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2017 | Fiction & Poetry
'I saw them. Stag-headed men dancing out on the moor at midnight, nostrils flared and steam rising…'
An England divided. From his remote moorland home, David Hartley assembles a gang of weavers and land-workers to embark upon a criminal enterprise that will capsize the economy and become the biggest fraud in British history. They are the Cragg Vale Coiners and their business is 'clipping' – the forging of coins, a treasonous offence punishable by death.
A charismatic leader, Hartley cares for the poor and uses violence and intimidation against his opponents. He is also prone to self-delusion and strange visions of mythical creatures. When excise officer William Deighton vows to bring down the Coiners and one of their own becomes turncoat, Hartley's empire begins to crumble. With the industrial age set to change the face of England forever, the fate of his empire is under threat.
Forensically assembled from historical accounts and legal documents, The Gallows Pole is a true story of resistance that combines poetry, landscape, crime and historical fiction, whose themes continue to resonate. Here is a rarely-told alternative history of the North.
Benjamin Myers
(Author)
| Published by | Bluemoose Books Ltd |
| Edition | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781910422328 |
| Language | English |
Main Image Courtesy: Bluemoose Books Ltd.
Images And Data Courtesy Of: Bluemoose Books Ltd.
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Erika (17789 KP) rated
Dec 2, 2020 (Updated Dec 2, 2020)
I love historical fiction most of the time, and when I opened up this book, I was worried. It was written in the vernacular. It only took me about a chapter to get into it. The story is about clipping coins, which has always fascinated me. I live in a state that's very much 'stick it to the man', so I could relate to the attitude of the characters.
Obviously, it was predictable, and you knew how it had to end, it is based in historical fact, after all... and the title happens to be The Gallows Pole. The novel really benefits from the fact that the author moved to the area this took place in, and did all of his research there. It resulted in an amazing novel. I can't wait to read something else from this author.
ClareR (5827 KP) Dec 3, 2020