This is the first volume in The Herries Chronicles. Here’s a quote from a website:

"The author describes the series as follows: "My intention is simply to record scenes from the life of an English family during two hundred years of English change and fortune, and beyond that to pay a tribute to a part of England that I dearly love." The four books in the chronicle are..."

Rogue Herries (1930)
Judith Paris (1931)
The Fortress (1932)
Vanessa (1933)

There is also a prequel to the Chronicles, entitled The Bright Pavilions. Another novel, unfinished at the time of the author’s death, is called Katherine Christian. This was supposed to tie these two novels to the other 4 novels.

I’ll be working on the other 3 volumes (in addition to The Bright Pavilions and Katherine Christian) and will post the 2nd volume as soon as I finish Walpole’s Portrait of a Man with Red Hair (1925) which has a Jekyll & Hyde theme of possession. Walpole calls Portrait a “romantic macabre.”

I hope you enjoy this first volume in The Herries Chronicles.

Don

Note: Walpole apparently used the word "Chronicle" when discussing the four books; however, I have seen a majority of references referring to the books as "Chronicles."

Is this the same Hugh Walpole who was the British Prime Minister? We seem to have had quite a few PMs with literary talents!

Is this the same Hugh Walpole who was the British Prime Minister?

The first British PM was Robert Walpole (served 1721-1742).

The first British PM was Robert Walpole (served 1721-1742).

Yes, I was just getting ready to post that.

Here's some more info:

"Today [Sir Robert Walpole is] regarded as the first British prime minister, Walpole would not have described himself as such. The title was originally a term of abuse, not status, and was not officially recognised until 1905."

The author [Sir] Hugh Walpole lived from 1884-1941.

Don

My mistake - got the names mixed up. Sorry!