1666 And All That discussion

I'm MJ - Mel, to my friends, and I do not think I look much like Elizabeth Cromwell but..
I think I fell in love with the period as a result of two authors: Pamela Belle, and The Moon In The Water book (yes, I am a little bit in love with Francis Heron, but he has to share me with Thomas Fairfax) and Rosemary Sutcliff.

And then I'm from Lancashire, and my family is Bolton-bred. And you can't not be from the Geneva of the North and not be a bit fierce for Parliiament, can you?

Hi and Happy New Year. What a wonderful find this morning when I saw the Facebook post about this new group, I have been looking for a Goodreads group that focused upon the Stuart period for some time.

My name is Sue and I live on the south coast of England. I studied Modern European history at university in the 1970s and now read, purely for personal interest and pleasure, books about Early Modern English History from the Plantagenets to the Stuarts.

In 2016 I read about the reigns of Charles I and Charles II and I am now reading about the `Glorious Revolution' of 1688. I enjoy both fiction and non-fiction and enjoy listening to radio plays and audio books. I spend a lot of time visiting art galleries and sites of historical interest.

Looking forward to sharing ideas and recommendations of what to read next.

Thank you for this group! My name is Alison and I write books set in the 17th century as Alison Stuart (no pun intended - Stuart was my maiden name!). I live in Australia.

I fell in love with the period of the English Civil War when my father read THE KING'S GENERAL (Du Maurier) to me. I think I must have been about 8 (hardly suitable reading but that was Dad!). According to family legend I have a couple of twiglets on the family tree who were regicides so I guess that dictates where my loyalties lie!

I cut my ECW fiction teeth on Rosemary Sutcliff and Barbara Softly's wonderful YA stories set in this period. Cleared the library of any book I could find set in the period and when I ran out, I started to write my own.

I have cheekily added my ECW books to the group library. AND THEN MINE ENEMY is just out and it is the first in a two book series spanning 1642-5. A somewhat ambitious project! Little wonder it has taken so long to get around to it.

You can find me on Goodreads Alison Stuart

M.J. wrote: "I'm MJ - Mel, to my friends, and I do not think I look much like Elizabeth Cromwell but..
I think I fell in love with the period as a result of two authors: Pamela Belle, and The Moon In The Water ..."

I adored Belle's Wintercombe series (and I am still in love with Nick!). It's great to see her bringing her books out again.

I'm from across the Pond and have been in love with history since I was a child (I am now a 65 year old cynical Hippie)...most of my reading at first was ancient history (Mary Renault's The King Must Die was pivotal in pointing me in that direction) and American history...but in 2013 I started writing book reviews and now I have "met" many authors (MJ, for instance) from around the globe who write wonderful tomes from many periods...I now know more about European/British history than I ever learned as a student. I have also taken on the blank page or computer screen, and have become a historical fiction author having written a tale (saga actually, this is the first volume) taking place in 18th century colonial America. Don't want to get MJ mad so I won't advertise it here :-) Looking forward to "meeting new friends of history"....

A great good morning from New York state. What a delight to find notice of this group first thing in the morning. I'm Anna, and I've been in love with the seventeenth century pretty much since I can remember. I think I was hardwired for history, straight out of the box, and that hasn't changed. Historical romance is my favorite genre, and I also enjoy historical fiction. My personal tipping point into century seventeen becoming one of my all time favorites was the work of historical romance author, Valerie Sherwood, (who also wrote one other book as Rosamund Royal) who brought the period to vibrant, glittering life.

I have The Moon in the Wateron my reread list for this year, as it's been a while since my first reading, and look forward to discovering new titles and talking about old favorites. For a romantic historical novel, The King's General, by Daphne DuMaurier, is amazing, with an unforgettable love story.

So far, I have written one historical romance novel set at the end of the English Civil War, Orphans in the Storm and am planning on others. I also write in a variety of historical settings, but the seventeenth century has a very special place in my heart. I am thrilled to find a community of kindred spirits.

Hi everyone, I'm Deborah and I'm a huge fan of the 17th century. I fell in love with it after reading 'The Children of the New Forest' as a child, and then watching 'By The Sword Divided' on TV.

