Guest Post: Helen Hollick's Ghost Encounters

The Lingering Spirits of North Devon...

But Are They Vikings Or Saxons?

By Helen Hollick (With daughter Kathy Hollick)

Everyone assumes that ghosts are hostile. Actually, most of them are not. You either believe in ghosts or you don’t. It depends on whether you’ve encountered something supernatural or not. But when you share a home with several companionable spirits, or discover benign ghosts in public places who appear as real as any living person, scepticism is abandoned. In GHOST ENCOUNTERS: The Lingering Spirits Of North Devon, mother and daughter share their personal experiences, dispelling the belief that spirits are to be feared. 

Ghost Encounters will fascinate all who enjoy the beautiful region of rural South-West England, as well as interest those who wish to discover more about its history... and a few of its ghosts.

(Includes a bonus of two short stories and photographs connected to North Devon)

Book Links:

Pre-order the e-book on Amazon

https://mybook.to/GhostEncounters

THE BATTLE AT APPLEDORE

Originally an Anglo-Saxon settlement, the North Devon coastal town of Appledore today is a picturesque village with narrow cobbled streets, and alleyways known as ‘opes’. Nestling on a steep hillside beside the estuary confluence of the rivers Taw and Torridge, it, or its neighbour, Northam, a little further up the hill, is also the possible site of two important battles, one involving Viking raiders in 878 CE and another a rebellion that, had it been successful, would have altered English history.

An Appledore 'ope'

Appledore began to prosper during the reign of Elizabeth I due to increasing trade with the North American colonies, while Bideford, a few miles up the River Torridge, rapidly became the third largest English trade port for Virginia tobacco. At Northam, a short way outside of Appledore, is a stone set into a wall, commemorating the legend of an ancient battle. Near here, at Appledore, the ghostly sounds of men fighting with shield and sword is occasionally heard – although there doesn’t seem to be accompanying reports of any visual sighting to go with those desperate sounds.

The memorial reads:

“Stop Stranger Stop, 

Near this spot lies buried

King Hubba the Dane, 

who was slayed in a bloody retreat,

by King Alfred the Great”

However, this story may be nothing more than a legend. During the time of Alfred the Great, Hubba the Dane – or more likely the name should be Ubba – landed somewhere with a fleet of ships and was soundly defeated, losing over 1,000 men. All we know for certain is that Hubba/Ubba was slain in the West Country, although there is no evidence to support Appledore and Northam as the location, but... there is possible evidence for a different battle at a later date: the sons of King Harold II who was slain at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, attempted a rebellion against Duke Willliam of Normandy, which, unfortunately, failed.

According to the Anglo–Saxon Chronicle, Manuscript D: ‘After this came Harold’s sons from Ireland, at Midsummer, with 64 ships into the mouth of the Taw, and there heedlessly landed; and Earl Brian [Brian of Brittany] came against them unawares with no small band, and fought against them.’

This is plausible. King Harold II’s mother, Gytha, owned extensive land in North Devon during the 11th century. Harold himself landed at Porlock, a little along the coast at the other end of Exmoor, after a short exile to Ireland in 1052/3, and it is inconceivable that his sons and supporters did not attempt to defeat Duke William after the tragedy of October 14th 1066. The entry in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle mentions the mouth of the River Taw, so Appledore would certainly fit the bill in terms of location, and so perhaps, it really was here that the fighting took place.

Appledore [photo Simon Murgatroyd

Despite his victory, and subsequent coronation on December 25th 1066 at Westminster Abbey, London, things did not go well for William. England was not as easy to conquer as he had expected. By early 1068 rebellion in the West Country was increasing – this was Wessex, mostly loyal to Earl Godwin, Harold’s father, and then to Harold himself.

Exeter rebelled against William. The town was always a wealthy trade port, and loyal to the Saxon Queens of Emma of Normandy, then Harold’s sister, Edith, wife to Edward the Confessor, and then to Harold himself. (Although Edith surrendered to William soon after Hastings, probably in a move to maintain her royal status and lifestyle – she also had fallen out with Harold early in 1066, so in some way, her capitulation to Normandy could be regarded as treasonous.)

William himself led an army against Exeter, probably because Gytha and Harold’s daughters were there as strong rallying figureheads. After a siege of eighteen days, Exeter surrendered and Gytha and her granddaughters fled abroad. Harold’s common-law wife, Edith Swanneck, was probably also with Gytha.

