Mistress of Dartington Hall – in which Ms Griggs brings 16th century England to vivid life!

Today, I am hosting Rosemary Griggs and her book Mistress of Dartington Hall as part of her ongoing Coffee Pot Book Club tour. Now, I am not generally a big fan of Tudor England, but I really enjoyed Ms Grigg’s previous book about Dartington–well, more specifically about the female protagonist, Roberda–so when the opportunity came up to read the sequel, I said YES!!! You will find my review further down.

Now, the 16th century is (despite my aversion for Tudor England, or maybe it is more an aversion to yet another story about Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn) an utterly fascinating place. This, dear peeps, is the time of Reformation, of the Holy Church reeling under the spreading flames of Calvinism and Protestantism–and using its temporal allies to hit back. Viciously. Hence Spain attacking England, France torn apart by the religious wars that spawned the horrors of the St Bartholomew Day Massacre. Roberda is a child of that violent time–her father, Gabriel de Lorges, Count of Montgomery, was a Protestant war leader in France.

Dartington, set in placid Devon is far removed from the centre of things–and potential conflict. Or is it? Let us start by checking out the blurb!

Mistress of Dartington Hall

1587. England is at war with Spain. The people of Devon wait in terror for King Philip of Spain’s mighty armada to unleash untold devastation on their land.

Roberda, daughter of a French Huguenot leader, has been managing the Dartington estate in her estranged husband Gawen’s absence. She has gained the respect of the staff and tenants who now look to her to lead them through these dark times.

Gawen’s unexpected return from Ireland, where he has been serving Queen Elizabeth, throws her world into turmoil. He joins the men of the west country, including his cousin, Sir Walter Raleigh, and his friend Sir Francis Drake, as they prepare to repel a Spanish invasion. Amidst musters and alarms, determined and resourceful Roberda rallies the women of Dartington. But, after their earlier differences, can she trust Gawen? Or should she heed the advice of her faithful French maid, Clotilde?

Later Roberda will have to fight if she is to remain Mistress of Dartington Hall, and secure her children’s inheritance. Can she ever truly find fulfilment for herself?

Universal Buy Link: https://books2read.com/u/4jjOZk

My review

In the late 1580s, England is holding its breath: word has it that Philip of Spain is assembling a huge fleet, aiming to attack the English. Along the coasts, beacons are set up, and people fret and pray as they await the papist attack. In Dartington, uncomfortably close to the Devon coast, it is Mistress Champernowne who is doing her best to keep her people calm while overseeing the preparations to withstand—or flee—an attack.

Roberda Champernowne not only has to deal with potential Spanish invasions: her life is further complicated by the very strained relationship with her husband, Gawen. Why strained? Because Gawen—rat’s arse that he is—attempted to divorce her some years ago by falsely accusing her of adultery.  Didn’t work—the queen herself interceded—and since then, Gawen has found it wise to stay well away from home. But now, Gawen is back, and while everything logical in Roberda is cautioning her not to take his contrition at face value, it doesn’t take long before Gawen has wiggled himself back into her affections—and bed.

Ms Griggs familiarity with the Devon countryside, with Dartington Hall, with her cast of IRL characters (yes, Roberda and Gawen are real people) shines through on every page. The setting springs to rich and vibrant life, as does Tudor England, be it the political complexities of the time, the customs or the everyday details around food and dress. Most of all, though, Ms Griggs gives us Roberda, this engaging, strong woman whose voice resonates down the centuries. Roberda breathes and lives again in Ms Grigg’s novel—but she does so within the constraints imposed by her time, a time where a wife was subservient to her husband in everything.

Roberda will come to realise that trusting Gawen again was not a good idea. But Roberda is resilient and brave—she grew up surrounded by war, raised by a mother who in everything was Roberda’s father’s equal partner. Along the way, Roberda will reclaim her own, French Huguenot identity, presenting herself as Gabrielle Roberda de Montgomery. This reader silently cheers her on and thanks Ms Griggs for a wonderful reading experience!

****

Author and speaker Rosemary Griggs has been researching Devon’s sixteenth-century history for years. She has discovered a cast of fascinating characters and an intriguing network of families whose influence stretched far beyond the West Country. She loves telling the stories of the forgotten women of history — the women beyond the royal court; wives, sisters, daughters and mothers who played their part during those tumultuous Tudor years: the Daughters of Devon. 

Her novel, A Woman of Noble Wit, set in Tudor Devon, is the story of the life of Katherine Champernowne, Sir Walter Raleigh’s mother. The Dartington Bride, follows Lady Gabrielle Roberda Montgomery, a young Huguenot noblewoman, as she travels from war-torn France to Elizabethan England to marry into the prominent Champernowne family. Mistress of Dartington Hall, set in the time of the Spanish Armada, continues Roberda’s story.

Rosemary is currently working on her first work of non-fiction — a biography of Kate Astley, childhood governess to Queen Elizabeth I, due for publication in 2026.

Rosemary creates and wears sixteenth-century clothing, and brings the past to life through a unique blend of theatre, history and re-enactment at events all over the West Country. Out of costume, Rosemary leads heritage tours at Dartington Hall, a fourteenth-century manor house that was home of the Champernowne family for 366 years.

Author Links:

Website: https://rosemarygriggs.co.uk/

Twitter / X: https://x.com/ragriggsauthor

Facebook: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ladykatherinesfarthingale

Instagram: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/griggs6176/

Threads: Threads: https://www.threads.net/@griggs6176

Bluesky: BlueSky:  https://bsky.app/profile/ragriggsauthor.bsky.social

Amazon Author Page:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Rosemary-Griggs/author/B09GY6ZSYF

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/21850977.Rosemary_Griggs