Friday 24 January 2014

The King's Chalice - Reading Notes

A list of fictional characters in the historical novel, The King's Chalice.

CHARACTERS

Fictional

Udda – First owner of Uddings

Udric – son of Udda and late wife Galena

Edith – Udric’s wife, granddaughter of Thegn Algar

Odda – son of Udric + Edith

Aelfred – second son of Udric + Edith

*Aeflaed– Udric’s sister, married Coran from the Danelands

*Gerhard – Father of Galena

*Bata -   Priest at Sexpenna Hanlega

Owen – slave then Steward of Uddings

Alana – Owen’s wife

Owenson – son of Owen + Alana

*Garth – new owner of forfeited Woodcutts farm

*Edwin of Wymburne – trader

Aethelflaed – Udric + Edith’s daughter married Hal

Hal – of Danish descent, a younger son of Vann marries Aethelflaed

Udda – son of Hal and Aethelflaed

Edith – daughter of Hal and Aethelflaed

*Vann of Woodcutts, Hal’s father

*Dicon, Vann’s eldest son

*Richard – neighbouring farmer

Udric – son of Brith and Aelfric of Uddings

Brith – daughter of Brithric, Keeper of Cranborne Forest

William of Chalberie

Brithricson, son of Brithric

*Serian – leader of King Edward’s guards

Wain – ox driver on Corfe lands

Emma – Wain’s daughter, marries Udric of Uddings

Young Owen, descendant of Owenson

Alfan – daughter of Udric and Emma, marries Edwin a clerk

*Cynric – King’s stableman at Kingston

*Olaf, a skilled Danish metal worker in Wimborne

Gilda - an orphan, married Thegn Aelfred of Uddings

Edward – son of Aelfred + Gilda

Wulfsiga – daughter of Aelfred + Gilda

*Thoredson, A Danish noble’s son forced to marry Wulfsiga

*Thurkil – a Danish noble

*Master Catchpole – a fisherman of Wimborne

William – ward of Wulfwen of Canford, brother of Gilda

Owenson – descendant of Steward’s of Uddings

Owain – son of Owenson, marries Aila

Eadwine – younger son of Owenson

Dai – son of Owain

Aluric – younger son of Owain of Uddings

Elida – sister of William of Hame, handfast to Aluric

After the death of King Alfred, a small town in Wessex is plunged into conflict and kinship rivalry. A royal prince flees leaving his slave behind. Udda lives in hiding but renders a service to a noble.
From slavery to owning land, the Saxon descendants of Udda are involved in murder and conflict in order to keep what is theirs.
Brutal Danish raids threaten the very existence of the family and the town; tales of brutality and cruelty lingering in the memories and sagas of the times. Each successive ruler struggles to impose his will on the people to whom survival is more important than allegiance. Love and duty collide in the brief lifetime of the Saxon people when invasion, plague and hunger are everyday hazards.
Remarkable events follow the owners of the farm, whose loyalty to their King brings riches and tragedy in equal measure.

About the Author
Brought up in Lancashire, followed by boarding school, language school in Switzerland and a secretarial course in London, Janet Seal now lives on the outskirts of Wimborne in East Dorset with her husband. Most of her time is spent writing, researching, gardening or looking after her elderly horse. She leads a U3A debating group and attends a Creative Writing course with the same organisation.

Buy your copy HERE

No comments:

Post a Comment