According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 1067: “This year Harold's mother, Githa, and the wives of many good men with her, went to [modern day] Flat Holm in the Severn Estuary, and there abode some time; and afterwards went from thence over sea to St. Omer's.”

At the same time, three of Harold’s sons Godwin, Edmund and Magnus, sailed from Ireland where they had been taking refuge, with the intention of raiding as much of southwest England as they could with a fleet of fifty-two ships, provided by Diarmait, the High King of Ireland.

William had already departed Devon, but had left a large force behind, headed by Eadnoth the Staller, an Anglo-Saxon landowner who supported the new king. He fought against the three sons at the Battle of Bleadon, the outcome of which was stalemate. Eadnoth was killed, and the brothers retreated to their ships. After this, Magnus is not mentioned again, so was very likely also killed. The two remaining sons continued to raid along the coasts of Devon and Cornwall., before wintering, again, in Ireland.

They returned with an army and more than sixty ships in June 1069, landing at Appledore and advanced a little inland to Northam. The Norman army, under command of William’s second cousin, Brian of Brittany, and William De Vauville, appointed Sheriff of Devon, were soon there to meet them. The size of the armies is unknown, but the Englishmen, now subjugated by the Normans undoubtedly had no choice but to fight for their new overlords – or lose all they had.

According to Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Northam Harold’s sons and their men fought hard – which is likely – but I’m not sure I agree that they were “unable to retreat because the tide was out.” This implies that they retreated as the tide came back in.

These were Viking longships, shallow on the draught. The confluence of the two rivers, Taw and Torridge, form dangerous currents when the tide is on the turn, plus there is a turbulent sandbar across where river meets sea – it was difficult to navigate safely here by the late 1600s, with the river channels starting to greatly silt up from the mid-1700s. But in 1069? Would this estuary have been as difficult to navigate for experienced sailors, manning Viking-style longships?

Wikipedia states: “For many hours the Normans launched repeated attacks against the raiders’ shield wall, in almost exactly the same way the early stages of the Battle of Hastings had played out. The raiders’ line never broke, but they suffered heavy casualties. As night came, the tide finally returned, and the brothers army escaped to sea, ending the battle.”

I concede that the tide played a big part in any withdrawal – but to cross that river confluence and the bar on an incoming tide? To row, or sail against a heavy, strong tide? No.

Nearly all shipping would go with a current’s flow, not against it. My bet is that Harold’s sons and their supporters fought for as long as they could, but once the high, full, tide was on the ebb... going out ... they dare not wait, for low tide would mean they would be effectively trapped. So as soon as the tide started to go out, they had to take their leave in the hope that there would be chance to fight again another day. *

There was no further rebellion from Harold’s remaining sons. Probably, Diarmait, refused to help any further, seeing it (justifiably) as a lost cause. The brothers went to Denmark, maybe hoping for help from there. It didn’t come, and Harold’s sons probably joined their mother and sisters somewhere near modern Kiev – and then disappear from history. Ideal for fiction writers: a blank page to fill!

* A note in the Wikipedia article seems to support my theory: “In the eleventh century it was usual for ships to depart on the high tide. It has been calculated that on the day of the battle, the high tide would have been in the early evening.”

ABOUT HELEN

Known for her captivating storytelling and rich attention to historical detail, Helen might not see ghosts herself, but her nautical adventure series, and some of her short stories, skilfully blend the past with the supernatural, inviting readers to step into worlds where the boundaries between the living and the dead blur.

Her historical fiction spans a variety of periods and her gift lies in her ability to bring historical figures and settings to life, creating an immersive experience that transports readers into the past. Her stories are as compelling as they are convincing.

Helen started writing as a teenager, but after discovering a passion for history, was published in the UK with her Arthurian Trilogy and two Anglo-Saxon novels about the events that led to the 1066 Battle of Hastings, one of which became a USA Today best-seller. She also writes the Jan Christopher cosy mystery series set during the 1970s, and based around her, sometimes hilarious, years of working as a North London library assistant.

Helen, husband Ron and daughter Kathy moved from London to Devon in January 2013 after a Lottery win on the opening night of the London Olympics, 2012. She spends her time glowering at the overgrown garden and orchard, fending off the geese, helping with the horses and, when she gets a moment, writing the next book...

