Robert Stott
author
William Hogarth is a spirited but vulnerable child, suffering degradation in a debtors’ prison and tormented by rich and powerful bullies. He learns at an early age about abuse of power and corrupt practices. Despite quickly developing a hatred of the social elite, Hogarth yearns to join them to escape his lowly status. His prolific artistic talent enables him to achieve this dream, his brilliant satirical prints bringing him esteem and national celebrity. But Hogarth is perverse, obstinate and wilful, creating prints that mock the very people he hopes to impress. His rebellious behaviour upsets powerful friends and his wife, while his candour and lack of discretion create a daunting array of committed enemies keen to take revenge and destroy his ambitions. In the end which will prevail – his enemies, his strutting, or his genius?
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Eighth century England is a muddle of factious kingdoms. Each nation fears its neighbours. Confrontations, massacres and suffering are rampant. In his monastery at Jarrow, monk Bede shivers in disbelief at this futile hostility and misery. He feels compelled to promote peace between the warring nations. But how? He is a monk. What chance has he? Determined to foster unity Bede faces severe challenges: the church is riddled with corruption, his inept king needlessly provokes war, senior churchmen censure his naive peace-keeping efforts, whilst many of Bede's own beliefs could sabotage his mission. But Bede is resolute and ultimately adopts a constructive strategy to encourage unity. Even this approach is fraught with danger.
In 8th century Britain the Anglo Saxon Christians expand their influence at the expense of the retreating Pagans. King Brom of Cumbria is outraged and gathers an army to fight back –his target is the Christian stronghold of Northumbria. His first assault will be to pillage the monastery at Lindisfarne.
Unaware of the mounting danger, King Coulwulf of Northumbria abdicates and opens a school at the monastery. Coulwulf invites Eadgar to become a student at the school. Together they reform lay practices at the monastery. This intrusion infuriates the network of villains who supervise corrupt activities at the monastery. They vow to exterminate the newcomers.
Meanwhile, Gwyneth, the beautiful harp player, distracts Eadgar, further complicating their survival.
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Edward Jenner is a happily married country doctor. Milkmaids tell him catching cowpox prevents catching smallpox. He sneers at the old wife’s tale. However, the ravages of smallpox repeatedly distress him. There is no remedy. Something has to be done – by someone. An old woman helps smallpox victims. Her efforts are valiant but feeble. She chastises Jenner for doing nothing. Her reproach rouses him to explore the milkmaid theory. His inquiries upset the church and medical establishment. They vilify him, asserting that injecting diseased animal tissue into a child was evil, totally outside the teaching of the scriptures. Jenner’s wife begs him to abandon the project. His continuing research induces the vicar and the church hierarchy to plot against him. Rival doctors pillory him. Society abhors him. Patients resist volunteering for his experiments. And then disaster, one young patient dies – mysteriously.
In the face of being hanged, Jenner battles on.
John Wilkes was an irrepressible libertine devoted to gaining free speech and liberty.
He detested the exploitation and favouritism practised by the ruling elite in 18th-century England. The common man was kept in the dark about corruption. Jack knew change could only come by allowing free speech to shine a light on widespread abuse. In his news sheet, The North Briton, he wrote fierce articles detailing these iniquities. It was a dangerous course; Jack risked imprisonment or even being hanged.
While he pursued this mission, he practised the raffish lifestyle of a libertine without realising his negligence was depriving people close to him of their liberty. And what's more, Jack didn’t realise that he himself was captive.
What calamity would occur to open Jack’s eyes to the price they were paying?