About Charlotte
Always a bookworm, Charlotte discovered her passion for writing after her three children and two step-children had grown up. She lives with her husband in a cottage in the woods on the borders of Hampshire and Berkshire.
Category Archives: Seventeenth Century Life
Nicholas Barbon – C17th Property Developer
I was recently invited to write a post for the Hoydens and Firebrands website, which is full of fascinating articles about life in the seventeenth century. I chose to write about Nicholas Barbon, a property speculator out to make his … Continue reading
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Potpourri
Traces of rose-petal pot pourri have been found in excavations of ancient Egypt and making sweet-scented pot pourri in the still room was a pleasurable task for the seventeenth century housewife. The still room was an important part of … Continue reading
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Christmas Day 1665
Since Christmas is nearly here I thought you might like to read an excerpt from The Apothecary’s Daughter, which takes place on Christmas Day 1665, the year of the plague. Christmas day dawned fair and clear. Susannah scraped the ice … Continue reading
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Domestic Servants in the Seventeenth Century
All but the poorest households employed servants, who usually lived in, sleeping in attics, kitchens and basements. Pay was low but included their keep and often their clothing. Work was hard and hours long. A maid would often have to … Continue reading
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The Plague Comes to Town
If only they’d had antibiotics in the seventeenth century, the course of Susannah’s life in The Apothecary’s Daughter would have been very different. Scientists have recently mapped the genetic code of bacteria obtained from an ancient plague pit in East … Continue reading