Thanks to Mel for setting this up. I'm delighted we will be able to chat about the 'Civil War' without people thinking we mean the American one! As far as the English Civil War goes, I'm a bit of a turncoat and change sides often, depending on who I'm writing about at the time and who pulls at my heartstrings.

I have two books set in the 1660's, one in the Jacobean period, plus an English Civil War teen trilogy, and I'm working on an adult trilogy based around Pepys's Diary.
I blog on writing and the 17th century at http://www.deborahswift.com
And I'm on Goodreads here: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Ohhhh Anna now you have touched me on a nerve I love The King's General, but I loathe Richard Grenville with an unquenchable passion. If LauraLaura Quigley is around she can add one or two choice things about him!

You'll come to love the American one when I write book 5 or 6 in my saga :-)

Paul wrote: "You'll come to love the American one when I write book 5 or 6 in my saga :-)" There is a vicious rumour that the grandchildren of one red-haired Lancashire Dissenter boy may have ended up in America.... heaven help the Revolution if the Babbitt family was involved, eh?

Hi everyone! I'm from Canada and to me the only civil war of interest is the English one. I've loved the 17th century since I was young, starting with the 3 Musketeer stories. In fact, one of the instalments, 20 Years After, where some of the musketeers tried to save Charles I from the scaffold, ignited my interest in the ECW. My favourite book still remains The King's General, flawed Grenville and all. I'm a Charles II groupie and a big fan of Pepys diary (it's like a soap opera with the main character behaving badly) so eventually I may saunter to the Restoration. Right now the series I'm writing is loosely titled Road to the Restoration. I admit to having both Royalist and Leveller sympathies.

Hey, this is superb! There are more people who appreciate all the good things - and terrible things - C17 history has to offer. In Britain alone there was regicide, the sprouting of the new bourgeoisie, Rupert of the Rhine & the Duke of Marlborough . . . I could go on . . . My books are partly set in England, but mainly follow the charming rogue, Genoese merchant Ludo da Portovenere as he instigates a wicked Hispano-Vatican conspiracy in Amsterdam and then escapes across Europe and sails for Goa in India. Which is precisely where I am now - in the old Portuguese spice colony - editing book 2 in The Chosen Man trilogy. One of the best things about writing novels set in this epoch is all the fascinating scandals and scurrilous intrigues of the epoch. I really look forward to following this thread. Happy New Year, everyone.

M.J. wrote: "Ohhhh Anna now you have touched me on a nerve I love The King's General, but I loathe Richard Grenville with an unquenchable passion. If LauraLaura Quigley is around she can add on..."

I look forward to the discussion. Richard would have a lot of work to do to work as a hero in historical romance. Dude. I am thrilled to find others who have read this.

Hey everybody! So glad to be a part of the group. I'm Jess and I write C17 historical romance. I live in North Carolina now, but lived in Wales for 10 years and went to Uni there. My history degree was Medieval, but I got into the C17 through my husband, who is a C17 historian. I'm particularly interested in the history of the lower classes, medicine, disease, sex, etc -- really just as much social history as I can get my hands on. I'm mostly focused on England at the moment, but also very interested in France, Italy, America, and the rest of the world.

My C17 series is called The Southwark Saga and falls somewhere between Histfic and HistRom -- there's way more history than your average romance, but they do have central love stories and they're not at all PG. My first non-fiction history book is coming out this year with Pen & Sword, and I also run a history blog called Dirty, Sexy History (http://www.dirtysexyhistory.com) -- this is not so much an advertisement as a plea for submissions! Always looking for new contributors, so if you fancy being a guest, hit me up! :)

Hi Jess, I'd describe my story the same way- a cross between HF and HR. I enjoy your blog posts very much.

Anna wrote: "M.J. wrote: "Ohhhh Anna now you have touched me on a nerve I love The King's General, but I loathe Richard Grenville with an unquenchable passion. If LauraLaura Quigley is around s..."

It was the King's General for me too! He is such a tortured and irredeemable hero.
Although I wonder if it wasn't the story about the skeleton in the hidden room at Menabilly that fired my imagination.

The skeleton grabbed me, too. Absoultely chilling concept.

Things would be different in a historical romance but there is that feel at the end that, maybe, this time, thing might have a different outcome for our lovers.

