Hand Signed by the author

This book tells the history of England from the point of view of the people who lived in Mearsdon – a house in Moretonhampstead on the edge of Dartmoor, where historian Ian Mortimer now lives. Remarkably, Mortimer has been able to trace daily life here from the coming of the Saxons to the present day.

Blending the broadest national history with the most intimate local events, Mortimer acquaints us with those who occupied the building – from the first known owner, a thirteenth-century priest, to his own family living there today. Along the way he illustrates important social changes – such as the Norman Conquest, the Black Death, the Reformation, the Industrial Revolution, and the two world wars – through the experiences of the house’s inhabitants and their neighbours in deepest Devon. The result is a unique and fascinating perspective on English social history.

Looking through the windows of Ian Mortimer’s house, we not only see the people who lived there over the ages, we also gaze through their eyes as they witness the world changing around them.