Mantlemass

Barbara Willard is an unsung heroine of historical fiction, in my view. Her Mantlemass series, first published between 1971 and 1980, is set in the forest of the Sussex Weald (where she lived) and spans the 15th to 17th centuries. Originally ‘for children’ they are not exactly comfort reads as they don’t flinch from difficulty but they are realistic and the characters and setting are absolutely authentic.