ABOUT KATHY

When not encountering friendly ghosts, Kathy's passion is horses and mental well-being. She started riding at the age of three, had a pony at thirteen, and discovered showjumping soon after. Kathy now runs her own Taw River Equine Events, and coaches riders of any age or experience, specialising in positive mindset and overcoming confidence issues via her Centre10 accreditation and Emotional Freedom Technique training to aid calm relaxation and promote gentle healing.

Kathy lives with her farmer partner, Andrew, in their flat adjoining the main farmhouse. She regularly competes at affiliated British Showjumping, and rides side-saddle (‘aside’) when she has the opportunity. She produces her own horses, several from home-bred foals. She also has a fun diploma in Dragons and Dragon Energy, which was something amusing to study during the Covid lockdown.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Website: https://helenhollick.net/

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick

Bluesky: @helenhollick.bsky.social

Blog: supporting authors & their books https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/

Monthly newsletter : Thoughts from a Devonshire Farmhouse https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/2024/01/thoughts-from-devonshire-farmhouse.html

Kathy’s Official Website:

https://www.white-owl.co.uk/

For additional (and any new ghost encounters!) visit

https://ghostencountersofdevon.blogspot.com/

Stepping Back into Saxon England: What If? by Helen Hollick

 

Stepping Back into Saxon England

What If?

By Helen Hollick

WHAT IF...? by Helen Hollick

1066 Turned Upside Down, is a short  story collection of alternative stories for the events of that year – the year of King Harold II’s coronation, the year of the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest of England.

Written by nine different authors – including myself and co-blog-tourist Annie Whitehead – these stories explore what might have happened if William the Conqueror had been beaten at Hastings, if Harald Hardrada had won at Stamford Bridge or if Edward the Confessor had died with an heir ready to take his crown. 1066 Turned Upside Down explores a variety of ways in which that momentous year could have played out very differently.

But what if things had been different before 1066? How far back do we go to alter the course of history to erase the Norman Conquest? What if history was different after 1066?

Where to start!

Things might have been different if Boudica had beaten Rome during her great rebellion in AD 60 or 61, although I suspect that Rome would have come back in greater force. What if there had not been the Anglo-Saxon migration in the early sixth century? (Contrary to ‘old fashioned’ thinking, these Germanic tribes did not come in hoards to rape, pillage and drive the local Brits into Wales... settlement took several generations of mostly peaceful integration between the two populations.) What if they ‘went south’ instead? To what is now France and Spain? (Much better weather than England!) Again, though, it is probable that they would have still come, maybe 100 years or so later, and perhaps already converted to Christianity.

Ah, there’s another one! What if the Romans/Britons/ Saxons/Vikings had not converted to Christianity? What if the Faith hadn’t spread, had fizzled out before it even got started? Apart from a lot of hungry lions, we would not have our grand cathedrals – nor our Western way of life (no divorce entanglements for Henry VIII!) Would the dominant religion now be Pagan, Jewish, Muslim, Hindi...? No Christianity = no Crusades. No glory for Richard the Lionheart ... ah, but if there had not been a Norman Conquest, there would have been no Plantagenets anyway.

Tomb of Richard I

What if the Vikings had not happened, or they had not thought this little, often very wet Isle, worth bothering with? If there had been no Christianity, and no churches, this is entirely feasible. The Vikings came for the plunder. The gold and riches in our churches. (Although, perhaps alternative faiths still had the riches – so they might still have come.)

What if - assuming, so far that history had not changed and Duke William had seized England for himself - what if Mathilda, daughter of Henry I had been crowned as Queen? No civil war between her and Stephen. But then Henry II, her son, would still have become King.

the spread of the Black Death

What if there had been no Black Death in 1348/49? (The term ‘Black Death’ was not used until the late 17th century.) As Wikipedia states: "The most immediate consequence was a halt to the campaigns of the Hundred Years' War. In the long term, the decrease in population caused a shortage of labour, with subsequent rise in wages, resisted by the landowners, which caused deep resentment among the lower classes. The Peasants' Revolt of 1381 was largely a result of this resentment, and even though the rebellion was suppressed, in the long term serfdom was ended in England. The Black Death also affected artistic and cultural efforts, and may have helped advance the use of the vernacular." 

