Deborah Swift's Blog, page 6

I’m delighted to highlight a new book in Tony Riches’ acclaimed Elizabethan Series.

“A thrilling portrait of a remarkable woman who witnessed the key events of Elizabethan England.”

Based on extensive research, original letters and records of the Elizabethan Court, this new account explores the life of Frances Walsingham, the only surviving child of Queen Elizabeth’s ‘spymaster’ Sir Francis Walsingham. Better educated than most men, her father arranges her marriage to warrior poet Sir Philip Sidney. After Philip is killed in battle, Frances becomes Countess of Essex, and is banished from court after her husband Sir Robert Devereaux’s rebellion against the queen. Can she marry for love, if it means turning her back on her faith and all she knows?
The story which began with the Tudor trilogy follows Frances, Countess of Essex and Clanricarde, from her first days at the Elizabethan Court to the end of the Tudor dynasty and the rise of the Stuarts.

 BUY THE BOOK
UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D1YQYL8G
US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D1YQYL8G
#Elizabethan #Tudors #HistoricalFiction

About Tony

Tony Riches is a full-time UK author of Tudor historical fiction. He lives with his wife in Pembrokeshire, West Wales and is a specialist in the lives of the early Tudors. As well as his new Elizabethan series, Tony’s historical fiction novels include the best-selling Tudor trilogy and his Brandon trilogy, (about Charles Brandon and his wives). For more information about Tony’s books please visit his website tonyriches.com and his blog, The Writing Desk and find him on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky and Twitter @tonyriches

The post New Release! Frances, Tudor Countess by Tony Riches @tonyriches #Elizabethan first appeared on Deborah Swift.

 

A thirst for education. Shattered dreams. Fragile relations. 1840s ScotlandBeing sent to school is the most exhilarating thing that’s ever happened to young Margaret Law. She sharpens her newly-acquired education on her best friend, Jessie Morison, till Jessie is spirited away to become a scullery maid. But how can Margaret fulfil her visions of becoming a schoolteacher when her parents’ tailoring and drapery business suddenly collapses and she must find a job?Salvation from domestic drudgery – or never-ending seamstress work – comes via Jessie whose employer seeks a tutor for his daughter. Free time exploring Edinburgh with Jessie is great fun, but increasing tension in the household claws at Margaret’s nerves.Margaret also worries about her parents’ estrangement, and the mystery of Jessie’s unknown father.When tragedy befalls the household in Edinburgh, Margaret must forge a new pathway for the future – though where will that be?ReviewIf you enjoy historical fiction set in Scotland and stories with working class backgrounds then you will enjoy this novel. Set in the mid-Victorian period, It is about a young woman’s battle to get herself an education and to move up in life.The novel begins when Margaret is a child and follows her from a small town to Edinburgh over the course of the novel. The cadence of the language and uniqueness of Scottish dialect is reflected in the writing.  I was impressed with the level of detail that the author used in her depiction of the locations, and by the finely-drawn relationship between Margaret and her young friend Jessie, who plays a part later in the book. I also enjoyed the fact that every generation was present, including the grandparents, and that these seemed to jump off the page like real people. Care is taken to explore the community’s relationship with the ‘Kirk’ and how religion plays a part in every day lives.Once she is at school, Margaret is desperate to learn as much as she can, and at one point vows she will learn ‘every single word in the world.’Nancy Jardine manages the protagonist’s transition into adulthood with aplomb. When Margaret arrives at the Duncan household as a tutor to the disabled daughter, Rachel, the reader senses the tensions in the household immediately, with the cold imperious welcome she receives from Mistress Duncan, and the discovery that all her correspondence will be read and that her duties are not just tutoring, but also housework.The relationship between Margaret and Rachel is a pivotal part of the book, and unearths secrets about Jessie that I shan’t reveal here!This is the first in a series of books, and Margaret is a character who is easy to love. Novice Threads will appeal to lovers of family sagas and Scottish history, and anyone who enjoys a slice of working class life.Find  Nancy Jardine here::WebsiteXFacebookThe post Novice Threads by Nancy Jardine #CoffeePotBookClub #Scotland #Victorian first appeared on Deborah Swift.

