I posted recently about the inspiration for my work-in-progress, Cade’s Point, the sixth book in the Sir Anthony Standen Adventures. The theme is education and the conflict is with those who believe that education for the poor is evil. I am currently reading Reformation to Industrial Revolution by Christopher Hill. The chapter I read today starts with this quotation:
The Parliament, as well for the better service to be done in husbandry (whereunto the children of husbandmen and labourers are most apt) as for the avoiding of other inconveniences that groweth by the evil education of artificers children, hath provided that each sort of such children should be applied to the trade that their parents were of before them. – Memorandum on the Statute of Artificers, 1573
“The evil education of artificers childeren” – there we have it again, Cade’s Point as Shakespeare interpreted it. This is one of the great difficulties of writing historical fiction, trying to inhabit a mindset totally alien to our own. It’s why I’m reading Christopher Hill and also why I’ve applied to take the Diploma in English Local and Social History course at the University of Oxford. I understand places are oversubscribed, so I have my fingers crosssed. I’ll let you know how I get on.
I have the next meeting of Milktown Writers coming up next week. We are having a session where we talk about our work in progress and get feedback from our fellow writers. So I need to print out copies of my draft so far. It will be great to get some feedback.