So thus ended the consequence of the Norman Conquest, and the rise of English used instead of French and Latin among the higher classes, government and the church. But there probably would have been another plague... (as we well know 2020 - Covid 19!)

No Wars of the Roses maybe? Richard III won at Bosworth, so no Tudors – one main result being England would have remained Catholic. Or Katherine of Aragon had borne a healthy son? Meaning no reign of Mary Tudor or  Elizabeth I. (A lot of people would have stayed alive with no burnings and beheadings of Catholics or Protestants.) Spain might have triumphed with their Armada, so no Stuarts on the English throne. I reckon the Protestants wouldn’t have fared so well, though.

In turn, no English Civil Wars. Charles I reigned to a ripe old age, no Oliver Cromwell (although his ideas didn’t survive anyway, so maybe we can discount that era of history). Charles II might have had a son, so exit William and Mary. (I was talking to a young friend, also called William, about these two. We decided that as William was William of Orange, Mary must have been Mary of Marmalade.)

Or perhaps the Duke of Monmouth would have won at Sedgemoor in 1685. If any one of Queen Anne’s children had survived – no George of Hanover.

James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth

Ah, no George III! No war of Independence with those Colonials across the Atlantic! Maybe Britain and the United States would still be conjoined? America's monarch would be Elizabeth II? There again, slavery would still have happened because of tobacco, sugar, cotton... the Industrial revolution continued to roll... but maybe no Queen Victoria? No Albert... no Albert Hall in London. Would we still have Christmas trees?

"That pretty German toy, a Christmas tree" (1848),
The Illustrated London News

I’ll stop there, but I find it interesting that we would probably still have Queen Elizabeth II as our monarch. Let’s assume Edward VIII had not abdicated in 1936, had still married Wallis Simpson.

In ‘real’ life they had no children, so when he died in 1972 his successor would have been ... Elizabeth II.

 What other 'what if's' - feel free to leave a comment and share your ideas!

Buy the book
from Amazon
now also available in paperback

(images from Wikipedia)

About Helen:

Helen Hollick and her family moved from north-east London in January 2013 after finding an eighteenth-century North Devon farm house through being a ‘victim’ on BBC TV’s popular Escape To The Country show. The thirteen-acre property was the first one she was shown – and it was love at first sight. She enjoys her new rural life, and has a variety of animals on the farm, including Exmoor ponies and her daughter’s string of show jumpers.

First accepted for publication by William Heinemann in 1993 – a week after her fortieth birthday – Helen then 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 also writes a pirate-based nautical adventure/fantasy series, The Sea Witch Voyages. Despite being impaired by the visual disorder of Glaucoma, she is also branching out into the quick read novella, 'Cosy Mystery' genre with the Jan Christopher Mysteries, set in the 1970s, with the first in the series, A Mirror Murder incorporating her, often hilarious, memories of working for thirteen years as a library assistant.

Her non-fiction books are Pirates: Truth and Tales and Life of A Smuggler. She also runs Discovering Diamonds, a review blog for historical fiction, a news and events blog for her village and the Community Shop, assists as ‘secretary for the day’ at her daughter’s regular showjumping shows – and occasionally gets time to write... 

Website: https://helenhollick.net/

Amazon Author Page: https://viewauthor.at/HelenHollick 

Blog: https://ofhistoryandkings.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @HelenHollick

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HelenHollick

Newsletter Subscription: http://tinyletter.com/HelenHollick

Drawing Anglo-Saxon and Viking Treasure: Guest Post by Gilli Allan

To tie in with the release of the gorgeous new cover for Buried Treasure, I'm delighted to hand the blog over to author Gilli Allan:

Drawing Anglo-Saxon and Viking Treasure

One of the reasons I chose to write my book, BURIED TREASURE, is because I have always had a fascination with archaeology. I grew up in the knowledge that my great uncle, Sydney Ford, ‘unearthed the Mildenhall Treasure on his farm’. I put this in quotation marks because the story is actually a lot more complicated and mysterious than I knew as a child. To find out more go to  http://gilliallan.blogspot.com/2020/06/my-connection-to-mildenhall-treasure.html

Maybe our family history also influenced my son, Thomas Williams. He is now a Medievalist and an Archaeologist, and the author of Viking Britain and Viking London. His interest has always been focused, not on the Roman occupation (and finds like the silver tableware his great great Uncle Syd discovered), but on the traces left in the landscape during the early medieval period often referred to as the Dark Ages, the half century between the Romans and the Normans. 

