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.
Sign up for my NEWSLETTER to get regular updates, early notice of new blog posts, and book recommendations. You will receive a FREE copy of my short story "The Alabaster Angel" when you subscribe.
Sign up for updates about my writer's journey, research insights, events and my adventures in the wonderful world of sixteenth century clothing.
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.
Learn MoreFew 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.…..
Learn MoreEvery old house has its fair share of ghost-stories, chilling tales that are handed down through th…
Portrait of Sir Walter Raleigh (painted around 1598) Nati…
16th century women’s informal and workaday headgear
Most of the familiar portraits of sixtee…
I loved listening to this book. You get a lot of books about Henry viii, but this one was unique in…
Incredibly fascinating story. well researched and written in a manner that kept me very entertained…