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Tudor Letter Networks:
The Case for Quantitative
Network Analysis
Ruth Ahnert, School of English and Drama,
Queen Mary, University of London
Sebastian Ahnert, Department of Physics,
University of Cambridge
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Sources
• Manuscript letters in British Library and
Emmanuel College Library
• Printed letters in John Foxe’s ‘Book of
Martyrs’ (1563) and Henry Bull’s ‘Letters
of the Martyrs’ (1564)
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Metadata
• From and to
• Date
• Location of both parties
• Commendations and reported contacts
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1: letter link (sender and recipient) A ➔ B
2: requested link (commendation: sender and
person to whom commended) A ➔ C
3: implied link (letter recipient to the
commendee) B ➔ C
4: reported link (I talked to X; or X talked to Y)
5: messenger link A ➔ messenger ➔ B
6: link to places (locations of sender, recipients
and any commendees if known)
7: spousal links
8: sibling links
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“Betweenness”: For any two nodes in
a network, there is a shortest path.
Betweenness tells us how many times
shortest paths go through a given
node. It tells us how central they are to
the network’s organisation or, more
simply put, how important they are in
connecting other people.
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Social betweenness, top 20:
1. John Bradford 11. George Marsh
2. John Careless 12.
3. John Hooper 13.
4. John Philpot 14.
5. Laurence Saunders 15.
6. Nicholas Ridley 16. Rowland Taylor
7. Robert Smith 17.
8. William Tyms 18. Thomas Hawkes
9. Bartlett Green 19. Robert Glover
10. 20. Thomas Whittle
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Social betweenness, top 20:
1. John Bradford 11. George Marsh
2. John Careless 12.
3. John Hooper 13.
4. John Philpot 14.
5. Laurence Saunders 15. Henry Hart
6. Nicholas Ridley 16. Rowland Taylor
7. Robert Smith 17.
8. William Tyms 18. Thomas Hawkes
9. Bartlett Green 19. Robert Glover
10. 20. Thomas Whittle
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Social betweenness, top 20:
1. John Bradford 11. George Marsh
2. John Careless 12. Barthram Calthorpe
3. John Hooper 13. Boyer
4. John Philpot 14.
5. Laurence Saunders 15. Henry Hart
6. Nicholas Ridley 16. Rowland Taylor
7. Robert Smith 17.
8. William Tyms 18. Thomas Hawkes
9. Bartlett Green 19. Robert Glover
10. Anne Smith 20. Thomas Whittle
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From Bartlett Green to Calthorpe, Boyer and others
Maister Fletewode, I besech you remember wittrance and Cooke,
two singular men amongest cōmō prysoners. Maister Fernham &
maister Bel wt M. Hussey (as I hope) wil dispatche Palmer &
Richardson with his companions. I pray you M. Calthorp think on
Iohn Groue, an honeste poore man, Traiford, and Rice Aprice his
accomplices. My Cosin Thomas Wittō (a scriuener in
Lōberdstrete) hathe promised to further theyr deliuery: at the least
he can instructe you which way to work. I doubt not but þt maister
Boyer wil labor for the good wife Cooper (for she is worthy to be
holpen) & Berard þe French man.There be also diuers other well
disposed men, whose deliuerance if ye wil not labor for: yet I
hūbly besech you to seke theyr reliefe as you shal se cause,
namely of Henrye Aprice, Launose Lot, Hobbes, Lother, Homes,
Carre, & Bockingham, a yong man of goodly gifts in wit & lerning,
& (sauing þt he is somwhat wild) likely to do well hereafter. There
be also two women, Coningham, & Alice Alexander that may
proue honest. For these & all other poore prisoners here I make
this my hūble suit & praier to you al my masters & especial good
frends,
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Social betweenness, top 20:
