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The Sixteenth Century -- The Armada, Drake and Raleigh
This is another story about the Marsden family of Marsden Hall near Newcastle.
Sir James Marsden owes Giles Glub £1,000. If he cannot pay then Glub will have Marsden Hall.
James Marsden has to raise the money somehow. He decides to sail to London with a cargo of coal, sell the coal there and then sail onto Weymouth. James once sailed with Sir Francis Drake and Drake never paid him the money he promised him. James hopes that Drake's widow will honour her late husband's promises. James' thirteen year old son William, accompanies them. Meg, the servant girl who is something more than a servant, goes with them too.
It turns out to be a voyage of adventure for Will as they have to fight off attacks by pirates. But even more important, for the first time in his life Will begins to understand his father because, during the voyage, Sir James Marsden tells of how he sailed with Drake on his voyage round the world -- Drake who was like a knight of old, but not a knight on horseback but a knight of stars and storms. James remembers what he learned when he was with Drake and he uses that knowledge to help him outwit Glub.
The portrait of Drake is an interesting one. There is the conventional picture of the great Elizabethan sailor, explorer and victor over the Armada but we are also shown the darker side of Drake's character - the Drake who executed Doughty out of jealousy and spite, and the greedy, grasping Drake who deliberately fell behind the rest of the English ships the night before the defeat of the Armada so that he could capture a rich Spanish ship for himself. Also the Drake who was very superstitious,
As well as Drake there is another historical character carefully woven into the story - William Shakespeare. While in London Will and Meg attend a performance of The Merchant of Venice. Later Meg acts out her own version of Portia's famous scene to trick Glub out of Marsden Hall.
There could almost be said to be a third character involved in the saving of Marsden Manor - Drake's legendary drum.
At the end of the story Sir James Marsden has come to realise how much the sea means to him. He resolves to make more journeys with his own ships. He now understands his son better and agrees to let Will go to Shakespeare to learn how to become an actor.
An exciting story which extends our knowledge of the various members of the Marsden family.
10+
This book was first published in 1988.
Bess Thockmorton is the daughter of a Devon farmer. Her aunt takes her to London to a family gathering. There Bess meets a strange old gentleman who turns out to be the ghost of Sir Walter Raleigh. After over three hundred years Sir Walter is still angry about the injustice of those who declared him a traitor, condemned him to death and, even worse, took away his lands. He vows, "I will have what was rightly mine and what was taken so cruelly from me and my family. I will have back what is mine - mark my words, cousin."
Sir Walter gets his wish. He travels back with Bess to Devon. By the end of the story Bess and her family are ensconced in a new farm - a farm which just happens to be the one on which Sir Walter was born and grew up.
This book contains a lot of information about Sir Walter Raleigh - and the Tower of London - and children will certainly learn much from it. They will definitely appreciate the format. It is an unusual idea. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Entertaining and enjoyable and, at the same time, informative.
My Friend Walter was shortlisted for the 1989 Smarties Prize. It was also filmed for Thames Television.
8 - 12
This is one of the Tudor Flashbacks
for children of seven to eleven.
England in 1588 and the threat of the Spanish Armada. Nearly thirteen-year-old
John Amery joins the Royal Navy and becomes a powder boy. In other
words, during a battle he has to keep the gun crews supplied with
gunpowder. Before him is exhaustingly hard work, difficult shipboard
conditions and danger. But to John it is all worth while because
he wants to play his part in defeating the Spaniards.
But gradually John's ideas change. He himself is a volunteer but
one of his fellow powder boys was pressed into the Navy and John
begins to realise how different his life has been from that of
many other boys of his age. John's father had been a seaman who
had been killed by the Spaniards and, at the beginning of the
book, John just wants to kill a Spaniard. If he can do that he
will feel that he has avenged his father. During the battle with
the Armada John sees a drowning Spaniard hanging onto a spar and
pleading for help. John curses him.
But this book goes beyond the glory of the magnificent English
victory. After the Spaniards have been defeated, there is an outbreak
of fever on the English ships. Weak and starving, the survivors
are discharged on half pay and put on shore. John manages to make
his own way home and it is then that he remembers the carnage
of the sea battles and the sick English seamen falling exhausted
in the streets of Margate -- ordinary men with no choices pressed
into the Queen's service. In an emotional and moving ending he
finally realises that the Spanish sailors are really no different
from the English.
