Authors in the Vale

John Betjeman

1906 –1984

Poet Laureate, Betjeman lived in Uffington from 1937 to 1945 and was Churchwarden of St Mary’s. He later moved to Farnborough and later still moved to The Mead in Wantage.in 1951. He became a popular figure around the town and set many of his poems locally including the iconic ‘Summoned by Bells’. A bust of the poet can be found outside the Vale and Downland Museum.

King Alfred the Great

849 AD - 899 AD

Pioneer of learning, literacy, education and craftmanship.

Penelope Chetwode

1910 - 1986

Better known locally as Penelope Betjeman, Penelope Chetwode was a prolific travel writer and was once described as "the finest writer of our time on the English countryside”.

Mary Loudon

Current

Mary Loudon is the bestselling author of four non-fiction books, she has been published in 12 countries, won four awards and been shortlisted for the Richard and Judy Book of the Year awards.

Gary Sheffield

Current

Gary D. Sheffield is Professor of War Studies at Wolverhampton University. His particular area of interest is the Great War although he has also written books about the Duke of Wellington and the history of the Military Police.

Linda Parker

Current

Linda Parker’s main historical interests lie in 20th century military, social and religious history. Linda also has an interest in Polar Exploration. Ex-teacher and local published author of several books.

Kita Mitchell

Current

Born in Hertfordshire, Kita spent seventeen years in Bristol before moving to the Vale in 2009. A former animator, she graduated from the Bath Spa MA in Writing for Young People in 2017. Her award winning series, Grandma Dangerous, was commissioned the following year.

Kita lives in Wantage with four daughters and a hamster.

Matthew Watson

Current

Matthew is a Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer with a degree in Criminology. While not writing, he is busy with his young family and acting as a Policing Strategy Consultant.

Thomas Hughes

Thomas Hughes was born in Uffington in 1822 and was a Queens Counsel, judge, MP as well as being an author. He is most famous for his novels Tom Brown's School Days, Tom Brown at Oxford and The Scouring of the White Horse but also wrote non-fiction including a biography of King Alfred the Great. He is celebrated in the village by The Tom Brown’s School Museum and the Thomas Hughes Memorial Hall.

John Betjeman

1906 –1984

Poet Laureate, Betjeman lived in Uffington from 1937 to 1945 and was Churchwarden of St Mary’s. He later moved to Farnborough and later still moved to The Mead in Wantage.in 1951. He became a popular figure around the town and set many of his poems locally including the iconic ‘Summoned by Bells’. A bust of the poet can be found outside the Vale and Downland Museum.

Eliza Graham

Current

Eliza Graham is author whose adult novels reflect her fascination with how historical events affect families. She has also written young adult novels, and a historical novel under her pen name, Anna Lisle.

Jonathan Swift

 Essayist, satirist and author of Gulliver’s Travels Jonathan Swift spent the Summer of 1714 staying at the Rectory in Letcombe Bassett with his friend, Rev. Geree. He is said to have written his political pamphlet, ‘Free Thoughts on the Present State of Affairs,’ while sitting under the ancient mulberry tree in the garden.

Thomas Hardy

Hardy’s Wessex renamed a number of local places and featured them in his novels. Arabella’s Cottage in Crescombe can be found in Letcombe Regis (Jude the Obscure). Wantage in the same novel is called Alfredston. Hardy’s grandmother lived in Fawley which appeared in ‘Jude the Obscure’ as Marygreen.

Richard Pitman

Current

En ex-jockey who rode 470 winners in his career, Pitman became a BBC commentator as well as successful author of novels set among the racing fraternity.

Edward Thomas

 1878-1914

Edward Thomas is generally considered one of the war poets although much of his work concerned natural subjects. He lived in Bridge Cottage in Eastbury, near Lambourn, where there is a memorial in the local church. He was killed in the Battle of Arras and is buried in Poets’ Corner in Westminster Abbey.

John Masefield

 Born in Ledbury in 1878 Masefield joined the navy and his naval experience was to colour his later poetic works. He served as a medic in the Great War and, after his return to the UK, moved to Cholsey in 1920. He became Poet Laureate in 1930 and died in 1967.

Agatha Christie

1890 –1976

Crime writer Agatha Christie lived in Cholsey from 1934 until her death in 1976. She is buried in the churchyard of St Mary's. During her life she wrote 75 novels, 28 collections of short stories, 16 plays and 7 broadcast works.

Kenneth Grahame 

1859–1932

Born in Edinburgh Grahame became Secretary of the Bank of England before retiring due to ill health (caused by an assassination attempt) in 1908. Despite this he is best remembered for The Wind in the Willows. The family moved to Blewbury in 1910 and later in 1922 moved to Pangbourne after the death of his son.

Dick Francis

1920-2010

Crime Novelist and former steeplechase jockey Francis based his novels on his knowledge of the local horse racing community. His later novels were co-written with his son, Felix Francis, who continues to write using the Dick Francis by-line.

Dickens

Dickens novel ‘Our Mutual Friend’ contained Blewbury Jones based on the Rev.Morgan Jones.

Nicola Cornick 

Current

Nicola Cornick is a historian and international bestselling writer of romantic fiction. She is the current Chair of the Romantic Novelists’ Association as well as being a tour guide at Ashdown House.

Lord Berners 

Gerald Hugh Tyrwhitt-Wilson, 14th Baron Berners, lived at Faringdon House from 1931. He was a composer, painter, author and socialite, a friend of Stravinski, Dali, H. G. Wells, Nancy Mitford and The Betjeman’s.

Nancy Mitford

H G Wells

Sofka Zinovieff

R D Blackmore 

1825 – 1900

Often called ‘The last Victorian’ Blackmore was born at Longworth although the family moved away after an outbreak of typhus in the village. He was a teacher and lawyer but is best known for his novel, Lorna Doone.

George Orwell

1903 – 1950

Although born in India the young Orwell, real name Eric Blair, lived as a child in Henley and Shiplake. He was a novelist, essayist, social reformer who fought in and wrote about, the Spanish Civil War. Although he actually died in London he was buried in Sutton Courtenay for the simple reason that his local cemetery had no more room!

Pam Ayres

Current

Pam first came to the attention of the public on the TV show Opportunity Knocks. Her outwardly simple poems made her an instant hit and, in addition to publishing six books of poetry she also hosted a weekend show on Radio 2 and went on to make numerous appearances in such Radio 4 staples as Just a Minute. She lives in the Cotswolds but was born in Stanford-in-the-Vale.

Compton Mackenzie 

Sir Compton Mackenzie wrote Whisky Galore, his tale of subterfuge and whisky smuggling on the fictional islands of Great and Little Todday, while living at the Manor at Denchworth.

Geraldine McCaughrean