Garden History

My interest in gardening and history extends to Garden History and the effect of changes in climate over the years. At the moment I am reading A little History of British Gardening by Jenny Uglow.

It begins with a mention of the Iron Age in the first Chapter: 'Did the Romans Have Rakes" and is a mine of information. Ms Uglow describes gardens large and small, the plants and the gardeners.  She writes:

"I wish there were medieval monastic gardens for us to visit, to wander from the cloister to the orchard, the infirmary to the fish ponds, the paradise where flowers were grown to the rows of kale and leeks. But even if we cannot visit them we know that the monks and nuns enjoyed their gardens.

At Winchester the clerk of works had a private garden called 'La Joye'. And in 1108, on the day that he died, the ailing archbishop of York walked in his garden to breathe the air and the scent of flowers.'

Every time I go into my own organic garden I appreciate the legacy of fresh air and the scent of flowers also enjoyed so long ago by the archbishop.

Introduction to Rosemary Morris Best Selling Novelist

There is a gigantic canvas for a historical novelist to choose from.

I am Rosemary Morris, a best-selling historical novelist. My novels are set in the early 14^th century during the reign of Edward II, in that of Charles II’s niece, Queen Anne Stuart, who reigned from 1702 to 1714, and the ever-popular Regency era.

I chose those periods because each of them affected the course of history. world. If Edward II had won the Battle of Bannockburn, it is feasible that he would have conquered Scotland and, perhaps he would not have been deposed. Had the Duke of Marlborough lost The War of Spanish Succession, and The Duke of Wellington had been defeated by Napoleon at The Battle of Waterloo, the history of Britain and that of Europe would be different. Defeat would also have had far-reaching consequences for the rest of the world.

The more I read about my chosen eras the more fascinated I become, and the more aware of the gulf between the past and present. Those who lived in the past shared the same emotions as we do, but their attitudes and way of life were in many ways very different to ours. One of the most striking examples was the social position of women and children in in bygone ages.

 My characters, are of their time, not men, women and children dressed in costume who behave like 21st century people. 

Research of my chosen eras sparks my imagination. The seeds of my novels are sown, and from them sprout the characters and events which will shape their lives.

I was born in Kent. As a child, when I was not making up stories, my head was ‘always in a book.’

While working in a travel agency, I met my Hindu husband. He encouraged me to continue my education at Westminster College.  In 1961 I and my husband, by then a barrister, moved to his birthplace, Kenya, where I lived from 1961 until 1982. After an attempted coup d’état, four of my children lived with me in an ashram in France.

Back in England, I wrote historical fiction, joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association, The Historical Novel Society, Watford Writers and on line groups, and am now published by Books We Love Ltd

Apart from writing, I enjoy classical Indian literature, reading, visiting places of historical interest, vegetarian cooking, growing organic fruit, herbs and vegetables and creative crafts. 

My bookshelves are so crammed with historical non-fiction, which I use to research my novels, that if I buy a new book I have to consider getting rid of one.

Time spent with my five children and their families, most of whom live near me, is precious.

My Website. www.rosemarymorris.co.uk

My Publisher. http://bookswelove.net