Growing up, Tom always claimed he wanted to be a writer. And aged four, produced his first dictated ‘book’ about ghosts and ghouls. I claim all the credit as his early influencer because as far back as Tom can remember I was forever scribbling in notebooks or tapping away at a ‘sit-up-and-beg’ typewriter. And he was just six when I became a published author. 

Before I had Tom and began writing, my career was as an illustrator in advertising.  So, for a few years when Tom was trying to find his feet after graduating, he talked about our doing some kind of project together. He flirted with the idea of rewriting some classic legends or fairy-stories, for which I would supply the illustrations.  

His first outing as an author did indeed turn out to be a children’s book, although not a fairy story. It was an account of the life of Harald ‘Hardrada’ Sigurdsson, the Viking King who launched an attack on the north of England in 1066 (ahead of William the Conqueror’s invasion in the South East), but he was defeated by our own King Harold Godwinson, at Stamford Bridge. ‘The Tale of King Harald – The Last Viking Adventure’ was written to accompany the ‘Vikings-Life and Legend’ exhibition, at the British Museum in 2014, for which my son was the project curator. True to his word, he asked me to illustrate the narrative, the map and the cover art. 

King Harald in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Praying for Forgiveness

After this, my first ever book illustration commission, my son’s writing career continued in a more adult direction. He contributed to and edited, an academic tome, Representing Beasts in Early Medieval England and Scandinavia.

Two artefacts from ‘Representing Beasts……’ The Clocmacnoise Plaque (above)
and The Lejre Throne (below)

One of the other contributors was unable to secure the rights (at a reasonable cost) to reproduce copy-righted images to illustrate her text. Tom suggested his mum could draw the artefacts for her.  Thus, my second book illustration commission came about. It was the kind of work I had never previously attempted (a British Museum artist undertook the depictions of the ‘real’ artefacts, which interleave the story of the ‘The Tale of King Harald’), but I found I really loved it. There is a certain security and comfort in drawing something that actually exists, something you can simply copy, rather than dreaming up what tenth century Constantinople, or the aftermath of a battle between Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, might have looked like!   

When Tom gained his original two-book contract with William Collins we were very proud and happy parents. It did not initially occur to me that I might be called upon yet again to illustrate anything.  But quite close to the deadline for delivery of his book, ‘Viking Britain’, guess who was on the phone. “Mu…um?” 

Northumbrian Coin of the 920s

For this book I produced ‘raven’ and ‘crossed-axe’ section dividers, and also ‘knotted snake’ chapter endings.  And I also produced the illustrations of two coins.  It may not be much, but it gave me enormous pleasure to be involved in some small way in our son’s career as a writer. And, when I came to write my own book, BURIED TREASURE, Tom was on hand to help me enormously both with the plausibility of my plot and the research required.  His expertise was invaluable. 

Coin of Cnut of Northumbria 900-5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About Gilli:

Gilli Allan began to write in childhood - a hobby pursued throughout her teenage. Writing was only abandoned when she left home, and real life supplanted the imaginary kind.  
After a few false starts she worked longest and most happily as an illustrator in advertising and only began writing again when she became a mother.  
Living in Gloucestershire with her husband Geoff, Gilli is still a keen artist. She draws and paints and has now moved into book illustration. 
All of her recent books TORN, LIFE CLASS, FLY or FALL and BURIED TREASURE have gained ‘Chill with a Book’ awards. 

Following in the family tradition, her son, historian Thomas Williams, is now also a writer. 

About Buried Treasure:

“I found Buried Treasure a compelling read. It was so many things: a love story, a hunt for clues to lost secrets, and a fascinating look at how our past experiences shape us, and how we can heal even after damage. The characters were wonderfully well drawn. ”

Jane thinks he sees her as shallow and ill-educated. Theo thinks she sees him as a snob, stuffy and out of touch.

Within the ancient precincts of the university the first encounter between the conference planner and the academic is accidental and unpromising. Just as well there’s no reason for them ever to meet again. But behind the armour they’ve each constructed from old scars, they’ve more in common than divides them. Both have an archaeological puzzle they are driven to solve. As their stories intertwine, their quest to uncover the past unearths more than expected.

