THE FORGE: Book 1- The Joe Whieldon Trilogy

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Joe Whieldon, born in the late 18th century, the youngest sibling, whose father and forefather’s managed the forge in Prioryhill, a village in the depths of East Bedfordshire, England.

With an elder brother, who will one day inherit the business, Joe’s future as a blacksmith will see him at best, as the right-hand-man on completion of his apprenticeship at the age of twenty-one.

The love of his life is Lucy Winchcombe, where her mother, the vicar’s wife, has no qualms in seeking a man of substance and worth, as Lucy’s future husband. That man is seen as Beaumont Faulkner, the eldest of four brothers, who will one day inherit Upper Prioryhill Manor.

The Faulkner’s hold a seemingly inexplicable grudge against Joe’s family, which stems from the sale of Forge-Cottage and land to the Whieldon’s. The sale was conducted by the White’s, who own the farm opposite the forge, whose family fortune was dwindling away due to George White’s propensity to gamble and drink his way into bankruptcy.

Adam Faulkner, contested the sale to the Whieldon’s, but ultimately failed.

A major thread running through the story is the privileged class, who by owning land, not only controlled tenants but also suffrage.

Faced with the certainty of a life ‘playing second fiddle’ to his brother and the probability that Beaumont would one day win the hand of Lucy; Joe begins a journey to change his destiny.