About The Skeleton Army

Why should the devil have all the best tunes?

Themes of inequality, forbidden love and personal responsibility weave through a fast-paced narrative in which the location plays a key part. Nation Cymru

The Salvation Army has come prancing and singing from the slums of London to the poorest quarters of Oxford, but along with its red hot gospel preaching and music hall songs it brings a prohibition message which sparks immediate opposition and violence.

An Army soldier – an ex-drunk – is brutally killed and a note suggests that the Salvation Army’s shadowy enemy, the Skeleton Army, is responsible.

With the police unwilling to come between the two forces, Non Vaughan, aspiring journalist and great hope of the Oxford women’s college movement, and Basil Rice, Jesus College fellow and union-sanctioned guardian of the dead man’s family, are compelled to investigate.

But as the threats from both sides escalate, resulting in a second death, Non and Basil realise that they must stop the fighting before it results in an outright war. For with the University’s annual commemoration week fast approaching, the entire city could be engulfed in fire and blood.

Members of the Salvation Army being pursued by the Skeleton Army with its distinctive skull and crossbones banner c. 1882

Review

This is the second book in this series of Oxford Mysteries featuring the independently-minded Non, and Basil, a fellow of Jesus College. I really enjoyed the first book A Bitter Remedy, and the second one is just as interesting. I say interesting because I love history and this book is thoroughly researched with a level of detail that truly immerses the reader in Victorian Oxford. I knew nothing about the Salvation Army’s beginnings, and the fact that it was so much more militant than it is now – I suppose the clue is in the word ‘army’! But the fact it had an opposing faction – The Skeleton Army – was one I didn’t know. The clash of these two groups forms a great background for a murder mystery, with all the excitement of religious ‘glory fits’, the descending of the white dove of the Holy Spirit, and the opposite which is the spirits relied on by the Brewers who fear for their livelihood and are intent on closing down the whole shenanigans.

The second thread of the story is about Non’s attempt to batter her way into the male echelons of Academia, and again this is fascinating history. The lengths that women had to go to for acceptance as men’s intellectual equals, are carefully drawn in this novel. Basil’s struggle with his hidden homosexuality and how that affects his day to day dealings with the college and the crime create another layer to the novel, which is not only a murder mystery but a book about class, about the various freedoms we take for granted and how hard they were fought for and won.

Like all good murder mysteries, the plot keeps the reader guessing as to whodunnit, and there are several twists and turns along the way before the satisfying conclusion. Highly recommended.

The post The Skeleton Army by Alis Hawkins #Review #HistoricalFiction #CrimeFiction first appeared on Deborah Swift.

A Memory of Murder – a new  cosy murder mystery to solve –  along with library assistant Jan Christopher, her fiancé, Detective Sergeant Laurie Walker and her uncle, Detective Chief Inspector Toby Christopher.

Set in the 1970s this easy-read cosy mystery series is based around the years when Helen was a north-east London library assistant, using many of her remembered anecdotes, some hilarious – like the boy who wanted a book on Copper Knickers. (You’ll have to read the first book, A Mirror Murder to find our more!)

The mysteries alternate between Jan’s home town, and where Laurie’s parents live – North Devon, (where Helen now lives.)

In this fifth episode, there’s a missing girl, annoying decorators, circus performers, and a wanna-be rock star to deal with. But who remembers the brutal, cold case murder of a policeman?

Easter 1973.

The North London library where Jan Christopher works is in upheaval because the decorators are in to spruce the place up, but there is more for her policeman uncle, DCI Toby Christopher and her fiancé, DS Laurie Walker, to worry about than a few inconvenient pots of paint.

An eleven-year-old girl has not returned home after school, and strange ‘gifts’ are being surreptitiously left for the detective chief inspector’s family to find. Could these items have anything to do with the unsolved murder, fifteen years ago, of Jan’s policeman father?