Find Gilli:

mybook.to/BURIEDTREASURE

Find Gilli’s other books TORN, LIFE CLASS and FLY or FALL at 
author.to/GILLIALLAN

Contact Gilli at

http://gilliallan.blogspot.com/
https://www.facebook.com/gilli.allan.1

https://twitter.com/gilliallan

Anglo-Saxon Historical Fiction, with Millie Thom & Theresa Tomlinson

I've read two of Theresa's novels and two and a half of Millie's. It occurred to me recently that novels about Anglo-Saxon England can almost be of completely different genres. Sons of Kings is a saga, telling Eadwulf's story, while the Fridgyth stories are more like murder-mysteries. Allow these wonderful authors to explain:

AW:You both have fictional people as your main characters. Does this make it easier, or harder, when plotting a story against a backdrop of real historical events?

MT: I must admit, I don’t find keeping Eadwulf’s story within the framework of King Alfred’s, unduly difficult. I do have to make sure their timelines are coordinated, but my principal fictional character, Eadwulf, lives with Danes who actually feature in Alfred’s story anyway, and are mentioned in ‘Asser’s Life of King Alfred’ and the ‘Anglo Saxon Chronicle’, as well as in numerous other reference books and online sites. I searched through many such texts in the hope of finding less well-known events that the Danes of that period were involved in – like Bjorn and Hastein’s sacking of Paris in Book 1 and their great ‘Mediterranean adventure’ in Book 2. Some of these incidents and events have become much better known in recent years, thanks to various documentaries and TV series like ‘Vikings’, which include incidents such as the death of Ragnar Lothbrok and the blood eagle ritual. I tend to fit wholly fictional events into gaps in the historical timeline, during which nothing major is happening. By the middle of Book 3, Alfred’s and Eadwulf’s stories are closely linked anyway.

TT: I think the answer is a bit of both! 
For many years I thought that somebody ought to write a historical novel with the exciting time period and dramatic setting of Hild’s double monastery at Whitby – I also assumed that the writer should be a historian, who’d studied the period in detail. Initially I felt daunted by the prospect of describing such iconic characters as Abbess Hild, Caedmon, and Princess Aelfleda. Time went by and it didn’t happen – though Melvyn Bragg touched on the subject with Credo. Eventually I decided to have a go at writing a Young Adult mystery/adventure using this setting – this seemed to be a less formidable prospect. Inventing a fictional character, Wulfrun the weaver’s daughter as my main character brought a sense of freedom, but once started on the project I realised that if my protagonist was to be surrounded by those well-known historical figures, I should try to set my story in a specific time frame. This made it necessary to study and check out both the local history and the wider Anglo-Saxon period in detail, hopefully making my invented storyline believable and realistic. Random House Children’s Books eventually published Wolf Girl - my first Anglo-Saxon setting.

AW: When you wrote the first book, did you already know that it would form part of a series? How did you go about deciding whether the story would become part of a longer collection and how easy do you find it to write the end of each book, knowing another will follow on?

MT: Now, this is a question and a half for me! I am now writing the fourth and final book of the Sons of Kings series, which is quite laughable when I think that I set out to cover the whole of King Alfred’s life in a single book. As I delved into research with relish, it very soon became obvious to me that a single book was out of the question. And that was before I decided to include a second protagonist. Once I got carried away with Eadwulf’s story, I soon realised I needed a trilogy. Then, lo and behold, I was writing the second half of Book 3 before I knew for certain that I wasn’t going to finish the story in that book, either! So, a four-book series it will be.

As for the ending of each book, I like to leave some indication that the story is ongoing, without making it into a blatant cliff hanger – which I know some readers really detest. I’d like to think that the endings of my three books leave readers speculating as to what could happen next, without leaving them unhappy that the story abruptly ended in mid-crisis, or feeling they’ve been tricked into reading the next book! I’d like to believe that any of my three Sons of Kings books so far can be read as ‘one-offs’. However, having said that, the character development throughout the series is ongoing, and reading Book 2 alone, for example, would mean readers meet the two protagonists as young men without knowing what they went through as boys – or how they changed, particularly Eadwulf. I imagine the same could be said about all book series which involve the same characters. 