This gives a detailed picture of the defeat of the Spanish Armada
from the point of an ordinary English sailor. But it goes far
beyond the traditional representation of the glorious victory.
The style of the writing is eminently suitable for the intended
age range but the ideas involved should make anyone think -- whatever
their age.
Comes with a glossary and historical notes. Also a diagram of
a sixteenth century galleon. Also a list of places to visit.
A thought provoking story set against an authentic historical
background.
7 - 11
This is from the Flashbacks series for children of 7-11.
John Marsh's mother is housekeeper to Mr Poynton, a wealthy merchant in Plymouth. As a child John plays with Mr Poynton's two children and when he grows up he is set to work, first in the warehouse and then in the counting house. Eventually John is allowed to sail to the Spanish Main. He is captured by the Spanish, and is questioned by the Inquisition. On his return to England he finds his mother dying and his sweetheart betrothed to someone else. Penniless and with nothing to keep him in England John sails again, this time with Drake. In a rather surprising ending the disillusioned John finally finds peace and contentment.
This book shows the darker side of the voyages of Drake and Hawkins. Rich English merchants risked their wealth in these voyages but the poor English seamen risked their lives. They had virtually no choice. If they did not sail then they would starve. The horrors of religious persecution and the evils of the slave trade are also vividly described, as is also the uncaring attitude of the rich merchants who make their money out of human misery. Then there is the cruelty of the English privateers or pirates, and the even greater cruelty of the Spanish Inquisition. As if all this is not enough there is an undercurrent of treachery in high places.
A gripping and absorbing story which will serve as a useful antidote to the view that Drake and Hawkins were heroes to be revered and looked up to.
This book is about 10,000 words long. It is for children of 7-11.
The story combines the account of Drake's voyage round the world in 1577-80 with the legends about Drake's drum.
Thirteen year old Will Thatcher sails with Drake. He is hoping to see silver monkeys. Will is ready to cook, wait at table, scrub the deck but instead he is picked out by Drake to be his drummer boy.
Will drums the men on deck. He plays the drum roll when Doughty is executed. Once, during a storm, he lashes himself to the mast and plays the drum. When the storm finally abates he is convinced that he has beaten the storm away. When they go ashore on an island and are attacked by natives Will beats the drum as a signal to the rest of the sailors to return to the ship. Finally the drum saves Will's life when he falls overboard. It keeps him afloat until the sailors can send a boat for him.
Will returns to Plymouth and sixteen years later, on Drakes's last voyage, it is Will's younger brother who is the drummer. When dying Drake tells him to take the drum back to England and if ever England is in danger he will come back from heaven and beat it.
And so begins the legend of Drake's drum.
Here Drake's drum has been used to add story and structure to Drake's voyage round the world.
7 - 11
This is one of the Sparks series of stories linking with the History National Curriculum for Key Stage 2 readers.
Bobby Cavendish is a cabin boy aboard Drake's ship the Revenge. Bobby has an unusual accomplishment. He can speak Spanish, which he has learnt from his Spanish grandmother. Drake hears of this and asks to see Bobby. He explains that he intends to board the Rosario. The captain of the Rosario is Don Pedro des Valdes, a man with many secrets. Drake means to question him and find out these secrets but Drake does not speak Spanish - unlike Bobby. Bobby stammers that he only speaks Spanish "a bit" but Drake assures him that
"A bit is enough."
So Bobby moves his sea chest into Drakes's cabin. Later he is present at the meeting between Drake and de Valdes and acts as interpreter. Then we are shown the defeat of the Spanish Armada through Bobby's eyes. When it is all over Drake tells Bobby that he learnt much from de Valdes and he would wager that Bobby's "bit" of Spanish helped to defeat the Armada. He offers Bobby the position of secretary in Drake's own household.
Within the framework of this unusual story the reader is given a good picture of life aboard ship in Elizabethan times as well as showing how the Armada was defeated.
The book comes with useful notes on: the war with Spain: the Spanish Armada: the English fleet: guns and gunners: the defeat of the Armada: food at sea.
7-11
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