Buy Link:

Amazon universal: https://mybook.to/AMemoryOfMurder

Reader’s comments:

“Jan is a charming heroine. You feel you get to know her and her love of books and her interest in the people in the library where she works. She’s also funny, and her Aunt Madge bursts with character – the sort of aunt I would love to have had. I remember the 70s very well and Ms Hollick certainly gives a good flavour of the period.” Denise Barnes (bestselling romance author Molly Green)

“A delightful read about an unexpected murder in North East London. Told from the viewpoint of a young library assistant, the author draws on her own experience to weave an intriguing tale” Richard Ashen (South Chingford Community Library)

“An enjoyable novella with a twist in who done it. I spent the entire read trying to decide what was a clue and what wasn’t … Kept me thinking the entire time. I call that a success.” Reader’s Review

ABOUT HELEN

First accepted for traditional publication in 1993, Helen became a USA Today Bestseller with her historical novel, The Forever Queen (titled A Hollow Crown in the UK) with the sequel, Harold the King (US: I Am The Chosen King) being novels that explore the events that led to the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Her Pendragon’s Banner Trilogy is a fifth-century version of the Arthurian legend, and she writes a nautical adventure/supernatural series, The Sea Witch Voyages. She has also branched out into the quick read novella, ‘Cosy Mystery’ genre with her Jan Christopher Mysteries, set in the 1970s.

Her non-fiction books are Pirates: Truth and Tales and Life of A Smuggler. She is currently writing about the ghosts of North Devon for Amberley Press, and another, Jamaica Gold for her Sea Witch Voyages. 

She lives with her family in an eighteenth-century farmhouse in North Devon with their dogs and cats, while on the farm there are showjumper horses, fat Exmoor ponies, an elderly Welsh pony, geese, ducks and  hens. And several resident ghosts.

Website: https://helenhollick.net/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/helen.hollick

Blog: promoting good authors & good reads https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/

The post The Jan Christopher Mysteries by Helen Hollick – A Memory of Murder #CosyMystery first appeared on Deborah Swift.

UNITED BY WAR. DIVIDED BY A SECRET.

From silent era Hollywood and the nightclubs of pre-war Vienna to the ruins of Soviet Berlin, discover a moving, ambitious story of an enduring love amidst the devastation of war . . .

In 1938, English spy Harry Taverner and Jewish photographer Anna Cantrell spend the night dancing at Berlin’s most elegant hotel. Anna is married to another man, the Nazi shadow is rising over Europe and neither expects to ever meet again.

But once peace is declared, they reunite in the ruins of Berlin, where Anna is searching for her missing children. With the blockade tightening and the Soviets set on conquest, Harry and Anna walk a treacherous line between love and duty, integrity and survival, loyalty and betrayal. And as the Cold War dawns, they are bound together by a secret that will only be revealed decades later, when Berlin finds itself on the cusp of another transformation…

Berlin Duet is a sweeping, unforgettable historical epic from the Kindle-bestselling author of The Angel’s Mark. Perfect for fans of Sebastian Faulks and William Boyd.

REVIEW

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC for this from Corvus Books.

This is a novel spanning two time periods, both of which are convincingly drawn by S W Perry. The story is told partly by Harry Taverner looking back on his life and describing events of WW2 to his daughter Elly. The past contains a secret and to discover it, we have to go back and hear Anna’s story.

Anna Campbell is a photographer working as a kind of war correspondent, and through her eyes and through her lens we are able to experience the events of the past, including her disastrous marriage to Ivo, a man who turns out to be totally self-serving, and intent on his own advancement. In Germany in the 1930’s this means joining the Nazi Party, even though Anna has a Jewish background.

Stand-out parts of the book for me were Anna’s portrait of post-war Berlin, of the divisions between the sectors, and the difficulty of navigating a country divided. There are genuinely moving moments in this section, and in the one that follows as Anna searches the ruins for her children.

I was completely gripped by this story which has all the ingredients of the best WW2 fiction – believability, tension and a twist in the ending to satisfy the reader. I found myself thinking about the characters for days afterwards – they had become real – surely the sign of an excellent book.

Readers of historical and literary fiction will find this an unforgettable novel that sticks with them. Very highly recommended.

BUY THE BOOK UKThe post Berlin Duet by S W Perry #Review #WW2 #Berlin first appeared on Deborah Swift.