TT: My original plan was to write a Young Adult trilogy, but when Wolf Girl was published it didn’t sell very widely and the publishers didn’t feel confident enough to take on another Anglo-Saxon setting. I was left with a half written sequel, a head full of ideas, a large library of Anglo-Saxon history books and growing interest in the period. I had for a while been thinking of trying an adult historical novel, particularly as I was finding that I wanted to focus more on older characters, as I too was growing old. When I re-read Wolf Girl, a secondary character, Fridgyth the herb-wife seemed to step forward and tell me that she’d been waiting patiently for me to notice her properly. She again fitted the bill as a fictional character, but one who could be there at the centre of the story and interacting with real historical events and people. So, I took up my original ideas for a second and third story and used them with the herb-wife as my protagonist, also moving the story onto a more adult level. A Swarming of Bees was eventually followed by Queen of a Distant Hive.

Now that I’m working on a fourth story I’m finding it quite difficult, as this wasn’t part of my original plan, however readers are asking for another book and I love stepping back into Fridgyth’s world - so I’m attempting to do it. The way to move forward seems to be to study what happened next historically both locally and in the wider world of that time and try to see where my herb-wife could have another adventure. I haven’t totally got things worked out yet, but real events around the death of King Oswy- and Queen Eanfleda’s move to Whitby seem to be offering scope and Fridgyth will get the opportunity to travel a little more. I haven’t really worried too much about finishing a book off, with another sequel in mind – I’m just happy to find a satisfactory ending and grateful that another story is completed.

AW: Millie, what drew you to the Anglo-Saxon period?

MT: I do love the Anglo-Saxon period, Annie. It’s a turbulent and violent period of history, but it is also a very long period of cultural, religious and political importance and change – as your fabulous book, ‘Mercia: The Rise and Fall of a Kingdom’ so brilliantly describes, and more! (AW: Blushes!) The years I cover in my books are set at the very beginnings of the unification of the kingdoms that leads to the development of England, and I’ve tried to show that throughout the series. But I have to admit, it was not the period that inspired me to write my Sons of Kings books, but Alfred himself. 

I first became interested in Alfred when we lived in Wantage for six years in the 1970s. Alfred was reputedly born in the town (in Berkshire until 1974, and in Oxfordshire after the county boundaries changed at that time) and there’s one of the two most famous statues of him in the Market Place there. The other one is in Winchester, which became Alfred’s

‘capital’.

I’ve loved writing my books about Alfred and Eadwulf, but now I’m looking forward to a new challenge, I’m a history lover in general, and often become engrossed in other periods. 

I have a number of ideas for my next full novel, and none of them involve Anglo-Saxon times. My next book will definitely be historical, and I’m presently wavering between Roman Britain and the 1950s. So, you can see how wide a range that is! 

AW: And Theresa, what drew you to the period?

TT: As children growing up in the Whitby area, we were told that the large numbers of ammonite fossils found along the coast were once poisonous snakes that had been turned into stone by the magic of Saint Hilda. This saint always sounded a little more interesting than other rather pious religious women of the past. Later, as an adult, I learnt that she had ruled over a large monastery of monks as well as nuns, this seemed to suggest that she had been a very powerful person indeed. I began to study the history of her time in more detail and found the sparse information known about Caedmon and Princess Aelfleda fascinating too. When excavations at Street House, by archaeologist Steve Sherlock, uncovered a mysterious Anglo-Saxon cemetery with high status graves and gold and garnet jewellery, very close to where I’d lived as a child, I was completely hooked.

AW: Both of you also write in other genres/periods. How easy is it to swap from one to the other? Do you have a favourite?

MT: I realise I’ve answered some of this question in my previous answer, but I’ll add that there are many periods of history I’m interested in, and not only British history. I used to think I only really liked ancient history – Greeks and Romans fascinated me – but I know now that many periods can fire my imagination. Delving into research is part of the fun of writing a book to me, so I’ll happily ‘get stuck in’ to whichever period I choose to write next time. 

As for different genres, I also write flash fiction and I love it! My short book ‘A Dash of Flash’ is a collection of 85 pieces ranging from 100 to 1,000 words. I enjoy the challenge of writing a story with a beginning, middle and end in so few words. But in all honesty, writing a novel is so much more satisfying and I get a real buzz when I actually reach the end.