I think it might be time for a reread in the near future.

The best scene for me in the King's General is that game of cards with Honor and Gartred while the house was being searched. Brilliant scene.

Cryssa wrote: "The best scene for me in the King's General is that game of cards with Honor and Gartred while the house was being searched. Brilliant scene."

That scene is amazing. Honor has got some backbone.

Cryssa wrote: "Hi Jess, I'd describe my story the same way- a cross between HF and HR. I enjoy your blog posts very much."

Thank you so much, Cryssa! It sounds like I'd love your books! :D

I'm a Scot living in the deep South (AKA Surrey). I've been re-enacting the mid 17th century for over 20 years, although not as much as I used to since small children have been around.

I write things, design games and read lots, most of which I review. Amongst many other things I have an outline for a history of the military campaigns following the Glorious Revolution, it's waiting until my Open University degree is finished (in June this year). So I expect it will be a 2018 publication.

Sue wrote: "Hi and Happy New Year. What a wonderful find this morning when I saw the Facebook post about this new group, I have been looking for a Goodreads group that focused upon the Stuart period for some t..."

If you've got any recommendations on the Glorious Revolution I'd love to know, I'm building my reading list slowly but surely. https://www.cold-steel.org/2015/1689-...

Hello everyone, I live in East Anglia and came to the 17th century by accident really. Out walking one day I came across this amazing 17th century manor house on the North West Norfolk coast, and it fired my imagination. Research led me to the L'Estrange family and their involvement in the siege of King's Lynn in 1643. Civil War, of course. It was a story begging to be written, so I embarked on the research and focused on one member of the family, and wrote the book. Twenty years later, I finally published it as For the King. In between times I found myself writing about the Pilgrim Fathers (1620) and another book about L'Estrange also followed. I'm currently working on another 17th century story about an explorer/buccaneer. So now I am a bone fide member of 17th century lovers. I am pleased to be a member of the group and I thank Mel for inviting me to join.

Huzzah for the 17th Century! Hi everyone, I spend my time pond-hopping and write biographical HF. I'm really fortunate to have a rich mine of well-documented ancestors who happened to be at the right place at the right time to witness some pretty interesting events. Great inspiration to write about. My current WIP is set from 1630-1646 and features Lucy Hutchinson (her mother was a St.John), her Royalist brother, and a peek of Cromwell (whose cousin married a St.John). Oh yes, and THAT Oliver St.John. My first novel opened with the death of the Tudor dynasty (hurrah!) and is set against the backdrop of the James - Charles - Buckingham menage. Really, readers, SO much more interesting than the Tudors! Thanks for including me in the group, and looking forward to meeting everyone.

I am Susanne from Denmark. When I was nine years old I became so fascinated with and so enamoured of Alexandre Dumas’ great novel ”The Three Musketeers” that I decided that I would become a musketeer myself. So I learned to ride, fence, shoot and speak French and have been a fully fledged musketeer for many years. I still think that Dumas’ novel is the best piece of historical fiction ever written and others seem to agree with me, look at how many films and TV-series have been based on it.

After Dumas came Sir Walter Scott whose novels I have all read (it’s true!) and a host of other historical fiction novels but though I am interested in other historical periods it is the Seventeeth Century which really holds my heart. Apart from fiction I have read a lot of non-fiction as I am the kind of person who wants to “know” what really went on, even if it was not to my liking and even if it made some of my heroes seem more like ordinary people than heroes.

I have an interest in the Thirty Years War as my ancestors fought under the great Wallenstein but my favourite area is the English Civil War, the Restoration and the First Jacobite Rebellion.

So where do I stand? Well, with my great heroes and favourites Prince Rupert and Bonnie Dundee of course. Both very good commanders and then they are easy on the eye. John Graham of Claverhouse, Viscount Dundee (Bonnie Dundee) who single handed raised the Highlands for James VII/II is in my opinion the most beautiful man in the 17th Century. He is on my avatar here on Goodreads.

God save the King!

Susanne - have you read my good friend Charles Singleton's book on Montrose? "Famous by my Sword" published by Helion.

