Saint Cuthbert Trilogy - Introduction
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The trilogy based around one of England’s most important saints — Cuthbert is complete and available in many formats from Amazon and bookshops.
The first book, Heaven in a Wild Flower, includes the saint among the cast of characters and therefore is set in the seventh century. |
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The main character who Cuthbert befriends is Aella, a leather-worker and the patriarch of a Northumbrian dynasty destined to be deeply touched by the saint’s life and miracles. Thanks to the saint’s influence on him, Aella transforms from a talented craftsman who works leather into a learned scribe and biographer of his mentor. Heaven in a Wild Flower is due for future release by Next Chapter Publishing.
The second novel is entitled The Horse-thegn and is set in the ninth century. Its main character, Cynn, is an Anglian nobleman whose work as the title suggests is to carry on the family tradition of trading, supplying, breeding and training horses for the king. But Cynn is also a cavalry commander because he lives in times troubled by Viking raids. His brother Galan is one of the seven monks who carry the coffin of St Cuthbert around the land to keep the sacred remains from falling into the Norsemen’s hands.
Cynn has the task of confronting a recalcitrant Viking leader who continues to slaughter and devastate in the north whilst other Danes become peaceful settlers. Tracking down and eliminating this merciless foe becomes Cynn’s life work.
[The image to the left is the frontispiece of Book 2 and is a runic inscription of the Bewcastle Cross near Carlisle]. If you want to know what it says, you'll have to read the novel when it comes out!
[The image to the left is the frontispiece of Book 2 and is a runic inscription of the Bewcastle Cross near Carlisle]. If you want to know what it says, you'll have to read the novel when it comes out!
The third novel is an anomaly since it falls slightly outside my preferred Anglo-Saxon period as it begins immediately post-Conquest. Its two main characters are very different: Kenrick is a descendant of the previous two main characters but he is not warlike. Instead, he wishes to become a master mason and will succeed in building Durham cathedral to house the shrine of Saint Cuthbert. One small spoiler, he is helped in this ambition by Thurgot a shipwrecked traveller saved by Kenrick from drowning. I can say no more for fear of spoiling! UPDATE the title: it's called The Master of the Chevron see the image on the right to see why. As of 22 June the novel is finished. It's amazing what research can throw up. I didn't know that the chevrons you seein the picture were painted red and black in alternating rows in the early twelfth century: a detail I included in Chapter 18.
Heaven in a Wild Flower
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This is the cover for Book 1 of the St Cuthbert Trilogy. As you can see, it depicts Lindisfarne on the Holy Island. I'm delighted with this cover. Now available.
Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtakingly wonderful.
"I had forgotten how much I enjoyed stories set in the past, especially in Saxon times. I have loved writers such as Cornwell, Bernard Knight, Ellis Peters, Tremayne and many more and, Broughton is most definitely their equal. Imagine my delight also to find another author in this standing and that he has many more books to read. Heaven in a Wild Flower is, I believe, book 1 of a saga that I feel compelled to read. I would see this book very much as the Sister Fidelma genre in that is not warrior-based, although our central protagonist, a master craftsman, is taken from his workshop to fight for his King. This is much more cerebral. We follow Aella from war, to a convenient Christian conversion, through to an academic life and back out again to make his mark in life." |
The Horse-Theign
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Book 2 of the Saint Cuthbert Trilogy. A wealthy ninth-century thegn ready for battle under the cloudy Northumbrian sky. His men would most likely have worn a metal helm but only leather jerkins to protect them behind their shields. Now available.
Amazon Customer 5.0 out of 5 stars Another scintillating tale of Saxon Britain
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 January 2021This is the third novel I have read by Broughton and I just cannot get enough of them. They are well researched with historic events portrayed through fictional characters that leap from the page in authenticity. This is the second book in the Saint Cuthbert trilogy. I loved book one and I immediately bought the sequel, expecting to follow the characters. However this book is set two generations on and this surprised me at first, but, this is a trilogy about the influence if St Cuthbert and not the characters that enabled Cuthbert in his life. Having said that, there are references and familial ties to the original protagonists and I think, upon reflction, I enjoyed this more. |
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The Master of the Chevron
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Book three is now available. Another descendant of Aella becomes a master mason and made Durham cathedral what it is today. Published December 2020.
Sashadoo VINE VOICE 5.0 out of 5 stars Creation in the midst of turbulent times Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 December 2020
Having read the first two books in John Broughton's trilogy, I looked forward to reading the final episode, based on St. Cuthbert and those who followed his teachings and who revered the Saint long after his death. In the 11th century, England was a land of various kingdoms, with many monarchs vying for overall control of a divided land. The church, a powerful body in those days, was equally divided with various bishops courting favour with whichever monarch they thought would support their individual needs and requirements. The author has brought his prodigious talent to bear by mixing historical fact and a fictional tale that centres around two main characters, Kenrick, the, Master of the Chevron ' who becomes the master builder tasked with the creation of a new cathedral in Durham, and Thurgot, his friend who rises in rank within the church and becomes his chief supporter and advocate for his work. |
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