Children of the New Forest
Children of the New Forest is set during the English Civil War and begins in 1647 when King Charles I was defeated and fled from London towards the New Forest, one of England’s last great woodlands.
Soldiers sent to search the forest decide to burn Arnwood, the manor home of Colonel Beverly, a Cavalier officer who had died in battle. Tragically, Beverly’s four children were among those thought to have died in the fire. But such was not the case!
Jacob Armitage, a local verderer, rescues them and takes them to live in the New Forest. Together, they make a new and simpler life as the children learn the ways of the forest.
However, the dangers and complications of war and politics are never far away. When the war comes to their doorstep, the Beverly children must use their cleverness and bravery to survive it.
An entertaining story with well-crafted and engaging characters, Children of the New Forest remains one of English literature’s best novels for young readers.
- About the author: Captain Frederick Marryat was a Royal Navy officer, a novelist, and an acquaintance of Charles Dickens. He remains memorable for his children’s novel Children of the New Forest, and for a widely used system of maritime flag signalling known as “Marryat’s Code”.