Escape into the dramatic world of London during the Blitz in this sweeping family saga of love, war and betrayal.

Northamptonshire: 1980: Wealthy landowner, Hadan Rose, is dying. His daughter, May, rushes to his country estate, Rose Park, with her daughter, Rachel, to nurse him through his final days.

In the afternoons, while Hadan sleeps, May tells Rachel about her wartime experiences.

In 1940, Three of the four Rose sisters leave Rose Park to serve the war effort. May, the youngest is left behind. But she soon runs away from home to join an ambulance crew in London. She experiences the horrors of the Blitz first-hand but what happens to her there has remained secret her whole life.

In 1980, at Rose Park, Rachel wanders through the old house, looking at old photographs and papers, uncovering explosive family secrets from ninety years before. Secrets that her grandfather wanted to take to his grave.

At the local pub, Rachel meets Daniel Walters, a local journalist and musician who takes an interest in her. But can she trust him, or does he have an ulterior motive for seeking her company?

As the secrets of the past gradually reveal themselves, both Rachel and May realise that their worlds are forever changed.

Fans of Lucinda Riley, Dinah Jeffries and Victoria Hislop will love this escapist wartime saga, Book 1 in the Sisters Of War series.

(Previously published as A Kiss from a Rose)

Praise for A Rose In The Blitz:

“Brilliant book… I couldn’t put it down.”
Amazon Reviewer

“I absolutely loved this book…”
Amazon Reviewer

“Fascinating dual time-line novel…”
Amazon Reviewer

“The tumultuous WWII period of Britain was deftly and poignantly rendered. The time lines were beautifully woven together and the tempo of the book was perfect.”

Amazon Reviewer

“This is a fast-paced plot with unexpected twists, fascinating characters, and a fresh look at life in London during the Blitz. I highly recommend it and look forward to reading more about the Rose sisters.”

Goodreads Reviewer

This title is available to read on #KindleUnlimited.

BUY THE BOOK Universal Buy Link

About  Ann Bennett

Ann Bennett is a British author of historical fiction. Her first book, Bamboo Heart: A Daughter’s Quest, was inspired by researching her father’s experience as a prisoner of war on the Thai-Burma Railway and by her own travels in South-East Asia. Since then, that initial inspiration has led her to write more books about the second world war in SE Asia.

Bamboo Island: The Planter’s Wife, A Daughter’s Promise, Bamboo Road: The Homecoming, The Tea Planter’s Club, The Amulet and her latest release The Fortune Teller of Kathmandu are also about WWII in South East Asia. All seven make up the Echoes of Empire Collection.

Ann is also the author of The Lake Pavilion, The Lake Palace, both set in British India during the 1930s and WWII, and The Lake Pagoda and The Lake Villa, both set in French Indochina. The Runaway Sisters, bestselling The Orphan House, The Child Without a Home and The Forgotten Children are set in Europe during the same era and are published by Bookouture.

Ann is married with three grown up sons and a granddaughter and lives in Surrey, UK. For more details please visit www.annbennettauthor.com.

Find Ann

Website • Twitter • Facebook Author Page

Instagram • Amazon Author Page • Goodreads

The post A Rose in the Blitz by Ann Bennett #CoffeePotBookClub #WW2 first appeared on Deborah Swift.

I’m delighted to welcome Stella Riley today with an extract from her English Civil War novel, A Splendid Defiance.

Visit from a prince

Justin spent the afternoon in the Globe Room at the Reindeer Inn. It was a pleasant room but, as far as Justin was concerned, it might as well have been a coal cellar.  He sat broodingly in a corner and found a sardonic enjoyment in the wary glances accorded him by the other customers.

He did not, however, get drunk and this was fortunate because, at just past five o’clock, the door was flung wide to admit the King’s nephew.  Silence engulfed the room.

Rupert strode across to push Justin unceremoniously back into his seat with a curt, ‘Are you sober?’

‘Yes, sir.  I can’t afford to be anything else.’

With a derisive grunt, the Prince threw himself inelegantly into a chair and waved the pot-boy aside.

