New Book: Adventures in the Civil War
MUSEUM FUNDRAISER BOOK DEAL
ADVENTURES IN THE CIVIL WAR
If you enjoy historical fiction do not miss this exciting offer. To coincide with our autumn exploration of the Civil War in Sussex we have just 100 sets of Rosemary Hagedorn’s thrilling new trilogy, exclusively available in paperback from the museum gift shop at a special price of £15 for the three titles. All proceeds will go to the museum funds.
The novels are based on the life of Joseph Bampfield, the young Royalist colonel who captured Arundel in the winter of 1643-44 and held the castle against overwhelming odds until forced to surrender due to hunger and disease.
More about the books and the author
ABOUT THE BOOKS
Book one: Bamfield’s Mission When ardent young Royalist Joss Bamfield leaves home to fight for King Charles, he takes only his wits and his sword. His family support Parliament. His father has disowned him. In 1642, as the Civil War gathers momentum, an unexpected chain of events leads to Joss encountering the glamorous royal agent Jane Horwood. She offers him a dangerous mission. Success could mean the difference between Royalist victory and defeat. Joss knows that if he can survive and complete the task, he will be high in the king’s favour. But Parliament’s spies are everywhere. Who can he trust?
Book two: Bamfield’s Siege In 1643 the Civil War has encompassed all of England. Joss Bamfield, newly promoted to Colonel by King Charles, is in the west country where the Royalists are taking ground despite stiff opposition. As winter arrives, both sides are exhausted and thinking of retreating to winter quarters, yet the king wants to secure one more victory. He orders Joss to take the well-fortified castle of Arundel in Sussex, which is held by Parliament. But the fortunes of war change rapidly and Joss is faced with a desperate dilemma. Should he obey his superior officer’s orders or follow the king’s? He cannot do both. The terrible decision he makes on behalf of his men could cost him his honour and their lives.
Book three: Bamfield, King’s Agent Released from imprisonment in the Tower of London, Joss Bamfield returns to the fighting in the West of England. King Charles doesn’t blame him for the loss of Arundel, but others do, and are waiting for an opportunity to discredit him. Dismissed from the army when a routine mission goes badly wrong, Joss is deprived of the two things he values most; his career as a soldier and his honour. But the king is still his friend and Joss becomes Charles’ personal agent. Now he must contend with the murky world of political diplomacy and intrigue, and the tide of war is turning against the Royalists. King Charles’s life is in deadly danger. Can Joss and his lover Jane Horwood save him – without risking a traitor’s death?
About the author
Rosemary Hagedorn was born and educated in London, but spent almost 50 years living in Arundel, West Sussex.
Her first large writing project was a dramatization of the 600-year history of St Nicholas Church, which was produced as community theatre in 1980 and again in 1990.
Rosemary had a prominent career in occupational therapy. As a pioneer in the use of gardening as therapy, her first book was Therapeutic Horticulture published in 1987 by Winslow Press. Having become the principal of a new OT training course at Crawley College, between 1990 and 2000 she produced three popular textbooks on occupational therapy, published by Elsevier.
After retirement, she became involved with Arundel Museum. She served on the Museum Committee and later became a Trustee. She escorted town tours for visitors, and wrote various guided walks and short booklets on aspects of local history. When the new museum project was launched Rosemary acted as Project Development Officer, steering the Heritage Lottery Fund applications. Having gained the required grants, she worked with the museum designer on the selection of objects and the interpretation of the displays.
In the course of her historical research Rosemary had become interested in the impact of the Civil War in Arundel. Using field studies, with the assistance of Mark Phillips, and contemporary eyewitness accounts, Rosemary discovered many unknown facts about the Royalist capture of the town and the Parliamentary siege of the castle, and was able to show that these were in fact major engagements that had a significant effect on the outcome of the war. She was particularly intrigued by the character of young Joseph Bampfield, whose role in these events had been removed from most accounts of the action. In 2018 she published Arundel at War 1643 -1644.
Rosemary’s final research project for Arundel Museum Society, with a group of museum volunteers drew together a history of the River Arun and the Port of Arundel.
In 2013 Rosemary embarked on a series of novels under the pen name R. M. Dorn. Her first project was a fantasy, that genre having always been a favourite. Over the next nine years she wrote the ‘Power of Nine’ trilogy and three other titles, published by Lume Books, then self-published another fantasy, Balancer, and an historical fantasy, Shield of Britain, partly set in Arundel Castle. (available from Amazon book store).
In 2020, Rosemary felt ready to embark on her Civil War trilogy. She has greatly enjoyed bringing her remarkable young hero, Joss Bamfield, to life.
Rosemary now lives in Devon.
