Of Wheat or War: The Battle of North Walsham

by Margaret Callow

England 1381 - the Black Death has ravaged the country. The poor have never been poorer, the rich never wealthier. On the throne is the boy king Richard ll, in a country ruled largely by his uncle, John of Gaunt. The government coffers are almost empty so there is to be a Poll Tax, but the poor refuse to pay and demand a fairer distribution of wealth. Hundreds of peasants plan to march to London. In a corner of Norfolk, a handful of men, led by Geoffrey Litster, join them. One of them, Ranulf Fuller is a reluctant warrior who only agrees on the promise the protest will be friendly, but can an uprising led by Wat Tyler and the Fighting Bishop ever be that? What begins as a peaceful march ends in a fight for survival.

320 pages, Paperback

Published April 30, 2018

About the author

I came late to writing novels after many years in Health & Social care. Having always written poetry, much of this has been published by Poetry Now and Random Press, but now was the time to really get started.Inspiration came from an odd source - having decided to trace my roots, I found my great great grandmother was an Inmate Pauper in a Union Workhouse in Shropshire in 1900. It was a sobering thought, but also a stimulating one.
Here were stories waiting to be told and most importantly for me about ordinary people who did extraordinary things. And there are many in our history. Over the years, the poor commons fought and often died for freedoms we enjoy today.
Many lie in unmarked graves, some have no official resting place at all.
My debut novel, A Rebellious Oak published by Running Hare Press in 2012 is the story of Robert Kett and his peasant army in 1549. The tale of Jack Cade and the Kentish rebellion of 1450 followed. A Pardon Too Few was released as an ebook by Autharium.com on 1st March 2013.
Of Wheat and War is to come. 1381 Wat Tyler and the peasant's revolt tells the story of Norfolk men and their part in the rising.
A Rush of Greed is a WIP and is the story of the last man to hang at Norwich Castle as a public spectacle in 1848. Not a rebellion this time, but a bizarre and amazing tale just the same...

Reviews

[Alexie Aaron]

Ms. Callow writes beautifully. She brings such a strong human element to all her books and Of Wheat or War is no exception. Her brilliant depiction of the battle of North Walsham, and England in the 14th Century, gives this story teeth. Historians may have recorded these events, but Ms. Callow brings them to life. I highly recommend this book!