‘Then it’s not a completely ill-wind that keeps our pay in arrears.  And at least you have boots.  Two of my fellows were actually sharing a pair at one point.  The whole army is living off the country and discipline is going to the dogs.’  He scowled at this thought for a moment and then looked back at Justin.  ‘They told you I was coming?’

‘Yes.  In order that we might ‘nurture our vices together’ was, I think the exact expression.’  Justin paused and then, with a brief, contemptuous gesture, ‘They think so, at any rate.  Or is it that they’ve finally recognised you?’

‘Who cares?’ Rupert’s indifferent gaze skimmed the room and sent at least three stalwarts edging towards the door.  ‘If I took to the bottle every time filth was thrown at me, I’d never be less than half-cut.’

‘No, sir.  Point taken.’

‘I hope so.’  The dark eyes examined him shrewdly. ‘Do you want me to take you out of here?’

The blood rose under Justin’s skin and he said flatly, ‘There’s nothing I’d like better.  But I’d be no use to you, sir.  I can’t hold a sword yet, or even stay in the saddle more than a few hours.  And I know the pace you set.’

‘Needs must,’ shrugged Rupert.  ‘But when the Parliament fields their new army, I’ll need all my best captains – so get yourself fit.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Justin stared into his ale-cup.  ‘What will you do now that Shrewsbury has fallen?’

‘Use Ludlow.’ Rupert scowled again.  He’d depended on his brother Maurice to hold Shrewsbury and its loss was a sore point.  He said tersely, ‘I’ve some news for you.  Your father died at the end of last month.’

A muscle moved in Justin’s jaw.  Then his eyes hardened and he said, ‘I see.  Thank you for telling me.’

‘Well, no one else is in a position to, are they?’ observed the Prince trenchantly.  ‘What will you do?’

A strange smile crossed the chiselled features.

‘The same as I’ve done these last ten years, Your Highness.  Absolutely nothing.  I won’t even get drunk.’

 

About  A SPLENDID DEFIANCE

For two years England has been in the grip of Civil War.  In Banbury, Oxfordshire, the Cavaliers hold the Castle, the Roundheads want it back and the town is full of zealous Puritans.

Consequently, the gulf between Captain Justin Ambrose and Abigail Radford, the sister of a fanatically religious shopkeeper, ought to be unbridgeable.

The key to both the fate of the Castle and that of Justin and Abigail lies in defiance.  But will it be enough?

A Splendid Defiance is a dramatic and enchanting story of forbidden love, set against the turmoil and anguish of the English Civil War.

BUY THE BOOK    Universal Buy Link

About Stella Riley

Winner of four gold medals for historical romance and sixteen Book Readers’ Appreciation Medallions, Stella Riley lives in the beautiful medieval town of Sandwich in Kent.She is fascinated by the English Civil Wars and has written six books set in that period. These, like the 7 book Rockliffe series, the Brandon Brothers trilogy and, most recently The Shadow Earl, are all available in audio, performed by Alex Wyndham.Stella enjoys travel, reading, theatre, Baroque music and playing the harpsichord.  She also has a fondness for men with long hair – hence her 17th and 18th century heroes.

Author Links:

Website • Twitter • Facebook • InstagramAmazon Author Page • Pinterest • BookBub • GoodreadsThe post A Splendid Defiance by Stella Riley #CoffeePotBookClub #17thCentury #Extract first appeared on Deborah Swift.

Today I’m highlighting Try Before You Trust, a novel about the fascinating early Elizabethan poet Isabella Whitney.

Try Before You Trust: To All Gentlewomen and Other Maids in Love

by Constance Briones

What if Taylor Swift found herself penning songs about love in Elizabethan England when women were required to be chaste, obedient, and silent?

Isabella Whitney, an ambitious and daring eighteen-year-old maidservant turned poet, sets out to do just that. Having risked reputation and virtue by allowing her passions for her employer’s aristocratic nephew to get the better of her, Isabella Whitney enters the fray of the pamphlet wars, a scurrilous debate on the merits of women. She’s determined to make her mark by becoming the first woman to write a poem defending women in love, highlighting the deceptive practices of the men who woo them. Her journey to publication is fraught with challenges as she navigates through the male-dominated literary world and the harsh realities of life in sixteenth-century London for a single woman. Loosely based on the life of Elizabethan poet Isabella Whitney, this is a compelling tale of a young woman’s resilience and determination to challenge the status quo and leave her mark in a world that was not ready for her.