1. John Bradford 11. George Marsh
2. John Careless 12. Barthram Calthorpe
3. John Hooper 13. Boyer
4. John Philpot 14. Augustine Bernher
5. Laurence Saunders 15. Henry Hart
6. Nicholas Ridley 16. Rowland Taylor
7. Robert Smith 17.
8. William Tyms 18. Thomas Hawkes
9. Bartlett Green 19. Robert Glover
10. Anne Smith 20. Thomas Whittle
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Letter betweenness, top 20:
1. John Bradford 11. Lawrence Saunders
2. John Careless 12. Rowland Taylor
3. John Hooper 13. John Jackson
4. John Philpot 14. Thomas Whittle
5. Nicholas Ridley 15. Nicholas Sheterden
6. Bartlett Green 16. Richard Gibson
7. Henry Hart 17. John Tudson
8. James Bradshaw 18. Augustine Bernher
9. George Marsh 19. Thomas Cranmer
10. William Tyms 20. Stephen Gratwick
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Social eigenvector centrality top 20:
1. Bradford 11. Cranmer
2. Careless 12 Latimer
3. Hooper 13. William Punt
4. Philpot 14. Taylor
5. Ridley 15. Joan Wilkinson
6. Margery Cooke 16. Ferrar
7. Saunders 17. Robert Harrington
8. Bernher 18. Anne Warcup
9. Joyce Hales 19. Lucy Harrington
10. William Tyms 20. Robert Cole
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Letter eigenvector centrality top 20:
1. Bradford 11. Bernher
2. Philpot 12. Margery Cooke
3. Ridley 13. Robert Harrington
4. Hooper 14. Rowland Taylor
5. Careless 15. Robert Ferrar
6. Saunders 16. Catherine Hall
7. Cranmer 17. Joyce Hales
8. Latimer 18. John Jackson
9. Joan Wilkinson 19. Elizabeth Fane
10. William Punt 20. Anne Warcup
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No content
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Predictions
5 thresholds (high/low):
• Social betweenness
• Social eigenvector centrality
• Letter degree (no. different
senders/recipients)
• Letter strength (total no. letters
sent/received)
• Non-letter social degree
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Categories
• 3 levels of ‘leaders’
• 3 levels of ‘network sustainers’
• Peripheral figures
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• Gale Document Number: MC4304000180
• Copyright: Crown copyright
• Language: English
• Document Ref.: SP 11/4 f.68
• Author: Edward Courtenay, Earl of Devon
• Reign: Philip and Mary I
• Entry Number: 168
• Date: May 8 1555
• Recipient: James Bassett
• Page Number: 93
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King Edward VI
• Total degree: 14 (4th in ranking)
• In-degree: 3 (8)
• Out-degree: 11 (1)
• Total strength: 17 (7)
• In-strength: 3 (12)
• Out-strength: 14 (5)
• Betweenness: 0.0144041041831 (3)
• Eigenvector centrality: 0.354717377408 (3)
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Edward Seymour, Duke
of Somerset,
Lord Protector
Total degree: 35 (2)
In-degree: 24 (2)
Out-degree: 11 (1)
Total strength: 54 (3)
In-strength: 35 (2)
Out-strength: 19 (2)
Betweenness:
0.0419828789995 (1)
Eigenvector centrality:
0.395479405406 (1)
John Dudley, Duke of
Northumberland
Total degree: 14 (4)
In-degree: 4 (7)
Out-degree: 10 (3)
Total strength: 80 (2)
In-strength: 4 (9)
Out-strength: 76 (1)
Betweenness:
0.00867686641167 (4)
Eigenvector centrality:
0.389934512597 (2)
Thomas Seymour, Baron
Seymour of Sudeley
Total degree: 16 (3)
In-degree: 7 (4)
Out-degree: 9 (4)
Total strength: 27 (4)
In-strength: 11 (4)
Out-strength: 16 (4)
Betweenness:
0.0145811830895 (2)
Eigenvector centrality:
0.141690415182 (11)
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William Cecil, later Lord Burghley
• Total degree: 89 (1)
• In-degree: 88 (1)
• Out-degree: 1 (23)
• Total strength: 235 (1)
• In-strength: 234 (1)
• Out-strength: 1 (51)
• Betweenness: 0.00388561714529 (8)
• Eigenvector centrality: 0.0 (45)
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1. Edward Seymour, Duke of
Somerset, Lord Protector
2. Thomas Seymour, Baron
Seymour of Sudeley
3. King Edward VI
4. John Dudley, Duke of
Northumberland
