Liz Shakespeare – ‘The Song of the Skylark’

Liz Shakespeare has written six books inspired by the people, the history and the landscapes of North Devon. Her most recent, The Song of the Skylark, is set in 1842.  Based on a true story, it shines a light on the history of farming and chapel communities in Devon, describing the lives of a young brother and sister sent to work as parish apprentices on a remote farm. When a series of failed harvests makes life intolerable, the pair make a daring bid for change which brings them face to face with the heartless judicial system of early Victorian England.