LOCAL author Annette Burkitt will be at Winstone’s Hunting Raven bookshop in Cheap Street, signing her new novel about the Saxon kings in Frome and Cheddar, The Gorge, on Sunday 7th November (market day) from 11-3pm.
“Come and say hello!” says Annette, who will also be giving a talk about The Gorge at Frome library on Saturday, 27th November at 11a.m.
“The Gorge is a novel written to make the events and characters of the tenth century more accessible to the general reader. King Edmund, one of the heirs of King Alfred, has to balance power between the Church and state. With a backdrop of Frome and Cheddar Saxon palaces and Shaftesbury Abbey, court intrigue, secrets and power-seeking by the well-documented chief characters of the times are explored.
“The Gorge draws on historical and archaeological sources, following on from Flesh and Bones of Frome Selwood and Wessex, my first book about King Athelstan. There is information for the interested reader to explore further.
“Frome, in the Saxon period, and particularly in the tenth century, was a very important place in the history of the making of England. The fact that it was established as a missionary monastic centre by Aldhelm in the seventh century is not the only reason that Frome should make it into the history books.
“It is known that King Athelstan held his parliament here in 934, that King Eadred died here in 955, and that there was a mint here in the early eleventh century in King Canute’s reign. There was a large and well-used Saxon palace here, near St John’s church. These are the bare bones of what, when you look more closely at the evidence in the original written sources, make Frome an extremely interesting Wessex town, well-known and favoured by many Saxon kings.
“Many people in Frome do not realise that our town was an important place in the history of the making of England,” adds Annette. “A third book (to be published next year) will complete the trilogy of novels about our landscape and Frome’s role in the history of the early medieval period. When Saxonvale is eventually developed for housing, it will be important to watch for clues about our Saxon past. There could be a few surprises!”
The Gorge, and the first book in the trilogy, Flesh and Bones of Frome Selwood and Wessex, are published by Hobnob Press, local history publisher, and priced at £12.95 and available from Winstone’s Hunting Raven bookshop in Cheap Street.
