Anglo‐Spanish Enlightenment: Joseph Shepherd, an English ‘ilustrado' in Valladolid

Abstract

This article studies Joseph Shepherd and his role in Anglo‐Spanish cultural exchange in the last decades of the eighteenth century, at the dawn of Anglophilia in Spain. Though largely unknown, this Catholic recusant, established in Spain as rector of the Royal English College of St Alban in order to continue the training of English priests, became instrumental in creating cultural bonds between Britain and Spain. His profile as a bibliophile, and his strong interest in the latest literary, philosophical and scientific publications in Britain, Spain and the rest of Europe, connected him influentially with the most relevant figures of the Spanish Enlightenment.