable: ‘Old Burghley, New Burghley – where next?’ Chair: Paulina Kewes

(Pasted from Twitter)