Subtitled ‘Glossopdale’s Elizabethan folk hero’, this is a fascinating account of the life, actions, attitudes, courage, and determination of a man who can probably be held responsible for significantly improved changes in the relationships between landowner and tenant.
The book is set during the reign of Elizabeth I at the time when she incarcerated her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots, because of her devout Catholicism and her claim to the English throne.
But this is a living tale, a reconstruction if you like, of the times and philosophy of an real man who fought against the authorities for the rights of himself and his neighbours at a time when to do so was fraught with danger and even the threat of death at the hands of those authorities.
There is earthy humour, as would be expected of those who live off the land. Folk wisdom emerges here and there. Insights into the power of religion and the way the church dominated the lives of all classes are dealt with in a subtle manner that allows the thoughtful reader to ponder on that power as it relates to our current monarchy.
The characters who populate the pages range from the ‘highest’ in the land to the lowest beggars and imprisoned victims of a justice system still very crude and ill-formed. They include martinets, lords, bailiffs, thieves, agricultural workers, farmers, ladies of wealth and power, wise women who are healers, and the downtrodden wives of many men. All are drawn with the sort of skill that makes them real people, folk the reader can care about, dislike, and know as friends.
I had never heard of Harry Botham, but was aware of Glossopdale from a short visit to the Peak District, Derbyshire, in England. He is a character who should be taught to all children at school, since his actions were undoubtedly responsible for real and lasting improvements to the way in which land ownership and particularly the rights of tenants of landholders were dealt with at the time and are now set down.
At the end of the book there is an Afterword, which presents a concise history of the times, along with references and sources of interest to those who wish to delve further into the facts, such as they are known, of the period and incidents portrayed. I’d advise anyone unfamiliar with English history of the 1570s and 80s to read this short piece before reading the story. It will give useful background to help understand the realities of the times.
A read that entertains, informs, educates and illuminates.

[Any review is a personal opinion. No reviewer can represent the view of anyone else. The best we can manage is an honest reaction to any given book.]