5. Sir Thomas Smith
6. Cardinal Reginald Pole
7. William Paget
8. William Cecil
9. Princess Mary
10. William Herbert, Earl of
Pembroke
11. Nicholas Ridley
12. Richard Rich
13. Lady Jane Grey
14. William Parr, Marquess
of Northampton
15. John Russell, Earl of
Bedford
16. Henry Grey, Duke of
Suffolk
17. Sir William Petre
18. William May
19. Dr William Turner, Dean
of Wells
20. Sir Edward North
21. Sir William Woodhouse
Non-zero betweenness, Edward VI’s reign
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1. Edward Seymour
2. Thomas Seymour
3. King Edward VI
4. John Dudley
5. Sir Thomas Smith
6. Cardinal Reginald Pole
7. William Paget
8. William Cecil
9. Queen Mary I
10. William Herbert
11. Nicholas Ridley
12. Richard Rich
13. Lady Jane Grey
14. William Parr
15. John Russell
16. Henry Grey
17. Sir William Petre
18. William May
19. Dr William Turner
20. Sir Edward North
21. Sir William Woodhouse
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1. Edward Seymour
2. Thomas Seymour
3. King Edward VI
4. John Dudley
5. Sir Thomas Smith DOWN ➔ 23 (joint bottom - zero betweenness)
6. Cardinal Reginald Pole
7. William Paget DOWN ➔ 23 (joint bottom - zero betweenness)
8. William Cecil DOWN ➔ 19
9. Queen Mary I
10. William Herbert DOWN ➔ 23 (joint bottom - zero betweenness)
11. Nicholas Ridley
12. Richard Rich DOWN ➔ 23 (joint bottom - zero betweenness)
13. Lady Jane Grey
14. William Parr UNRANKED
15. John Russell DOWN ➔ 23 (joint bottom - zero betweenness)
16. Henry Grey
17. Sir William Petre
18. William May UNRANKED
19. Dr William Turner UNRANKED
20. Sir Edward North UNRANKED
21. Sir William Woodhouse DOWN ➔ 23 (joint bottom - zero betweenness)
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1. Edward Seymour
2. Thomas Seymour
3. King Edward VI
4. John Dudley
5. Sir Thomas Smith DOWN ➔ 23 (joint bottom - zero betweenness)
6. Cardinal Reginald Pole DOWN ➔ 21
7. William Paget DOWN ➔ 23 (joint bottom - zero betweenness)
8. William Cecil DOWN ➔ 19
9. Queen Mary I UP ➔ 3
10. William Herbert DOWN ➔ 23 (joint bottom - zero betweenness)
11. Nicholas Ridley
12. Richard Rich DOWN ➔ 23 (joint bottom - zero betweenness)
13. Lady Jane Grey
14. William Parr UNRANKED
15. John Russell DOWN ➔ 23 (joint bottom - zero betweenness)
16. Henry Grey
17. Sir William Petre UP ➔ 3
18. William May UNRANKED
19. Dr William Turner UNRANKED
20. Sir Edward North UNRANKED
21. Sir William Woodhouse DOWN ➔ 23 (joint bottom - zero betweenness)
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1. Queen Mary I
2. Edward Courtenay, Earl of
Devon
3. Sir William Petre
4. Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of
Winchester, Lord chancellor
5. William Howard, Baron
Howard of Effingham
6. King Philip II of Spain
7. Sir Thomas Denys, sheriff of
Devon
8. Sir John Mason
9. Sir Francis Englefyld
10. Anthony Browne, Viscount
Montagu
11. Sir Philip Hoby
12. Sir Thomas Cheyne
13. George Brooke, Baron
Cobham
14. William Paulet, Marquess
of Winchester
15. Sir Robert Southwell
16. Edward, Lord Hastings of
Loughborough
17. Sir Henry Jerningham
18. Sir John St Leger
19. William Cecil, Lord
Burghley
20. Sir Gawain Carew
21. Cardinal Reginald Pole,
Archbishop of Canterbury
22. Henry Neville, Lord
Abergavenny
Non-zero betweenness, Mary I’s reign
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1. Queen Elizabeth I
2. Sir Francis Walsingham
3. William Cecil, Lord
Burghley
4. Robert Dudley, Earl of
Leicester
5. Sir Francis Knollys
6. Richard Cox, Bishop of
Ely
7. Daniel Hechstetter
8. William Herle
9. John Johnson
10. William Paulet, Marquess
of Winchester
11. Sir Henry Sydney (Lord
President of Wales)
12. Gilbert Berkeley Bishop of
Bath and Wells
13. Sir John Hawkins
14. Lord Henry Howard
15. Thomas Thurland
16. Thomas Howard, Duke of
Norfolk
17. Sir Nicholas Bacon
18. Henry Parker, Baron Morley
19. Cornelius de Alneto
20. James Blount, Baron
Mountjoy
Eigenvector centrality, Elizabeth I’s reign