About Constance

Constance Briones has a Master’s in Woman’s History, which informs her writing. She first learned about the subject of her debut historical fiction novel, the sixteenth-century English poet Isabella Whitney, while doing research for her thesis on literacy and women in Tudor England. Isabella Whitney’s gusty personality to defy the conventions of her day, both in her thinking and actions, impressed Constance enough to imagine that she would make a very engaging literary heroine.

As a writer, Constance is interested in highlighting the little-known stories of women in history. She is a contributing writer to Historical Times, an online magazine. When not writing, she lends her time as an educational docent for her town’s historical society. She contently lives in Connecticut with her husband and maine coon sibling cats, Thor and Percy.

The post Try before you Trust by Connie Briones #Elizabethan #FemalePoet #HistoricalFiction first appeared on Deborah Swift.

Anyone who enjoyed my book The Occupation will also enjoy this book by Liz Harris which gives a different and fascinating account of WW2 and how it affected the islanders of Jersey.

This is the first in a series of books about three sisters, and Rose, the first in the series is easy to warm to, as she makes the transition from urban life in England to a farm on the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands with her new husband Tom. Working on a farm before the advent of mechanisation is not easy, and through the book we learn more about farming life – the planting and harvesting of the famous Jersey potatoes and the work involved in  maintaining the herds of Jersey cows.

Rose’s main antagonist is her new sister-in-law Kathleen who sets out to deliberately make Rose’s life hell. This is bad enough, but then Jersey is invaded by Nazi forces, and her life in Jersey begins to change. Kathleen gets a new boyfriend, one of the attractive young German soldiers stationed on the island, and this gives rise to much antagonism from other islanders. Things are made worse when Rose and Kathleen, sworn enemies, are taken to a camp in Germany because they are not native to Jersey. This for me was the best part of the book as it was something I knew nothing about and found interesting to discover. The novel is impeccably researched, and all the detail of life in Jersey and in the women’s internment camp, is brought brilliantly to life.

This is a book suitable for anyone who likes a romance with plenty of history. There are no graphic depictions of war or atrocities, and yet Liz Harris seems to keep them simmering in the background to give a shifting sense of unease. Highly recommended for lovers of romantic historical fiction.

ABOUT THE BOOK
From award-winning author Liz Harris comes the first in the sweeping epic series Three Sisters, in which each book tells the story of one of the three Hammond girls.

The Loose Thread is Rose’s story.

Early in 1938, with the threat of WW2 little more than a shadow on the horizon, Rose Hammond marries Tom Benest, whom she hardly knows, and leaves London to go to live with Tom on his family’s farm in Jersey. There, she’s welcomed by his parents as she attempts to adjust to her new life, but meets with open hostility from Tom’s sister, Kathleen.

Less than two years later, the lives of the family are turned upside down when Jersey is cut loose from British protection. The Germans move in and seize control of the island, forcing the islanders into a perilous situation that will test their endurance and resourcefulness.

As the German Occupation tightens its grip on life on the island, Tom and Rose are torn apart in a situation of unimaginable heartbreak, which calls for the greatest of courage, and a powerful determination to survive.

A gripping, heart-breaking story of life in occupied Jersey during WWII from the author of Darjeeling Inheritance and The Road Back. Perfect for readers of Kristin Hannah, Fiona Valpy, Santa Montefiore and Kate Furnivall.

ABOUT LIZ HARRIS

After graduating in Law in the UK, Liz moved to California where she led a varied life – from cocktail waitressing on Sunset Strip to secretary to the CEO of a large Japanese trading company. Upon returning to England, she completed a degree in English and then taught for a number of years before developing her writing career. Her most recent novels, DARJEELING INHERITANCE, COCHIN FALL, HANOI SPRING and SIMLA MIST comprise THE COLONIALS. Each is a standalone set in a different location, with different characters, in different years.

