26/09/2023

A Cipher used between Marchioness of Ormonde and Edward Nicholas (1649)

Kilkenny Castle's website presents an image of a letter partially in cipher from Elizabeth Butler, Marchioness of Ormonde, (Wikipedia) to Edward Nicholas, dated 20 June 1649 (from Egerton MS 2533). At this time, Elizabeth was in Caen, France, while the Marquess of Ormonde was fighting in Ireland for the royalist cause.
The interlined decipherment allows reconstruction of the cipher.
The following is transcription of the ciphertext aligned with the plaintext.

42 36 27 4 21 18 29 366 9 89 264 5 470 452  523  483   4 328  80    37 18
o  b  j  e c  t  i  on  s be in  g the same with those I made again s  t

262 95     551  306    22 12 28 30 525   493             471   44 13 31 320 477
it  before your letter c  a  m  e  which Colonel Traford to    u  l  d  me  that

167        230 76     31 476  32 217 268 471 477  12 21 34 31 30 321 89 194  30 67  36 18 10 30 32
Lord Digby had advise d  thei r  go  ing to  that A  c  a  d  e  my  be for  e  any o  t  h  e  r

90  470 264      12 320 15 18 261 348 550 217 15 438 14 34 32 90
But the arrange? ?  me  n  t  is  not yet go  n  soe f  a  r  but

477  4 453   194  12 520 471 364    523  368 218 268 67  398
that I shall find a  way to  oppose with out giv ing any offense

364     14 46 40 22 57 6 75 130 512
(oppose f  *  *  c  *  *  *  *  *)

(objections being the same with those I made against it before your letter came which Colonel Traford tould me that Lord Digby had advised their going to that Academy before any other But the arrangement is not yet gon soe farre but that I shall find a way to oppose with out giving any offense)

The cipher is like many other royalist ciphers at the time, but this particular cipher is new to me. It is yet to be seen whether the cipher used in a letter from Nicholas to Ormonde, dated 28 October 1648 (see "King Charles I's Ciphers") is the same as this.




Correction: Upon closer look, "oppose" is not in the manuscript. 364=of. So, the last part may read: 398(par...?) 364(of) 14(f) 46(e) 40(n) 22(c) 57(e)

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