Why a Booktrail?
Destination: Medieval Kent Departure Time: 1530s
A descriptive treat of medieval Kent
Plague Land (Somershill Manor Mystery 1)
What you need to know before your trail
Oswald de Lacy was never meant to be the Lord of Somershill Manor.
He was sent off to a monastery at the age of seven to live a life of servitude but is forced home when his two elder brothers and his father die from the plague.
He has no experience of living in the real world let alone living as Lord of the Manor and on his return finds Somershill manor a lot different to how he left it. His mother and sister however are there and they will be on standby if the peasants get out of control.
But one day a death changes everything and Oswald is keen to find out what happened to the dead woman Alison Starvecrow as there are rumours that it was a band of demonic dog-headed men. Oswald wants to find the truth but in doing so, he’s going to be dragged right into the heart of Kent’s political intrigue and dark goings on.
Travel Guide
Medieval Kent was a dark dark and deadly place to be. The time is 1350 and the smell of death is all around. Oswald returns to this reality after the solitude of the monastery and so is shocked and horrified by the reality which faces him. Black Death England kills, darkens and blackens in every sense of the word.
Somershill Manor
A fictional estate in the fictional town of Somershill. There is a real life Somershill House in Tonbridge Kent which is a grade one listed Jacobean mansion so very different to the house Oswald found. However he becomes lord of the manor in the area. Everything is changed here from the landscape to the residents and the recent arrival of local priest Cornwall is a concern for he is spreading ‘superstitious nonsense’ around the village and encouraging fear and belief to rule the masses.
The Plague
Bubonic plague or The Black Death killed many people in its wake during this time and has left a decimated population behind. There are plague pits for those who die and hideouts for those trying to survive in the thick wilderness that is rural England at this time, The forests are wild, the conditions of life dirty and overwhelming.
Almost like a sort of apocalyptic world, from which there seems no respite.
Where Next?