Liz’s latest series is a trilogy, THREE SISTERS, each of which tells the story of one of the daughters of John Hammond, owner of several haberdashery stores. THE LOOSE THREAD, published in 2024, will be followed in September 2024 by THE SILKEN KNOT.

THE WOVEN LIE will be published early in 2025.

Liz now lives in Windsor, Berkshire. She’s a member of The Romantic Novelists’ Association, The Historical Novel Society, and The Society of Authors. She gives talks and workshops at literary festivals and conferences. Her hobbies are theatre, cinema, reading and cryptic crosswords.

Website – www.lizharrisauthor.com

Twitter – https://twitter.com/lizharrisauthor

 

The post The Loose Thread by Liz Harris #WW2 #Review #Jersey first appeared on Deborah Swift.

I am delighted to host Rosemary Griggs today to tell us all about Dartington Hall – a place I know well, as I was a student there in the 1970’s!

Dartington Hall by Rosemary Griggs

Dartington Hall, known for its mellow grey stone walls, stunning gardens, and age-old trees, exudes an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity. As I stroll through the grounds that surround the medieval buildings, I always feel a powerful connection to the people who have made this special place their home throughout the ages.

Dartington Hall

Since ancient times, people have settled in this favoured spot amongst rolling hills above a bend in the River Dart near Totnes in South Devon. As early as CE 833, a Royal Charter mentions the estate. After 1066, a long line of Norman lords held Dartington until King Richard II granted the property to his half-brother, John Holland. He built Dartington’s magnificent great hall and living quarters suitable for his lofty status, but did not have long to enjoy his country mansion. Holland met his end in 1400 after he supported Richard II in the Epiphany rising against Henry IV.

After that, the King restored the lands to the Hollands, who continued at Dartington until they backed the wrong side in the so called ‘Wars of the Roses’. A list of well-known figures then took the revenue from the estate, including Margaret Beaufort, Henry Courtenay, Katherine Howard, and Katherine Parr. However, none of them lived at Dartington.

Starting in 1559, a single family lived at Dartington for over four centuries. As time passed, their finances dwindled, and Dartington eventually fell into a state of disrepair. In 1925 Dorothy and Leonard Elmhirst bought Dartington and made it the hub of a pioneering social, educational, and cultural initiative. It is now a historic visitor destination, an events venue, and a thriving community of businesses and colleges.

With such a rich history, Dartington holds a wealth of untold stories. Amongst all the remarkable people who have lived there, the Elizabethans have captured my imagination. They inspired me to write The Dartington Bride. Sir Arthur Champernowne, an intriguing character who deserves wider recognition, is a key figure in the narrative I have crafted to tell his daughter-in-law’s story.

Left: Sir Arthur Champernowne as he appears on monument in the lonely tower, all that remains of  Old St Mary’s church that once stood so close to the hall ‘one could lean from the window and touch the church wall with an umbrella’ according to a nineteenth century Champernowne lady.

Sir Arthur received a knighthood for his role in suppressing the Western Rebellion in 1549 and served as an MP and Sheriff of Devon. He married Mary Norreys, the widow of his cousin Sir George Carew, who perished on the Mary Rose. Mary was a lady-in-waiting for Anne of Cleves and likely also fulfilled that role for other queens of King Henry. Arthur and Mary had seven children — six sons and one daughter named Elizabeth. She later married Edward Seymour of Berry Pomeroy.

Sir Arthur was a staunch Protestant. Under Mary Tudor, he flirted with conspiracy and almost came to grief. Mary detained him in the Tower of London for a few weeks while investigating his alleged involvement in the Wyatt rebellion. Upon release, the queen gave him permission to visit France for a few months. Instead of remaining in exile alongside the other protestants who fled from Queen Mary’s catholic rule, he came back. In 1559, with his wife, Mary, he gained Dartington through a property exchange with Polsloe Priory. They embarked on works to upgrade the old-fashioned buildings.

