Rosemary Griggs banner

Author and speaker

Welcome to my website.

I've been researching Devon's sixteenth-century history for years and I've discovered a cast of fascinating characters and an intriguing network of families whose influence stretched far beyond the west country. I love 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.

My 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.

The Dartington Bride is the extraordinary story of Lady Gabrielle Roberda Montgomery who came to Elizabethan England to marry into one of Devon’s most prominent and well-connected families.

I also create and wear sixteenth-century clothing, a passion which complements my love for bringing the past to life through a unique blend of theatre, history and re-enactment. My appearances and talks for museums and community groups all over the West Country draw on extensive research into sixteenth-century Devon, Tudor life and particularly Tudor and Elizabethan, dress. 

Out of costume, I lead 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.

I hope you enjoy exploring my website. You'll find lots of articles on Devon history and sixteenth century costume and snippets from my research in my Blog.

It's worth popping back now and then as I update my website regularly.

I'd love to hear from you - please use the contact form for comments and questions, or to book a talk.

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The Dartington Bride

The Dartington Bride

March 28, 2024

The Dartington Bride tells the extraordinary story of Lady Gabrielle Roberda Montgomery, a woman who, after a childhood in war-torn France, came to England to marry into one of Devon’s most prominent and well connected families. Like most women of her time Roberda must be a good wife, run a large household and produce a son and heir.

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A Woman of Noble Wit

A Woman of Noble Wit

Sept. 28, 2021

Few women of her time lived to see their name in print. But Katherine was no ordinary woman. She was Sir Walter Raleigh’s mother, and she inspired her sons to follow their dreams.

As the daughter of a Devon family with close connections to the glittering court of King Henry VIII, Katherine’s duty is clear. Still a girl, she starts a new life at Greenway Court on the River Dart. She settles into the life of a dutiful wife and mother until a chance shipboard encounter with a handsome privateer, turns her world upside down.…..

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My latest novel - The Dartington Bride

The story of a young Huguenot woman who comes to England to marry into one of Devon's most prominent families

The Countess’ Room and the ghosts of Dartington Hall

October 27, 2024

Every old house has its fair share of ghost-stories, chilling tales that are handed down through th…


The Death of Katherine Raleigh’s Youngest Son, Sir Walter and The Red Velvet Bag

October 28, 2023

 

 

 

 

 

Portrait of Sir Walter Raleigh (painted around 1598) Nati…


Caps, Kerchers and Coifs

October 27, 2024

16th century women’s informal and workaday headgear

Most of the familiar portraits of sixtee…


Mistress of Dartington Hall

April 29, 2024 | The Dartington Bride

Betrothal

April 29, 2024 | The Dartington Bride

Edgecumbe’s Escape

December 23, 2023

Historical Novels Society Review of The Dartington Bride

November 02, 2024

Historical Novels Society Review of The Dartington Bride

Descriptive and emotional

September 23, 2024 | A Woman of Noble Wit

I loved listening to this book. You get a lot of books about Henry viii, but this one was unique in…


Fascinating story

June 24, 2024 | The Dartington Bride

Incredibly fascinating story. well researched and written in a manner that kept me very entertained…


Introducing Rosemary Griggs - author and sixteenth century seamstress

October 25, 2024