No, I am sorry to say. I have only read a couple of books about him apart from Scott's, but after reading them (one was by Wedgwood) I became so depressed by the ending that I simply couldn't bring myself to read more about him, though he is just up my street : Cavalier fighting for his king and a very able commander. But I HATE his end and can't bear to read about it. It should not exclude me from reading about the military side of his life but it has until now, I'm afraid.


Singleton's book is in the Century of the Soldier series and I know of one book in the series that I certainly am going to read : No Armour But Courage, Colonel Sir George Lisle, 1615 - 1648, another favourite.

I imagine Serena will be pleased to hear that :-D

She'd better be! I have been a fan of George Lisle ever since I read Serena's novel "Last Prayers to Heaven" about him. What was done to him and Charles Lucas was pure revenge. No wonder Fairfax writes next to nothing about the affair in his memoirs.

Susanne wrote: "She'd better be! I have been a fan of George Lisle ever since I read Serena's novel "Last Prayers to Heaven" about him. What was done to him and Charles Lucas was pure revenge. No wonder Fairfax wr..."

I find Fairfax bemusing in the extreme. Up until - well, till Marston Moor, really - he comes across as a decent, honourable, slightly humourless, earnest gentleman of a certain class. And afterwards, what? Downhill. It's as if up till then he thought "this isn't a real war, it'll all be over bar the shouting in a week, the King will back down and see sense... oh."
And then by Colchester I think - yes, pure vengeance. I think he'd had enough. Sickened by the whole thing and wanting payback.

Rainsborough, though. Rainsborough troubles me. Because he's at all the nastiest parts of the war, like some sort of zealous stormcrow.

Hello All,
Sorry I'm a little late to the party, but I've finally got here. :)

There ain't no party like an S Club party Debby! :-)
(S, obviously, standing for Sixteen sixty six, or Seventeenth Sentury, or HopkinSSS... I think you're flying the flag for SupernaturalS though!)

Good day to you all! Please pardon my delay, but my new babe keeps me quite occupied these days. I'm Andrea Zuvich, and I run The Seventeenth Century Lady website and Twitter @17thCenturyLady I know several of you quite well (hi, ladies!). I'm originally from the USA, but I've lived here in the UK for nearly a decade, my husband is English, his mother is Scottish, and I've had a thing about the history of seventeenth-century Europe since I was a kid. I've published two historical fiction books His Last Mistress (about the Duke of Monmouth), The Stuart Vampire (an alternative history/horror about Henry Stuart, Duke of Gloucester), had a short story (The Chambermaid) in the Steel & Lace Anthology, and have published two non-fiction history books, The Stuarts in 100 Facts, and A Year in the Life of Stuart Britain. I'm always happy to host guest posts about any topic in the seventeenth century on my site, so feel free to ask. I hope you all have a splendid day! All the best, AZ

How are you doing with Rainsborough?

The last post was for Mel, I thought thyat I was responding to her post of the 6th. Sorry! Not very good at this sort of thing :-(

Well, he has been currently relegated to second place behind Sir John Arundell, governor of Pendennis during the siege there, as someone has been daft enough to turn me loose on a biography of him!
I think my new career is going to be publicist for little-known figures of the Civil Wars. I'd love to do John Lambert, too.

M.J. wrote: "Well, he has been currently relegated to second place behind Sir John Arundell, governor of Pendennis during the siege there, as someone has been daft enough to turn me loose on a biography of him!..."

That's what I did with Roger L'Estrange, Mel. Although at the time, he was not 'little known' but quite famous. Or infamous. And remained so until he died in 1704. He's not so famous to modern readers, though.

Hello Everyone!
I am a big fan of historical fiction and the English Civil War has always fascinated me. I have never written historical fiction, but recently I had an idea for a novel so when I saw this group I thought it would be a good place to chat to like minded individuals. My reading on the English Civil War has been mainly non-fiction, but I did enjoy The King's General and As Meat Loves Salt. I am currently reading The Last Roundhead and any suggestions for more reading will be welcome!
I have fond memories of the BBC series By the Sword Divided, and loved the film Winstanley, so I would also like to hear about any films, TV series or stageplays that people have enjoyed.