TT: I like working on two books at the same time. I have found that it works well to be writing a young adult, or adult historical novel, alongside a much shorter time-slip story, usually aimed at primary school children. Inevitably I get stuck – or a bit worn out with one project and find it a relief to set it aside for a while and turn my attention to the other story. It seems that by taking the pressure off for a while and focussing on something else, solutions miraculously emerge to sticky problems. 

I really can’t say that I have an absolutely favourite time period, but as well as the Anglo-Saxons, I have developed a special interest in the Victorian period and also in the history of steel.

Fascination with the beautiful Victorian and Edwardian photographs of fisher people by Frank Meadow Sutcliffe led to an interest in Victorian Whitby and its many industries. Until I was eleven, I lived next door to the gates of Skinningrove Steelworks in Cleveland. The dust and noise, the sights and sounds of the men walking into work every morning has always stayed with me. At a later date I lived in both Rotherham and then Sheffield, so the history of steel has become a regular theme that I’ve used especially for time-slip stories for younger children. Meet Me by the Steelmen, now published by Award Publications, is often used in schools in the South Yorkshire area and Forged in Steel, a sequel, is due to be published in Spring 2020.

AW: Thank you both for telling us about your books and writing processes. Readers who wish to discover more can do so here:

https://milliethom.com/

https://www.theresatomlinson.com/

Review: Women in Medieval England by Lynda Telford

I am privileged to have received a pre-publication copy of this wonderful new book by Lynda Telford, a fellow Amberley author.

Perhaps I should start this review by quoting a section of the press-release:

'The author starts by contrasting the differences in status between Anglo-Danish or Saxon women with those who fell under the burden of the feudal system imposed by the Normans. She covers such subjects as marriage and childbirth, the rights an responsibilities of wives, separation and divorce, safety and security and the challenges of widowhood.'

The first chapter drew me in immediately. 'The Loss of Equality' gives an overview of the status and general lot of pre-Conquest women. I spend my life writing and reading about Anglo-Saxon England, so there were few surprises here for me. The chapter provides a good overview, although it is not reign-specific. However, the author makes good use of the law codes, which is where we find most of the information about the rights of women at this time. There is always something new to ponder, and the author makes a particularly good point, and one which I've not heard mooted before, regarding the changes which came about after 1066. She says that the noble widows, forced to marry new Norman overlords, might at least have had a rudimentary understanding of the language - there were many Normans at the court of Edward the Confessor, who had himself spent many years in Normandy - but the 'peasantry' would not have had any grasp at all of the foreign language. How truly terrifying that must have been.

Of course, the main focus of the book is the fate of women after the Normans took control, and the subsequent chapters contain a wealth of information about how women lived and what was expected of them. Nuggets of information include discussions about what exactly constituted marriage, and the fact that it was not uncommon for two women to claim consummation with the same man.

In Chapter Three we learn of rather unusual, but quite logical, methods of contraception and some rather brutal cures for male impotence, including one which might have worked, but resulted in a crop of nettle stings. Ouch!

This is not a 'sensational' book in that sense, however. The horrors of childbirth, while told in unflinching detail, serve only to demonstrate how precarious life was.

The legal status of married women is explored in detail, and we learn how much women were supposed to defer to their husbands, and how much and often their husbands could chastise them. (I had not hitherto known the derivation of the phrase 'rule of thumb'.)

Although this is a general history, looking at the plight and situation of women across the social spectrum, it is liberally peppered with examples of individual stories, and is the richer for it. We also learn some interesting specifics: in 1422, women who sold fish were not allowed to oversee the trading in oysters in London's Queenhithe. We also learn of the opportunities which opened up for survivors of the Black Death.

This is a thoroughly researched book, an easy read, but packed full of information. Some of it familiar, but much of it new, certainly to this reader. As with the first chapter, that information is presented in a thematic way, and not reign-specific. Because I not only read about history, but use books for my own study and research, I would have preferred a little more detail about how life changed for women, not only post-Conquest, but in the subsequent centuries covered in this book.

In that vein, I would also have preferred a little more information in the notes at the back of the book, where only the names of the source books are given, and not the relevant page numbers. For those wishing to pursue further study, this will be frustrating.

All in all, an accessible book which provides masses of detail in an extremely readable way. I'd heartily recommend it to anyone interested in learning more about the role, status and general lot of women in medieval England.