The Mother of the Brontës: When Maria Met Patrick by Sharon Wright.

“A fine bit of detective work.” ★★★★★ Daily Telegraph

“Beautifully researched and vibrantly written.” Daily Express

“Exuberant, fast-paced and deeply moving biography of a remarkable woman.” Jane Austen’s Regency World

Enigmatic mother Maria Branwell gave us Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë, the most gifted literary siblings the world has ever known… then vanished from history for 200 years. This groundbreaking biography reveals for the first time the gripping story of a lady of letters, passionate lover and mother of genius. Not the frail figure of Brontë myth but a strong and optimistic woman living through turbulent times.

Maria is brought out of the shadows and restored to her rightful place at the heart of the Brontë story. Her contribution to masterpieces penned by her daughters, including Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, can no longer be ignored. This book reveals the witty and educated woman who led an extraordinary life full of scandal and adventure, romance and writing. An educated Georgian gentlewoman and contemporary of Jane Austen, she was raised in a wealthy Cornish family amid Enlightenment thinking, religious revival, political turmoil, gothic stories and rampant smuggling.

Maria made a perilous journey across Regency England and found poor but charismatic Irish curate Patrick Brontë, her “dear saucy Pat”. Reader, she married him. Their world-changing love story produced a family like no other, riven by both genius and heartbreak, and Mrs Brontë had her own literary ambitions. Untimely death stalked Maria as it was to stalk all her brilliant children, but first there was her fascinating, forgotten life.

At long last, this is her story.

Elizabeth I’s Secret Lover – Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester by Robert Stedall.

In many respects Lord Robert Dudley was the most significant figure of his age. As a great impresario, he showed Elizabeth off to her people to glittering effect and became the forerunner of Shakespearian theatre, combining classicism with ribaldry. He attracted the financing of Drake’s circumnavigation. He was the supporter of academic endeavour, of poetry, and of Puritan scholarship. By employing a network of his own agents, he provided information of crucial importance to Government. He built some of the finest houses and gardens of the age. As Master of the Horse, he developed English bloodstock to provide horses for Royal and military requirements. He saw to it that England’s Navy and Army was properly prepared to meet continental aggression when needed.

Dudley has faced criticism from historians by competing with William Cecil to gain the ear of Elizabeth I and thwarting his efforts to arrange a political marriage for her to protect against continental Catholic aggression. There can be no doubt that Elizabeth wanted to marry him. He was devastatingly attractive, athletic and loyal. The text provides compelling evidence that the ‘virgin queen’ spent time in bed with him.

An influential and important character of the Elizabethan age, this biography places Robert Dudley within the context of the time and how he navigated court as the favourite of Elizabeth I.