Priest-holes and other hiding-places add a spice of mystery and excitement to many a novel. They have a secure, if vague place in the mythology of the English country house, somewhere between the ancestral ghost and the bed that Queen Elizabeth may have slept in. They are listed by estate agents as features of eminently desirable residences, along with the stables and the swimming pool. Some are on show to the public in houses opened by the National Trust or other owners: King Charles II's hide at Boscobel has been a tourist attraction for 300 years! In this solidly documented work of research, Michael Hodgetts traces both their history and their geography, incorporating much recent investigation of architectural and recusant history and throwing a vivid light on Tudor and Stuart politics and religion. He describes the amazing skill of Nicholas Owen, the legendary Oxford carpenter who laboured for seventeen years to build hides for fugitive priests, and who died under torture, faithful to their secrets. Secret Hiding Places contains material which a novelist might well envy—hidden chests of gold, secret messages in orange juice, hairbreadth escapes and man-hunts in settings that range from Kent to Durham and the cliffs of North Wales. When first published in 1989 it was the first full-length account of the subject for more than fifty years, and the first ever to write the history of the subject, rather than merely listing houses and their hides. Out of print since the 1990s, this thoroughly-researched, entertaining book was a distinctive contribution to historical research and is the definitive treatment of an unusual and fascinating topic.