Elizabeth Tudor’s childhood governess, Katherine Astley, was one of Sir Arthur’s sisters. When she became Queen, Elizabeth made Mrs Astley First Lady of the Privy Chamber. Having a relative in such an influential post put Sir Arthur in a powerful position. The queen appointed him Vice-Admiral of the Fleet of the West. The records also show Sir Arthur was a participant in the coronation joust.

Gabriel de Lorges, Count of Montgomery, became famous for killing King Henri II of France in a tragic jousting accident in 1559. He fled France, travelling to the Channel Islands and Venice before making his way to England, There he met Sir Arthur as well as Robert Dudley and other prominent individuals. When he returned to France he converted to Protestantism, and became a Huguenot military leader.

Gawen, Sir Arthur’s eldest son, acted as an informant for Lord Burghley and Sir Francis Walsingham, making many trips to France. Following lengthy negotiations, in 1571, Gawen married Gabriel’s daughter, Lady Gabrielle Roberda Montgomery, known in the family as Roberda. Immediately after the wedding, Gawen left his new wife in Devon while he returned to France.

A few months later, Roberda’s father escaped the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in Paris against all odds. Since Huguenots were still being persecuted in France, Sir Arthur offered the whole family refuge at Dartington. He became one of the first to welcome refugees to Elizabethan England. Amidst fears that Gabriel was being pursued by an assassin, records show that Sir Arthur placed an armed guard Dartington, ordering any Frenchman approaching the place to be apprehended. Gawen and Sir Arthur continued to support Gabriel when he returned to France to carry on the fight for freedom of worship for the Huguenots.

The Dartington Bride follows Roberda from her childhood in France, a country riven by war, to her new home in Devon. She arrives full of hope and determined to help others left destitute by war. But she will face resentment and suspicion.

Find out more : https://www.dartington.org/ and https://rosemarygriggs.co.uk/.

The Dartington Bride

1571, and the beautiful, headstrong daughter of a French Count marries the son of the Vice Admiral of the Fleet of the West in Queen Elizabeth’s chapel at Greenwich. It sounds like a marriage made in heaven…

Roberda’s father, the Count of Montgomery, is a prominent Huguenot leader in the French Wars of Religion. When her formidable mother follows him into battle, she takes all her children with her.

After a traumatic childhood in war-torn France, Roberda arrives in England full of hope for her wedding. But her ambitious bridegroom, Gawen, has little interest in taking a wife.

Received with suspicion by the servants at her new home, Dartington Hall in Devon, Roberda works hard to prove herself as mistress of the household and to be a good wife. But there are some who will never accept her as a true daughter of Devon.

After the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, Gawen’s father welcomes Roberda’s family to Dartington as refugees. Compassionate Roberda is determined to help other French women left destitute by the wars. But her husband does not approve. Their differences will set them on an extraordinary path…

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About Rosemary Griggs

Author and speaker Rosemary Griggs has been researching Devon’s sixteenth-century history for years. She has discovered a cast of fascinating characters and an intriguing network of families whose influence stretched far beyond the West Country and loves telling the stories of the forgotten women of history – the women beyond the royal court; wives, sisters, daughters and mothers who played their part during those tumultuous Tudor years: the Daughters of Devon.Her novel A Woman of Noble Wit tells the story of Katherine Champernowne, Sir Walter Raleigh’s mother, and features many of the county’s well-loved places.Rosemary creates and wears sixteenth-century clothing, a passion which complements her love for bringing the past to life through a unique blend of theatre, history and re-enactment. Her appearances and talks for museums and community groups all over the West Country draw on her extensive research into sixteenth-century Devon, Tudor life and Tudor dress, particularly Elizabethan.Out of costume, Rosemary leads heritage tours of the gardens at Dartington Hall, a fourteenth-century manor house and now a visitor destination and charity supporting learning in arts, ecology and social justice.

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Website • Facebook • Instagram • ThreadsAmazon Author Page • Twitter • GoodReads(All photos Rosemary’s own copyright, by kind permission of the Dartington Trust.)The post Dartington Hall – Guest Post by Rosemary Griggs #Devon #Tudor #History #CoffeePotBookClub first appeared on Deborah Swift.