CROWNER JOHN is Sir John de Wolfe, a 12th century knight and Crusader, who was the first coroner appointed for Devon when in 1194, King Richard the Lionheart established the office in every English county. John was one of the king's bodyguard when Richard attempted to cross Europe after being ship-wrecked in the Adriatic on the way home from the Crusades, but Richard was captured and held hostage for over a year.
The establishment of the coroner system was in part intended to raise money to pay his huge ransom, as well as being a check on the corrupt sheriffs. The coroner was responsible for investigating deaths, assaults, rapes, fires, supervising hangings, ordeals, mutilations, finds of treasure trove and catches of the royal fish, this gives Crowner John ample scope for numerous adventures in medieval England.
The author brings his profound knowledge of the period to deliver a series of exciting stories, which numerous reviewers have applauded as a "national treasure", perfectly capturing the atmosphere of the times, "warts and all"!
A mass of historical detail is gently introduced, not only about great happenings, but also of the daily life of the common people of those remote times. Reader feedback from all over the world has confirmed that people enjoy learning about the life of people in the late 12th century, what they wore and what they ate, as well as the convoluted activites of lords, sheriffs and villains.
The series was born of Bernard Knight's professional interest in the history of the coroner system, under which he worked as a forensic pathologist for so many years, combined with his fascination for the12th century, folowing the writing of two 'straight' novels about that period in Wales.
Crowner John is a complex character, on the one hand a bluff professional soldier, hardened by two decades of fighting from Ireland to the Holy Land - yet he is a passionate man, often involved in amorous intrigues. Married against both their inclinations to Matilda, sister of Sir Richard de Revelle, the crooked sheriff of Devonshire, he had spent twenty years trying to avoid her by staying away to fight, accompanied by his trusty Cornish henchman, Gwyn of Polruan.
His long-tern mistress is Nesta, landlady of the The Bush tavern in Exeter, but he also has a yearning for his former sweetheart Hilda of Dawlish, a beautiful blonde Saxon.
The other permanent member of the cast is Thomas de Peyne, an unfrocked priest, who acts as his clerk. Small, stooped and lame, his unprepossessing appearance is relieved by an astute brain and wide knowledge of almost everything.
Many of the characters actually existed in history and usually held the positions described in the stories. Only de Wolfe is fictional, as history does not record the Devon coroners until the 13th century.
The author brings his profound knowledge of the period to deliver a series of exciting stories, which numerous reviewers have applauded as a "national treasure", perfectly capturing the atmosphere of the times, "warts and all"!
A mass of historical detail is gently introduced, not only about great happenings, but also of the daily life of the common people of those remote times. Reader feedback from all over the world has confirmed that people enjoy learning about the life of people in the late 12th century, what they wore and what they ate, as well as the convoluted activites of lords, sheriffs and villains.
The series was born of Bernard Knight's professional interest in the history of the coroner system, under which he worked as a forensic pathologist for so many years, combined with his fascination for the12th century, folowing the writing of two 'straight' novels about that period in Wales.
Crowner John is a complex character, on the one hand a bluff professional soldier, hardened by two decades of fighting from Ireland to the Holy Land - yet he is a passionate man, often involved in amorous intrigues. Married against both their inclinations to Matilda, sister of Sir Richard de Revelle, the crooked sheriff of Devonshire, he had spent twenty years trying to avoid her by staying away to fight, accompanied by his trusty Cornish henchman, Gwyn of Polruan.
His long-tern mistress is Nesta, landlady of the The Bush tavern in Exeter, but he also has a yearning for his former sweetheart Hilda of Dawlish, a beautiful blonde Saxon.
The other permanent member of the cast is Thomas de Peyne, an unfrocked priest, who acts as his clerk. Small, stooped and lame, his unprepossessing appearance is relieved by an astute brain and wide knowledge of almost everything.
Many of the characters actually existed in history and usually held the positions described in the stories. Only de Wolfe is fictional, as history does not record the Devon coroners until the 13th century.
All the other names are authentic for the period, being taken from the court rolls of Devon.
The books are notable for their historical accuracy and the faithful portrayal of medieval England, smells and all. Each story has a theme, such as tournaments, the Dartmoor tinners, witchcraft, the oppressive forest laws and many other facets of 12th century life, which give the books remarkable authenticity. A background to the plots is the endless scheming of Prince John to seize the throne from his brother Richard, which the coroner, as a staunch royalist, has to counter at every turn.
The series has received wide acclaim, being hailed as the natural successor to Ellis Peter's 'Cadfael'.
The BBC have dramatised two of the books in 2005 and 2007 as their Saturday Play on BBC Radio Four.
The Crowner John books are published by Simon & Schuster (UK) and all are available in hardback and paperback editions, as well as many being in Large Print and audio cassette or CD versions from Clipper Audio (W F Howes Ltd)
"Packed with the sights, sounds and smells of medieval England, the Crowner John series is a national treasure! "
BIRMINGHAM POST
