Margaret Catchpole

I’ve just read Richard Cobbold’s novel, based on the life if his mother’s servant Margaret Catchpole. First published in 1847, the book tells a good story, about romance, crime and smuggling on the Suffolk coast. It also reveals some interesting perspectives on deportation, which meant a pioneering life in Australia for those for whom a death sentence was commuted.

In common with all good writers, Cobbold based his book on the life of someone he knew, and the story he wrote was not dissimilar to the life led by Margaret Catchpole. Reading this book has helped me appreciate that my next book, in which I will explore our relationship with earth and our innate desire to excavate it, must be as much about my journey of exploration as about the people I meet.

My most recent book, Where are the Fellows who Cut the Hay is in part autobiographical, so for this one must I must take my reader with me on my journey. That journey is starting right now!