Hi Eric,
You'll probably be swamped with recommendations considering the excellent authors on the list. If you like the war aspect of the ECW, I can recommend M.J Logue's Uncivil War series starting with Red Horse. It starts right at the beginning of the war.

Thanks Cryssa - that one is definitely on my 'to read' list!

Gosh I hope you enjoy Roundhead, Eric.

Welcome to the group, Eric.

There is so much to recommend, so where to begin? If you enjoy battles and such I am sure you will enjoy Michael Arnold and Giles Kristian. I shall never forget reading about Sir Bevil Grenville's charge at Stratton in Michael Arnold's 'Hunter's Rage'; one of the best battle descriptions I have ever read. You were right there in the thick of it with the pikemen who carried the day without firing a shot as the Royalist army had run out of powder. There's Nicholas Carter and his two protagonists, one from each camp. Lighter, with a lot of humour, but extremely good too. Other favourites include Pamela Belle, Stella Riley and Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. I thoroughly enjoyed V.C. Letemendia's novels, they were something different. You get more politics and intrigues.

Gosh, I can't name them all but feel free to browse my library, if in doubt follow the stars.

Oh, and I nearly forgot : there's a mad cake woman on the loose out there somewhere writing about some rebel rabble. Now I'm a Royalist but I just love those boys! I'm sure you will too. The novels are plain brilliant!

Thanks for all the suggestions Susanne - as you say there is a lot to choose from! At the moment I am half way through The Last Roundhead (and loving it Jemahl!) and I want to have a look at Red Horse next.

:)

Hello everyone!

I'm H.E. and originally hail from the West Country. I currently dabble in writing historical fiction, as well as wry-humoured tales touching upon supernatural and occult themes (perhaps unusual for a dyed-in-the-wool sceptic such as myself). I also have the pleasure of helping out at a National Trust property that is decorated as it would have been in the seventeenth century.

It's good to find a group full of seventeenth-century enthusiasts. I must admit to being a little perplexed as to why it isn't generally as popular as say (somewhat notoriously ;-)) the Tudor period, given the incredible changes in social and intellectual life that took place. In England, the century heralded the dawning of a truly modern society, insofar as it began with deeply ingrained popular beliefs in witchcraft and magic, religious zealotry and a system of absolutist monarchy, but ended with the rise of a modern scientific outlook stimulated by the activities of the Royal Society, Newton, Hooke and Boyle, religious toleration, and a constitutional monarchy limited by Parliament. Add to that the thankfully distant drama of the Civil War, plague and fire, and there is combustible and enthralling material aplenty for any drama.

To date, I have written one novella set during this period - The Cleft Owl - based upon peculiar occult goings on in Widecombe-in-the-Moor. Please be aware that the Goodreads link below displays its old cover, for it now possesses a newer and better one on Amazon:



I am currently working on a novel set in seventeenth-century Cornwall and beyond - Pendrummel: Gwen Gwinnel's Return - which I hope to have published later this year. If you should be inquisitive as to what inspired The Cleft Owl, this short blog article ought to whet your appetite: http://www.hebulstrode.co.uk/?p=250

Some of my favourite titles set in this period were penned by Iain Pears, Rose Tremain and Rafael Sabatini. I have yet to read Conan Doyle's Micah Clarke, which is of particular interest given that it is tied to the Monmouth Rebellion. Have any of you read this novel?

Hello H.E.
Thanks for sharing your book details - another one to add to my to read list! And the Conan Doyle will have to go on it as well!

Good Friday and I'm procrastinating instead of writing...

Eric wrote: "Hello H.E.
Thanks for sharing your book details - another one to add to my to read list! And the Conan Doyle will have to go on it as well!"

You're welcome Eric. I hope that you enjoy it. It will also be included as part of an anthology that I will be publishing at the end of this month - Wry Out West - alongside four of my other West Country Tales. This will be available in paperback, as well as in Kindle format.

I'm currently reading some of Conan Doyle's short stories (non-Holmes related), but have yet to track down a copy of Micah Clarke.

I hope it is not too late to join this group. By way of an introduction, could I offer a blog post on 17th Century fiction and how I think it can feel so relevant today.

https://charlescordell.com/17th-centu...

Charles Cordell

I hope this is not too cheeky, but could I offer two relatively recently published novels set within the English Civil War: