The Cottesham Novels

The Gift and the Promise

Novel · Adventure in Medieval England · originally published by Piatkus

A throne is the prize and the Saxon Earl Harold and William the Bastard of Normandy are about to battle to the death to gain it. A land and its people are torn apart and forged anew. Eleventh-century England is drawn in all its bloody, violent, turbulent and irresistible colour, in a magnificent historical novel.

“I accept your gift, but I have nothing of equal worth to give you in return. So, I will make you this pledge, I vow that if you ever have need of me, then you have but to summon me and I will repay you with any favour you have to ask.”

Words spoken to a child in return for the gift of her greatest treasure. Renauld de Lassay has no premonition that his freely given vow will forever change his life. But the young Norman squire who was the honoured guest in Saxon Godmund’s hall is now returning in the Bastard’s army, and the child Ceolwyn is a woman who has seen her family shatter in the wake of the Battle of Hastings.

Grieving and full of hatred Ceolwyn redeems her promised favour and demands of Renaud: Give me back all I have lost. And until the impossible task is fulfilled there can be no healing of the deep and bitter breech, between Renaud and Ceolwyn, serf and master, Saxon and Norman…

This e-book is the original paper manuscript version before it was cut for hardcopy publishing.

Buy on Amazon

A Masterless Man

Novel · the Cottesham family, a century on

When Walter, a young peasant boy, attacks his abusive stepfather in order to protect his sister, Elisabeth, the consequences leave him no choice but to flee, alone and penniless, into the unknown and dangerous world beyond Cottesham, his home village. He is a runaway, a masterless man, and can never return.

For the next 10 years Walter’s travels take him throughout England and eventually to the Holy Land. Kind and courageous Walter makes friends easily, but fate is cruel and his life seems to be beset by sorrow and misfortune.

Buy on Amazon

Cottesham Short Stories

Silvertree

Short story

Two young men, one Saxon, one Norman, had been thrown together by the violence of their pasts. Embracing the sanctuary of the church, both are destined to take their vows and forsake the cruelty of the outside world. But when chance intervenes, they must leave the safety of the abbey, setting off on a journey to right a wrong and rebuild the lives that they had lost.

Buy on Amazon

The Twelfth Man’s Oath

Short story

This stand alone story is a tale of crime and justice in a mediaeval village. It is set in Cottesham (the setting of the Cottesham series of novels). The action occurs immediately prior to the start of “The Gift and the Promise”, and introduces some of the characters in that book.

Buy on Amazon

Also by Sarah Pernell

Rugby

Illustrated local history · out of print

This lavishly illustrated local history book gives you a unique opportunity to travel back in time and experience Rugby as it was in a past era. If you are a newcomer you are assured hours of enjoyable reading and browsing, and if you were born in the locality you will find the illustrations will spark many memories for you and your family.

About Sarah

I’m a Londoner born and bred but have lived for many years now in the town of Rugby, where the football game of the same name originated. I’m married, with two grown-up children.

I’ve always been fascinated by history, particularly the early mediaeval period, and was prompted to write my first novel after reading one so poorly researched that I felt I just had to do better.

My first book, “The Gift and the Promise”, set at the time of the Norman Conquest, was published originally by Piatkus but is now available in e-book format, as is my second novel “A Masterless Man” which follows the fortunes of the direct descendants of the characters in “The Gift and the Promise” over a hundred years later.

It may well be that future books will see this family’s progress through the centuries to the present day.