Nicholas Fogg

An American general in Wellington’s army? At the age of fourteen, Frederick Robinson fought for the Loyalists in the War of Independence. With their defeat, his now impoverished family took refuge in England. After serving against the French in the West Indies, he worked in army recruitment in London. In 1813 he joined the Peninsular campaign as a Brigade Major General. His journals and letters shed light on the local topography and the personalities he encounters – the British grandees of Oporto, landed gentry, priests and peasants, Wellington and his generals and the common soldier. He also describes the marches across country and the battles of Vitoria, San Sebastian, the Nime and Toulouse. Subsequently, he commanded a division in America during the War of 1812. After colonial governorships in Upper Canada and Tobago, he continued to contribute as a Regimental Colonel. At his death in 1852, he was the longest-serving soldier in the British Army.

Stratford-upon-Avon is a much-visited town. Visitors will be familiar with Shakespeare’s birthplace, Holy Trinity Church, and the theatre, but may overlook many of the place’s hidden secrets. Among them are a pitch for the playing of the ancient game of Nine Men’s Morris, a wagon from one of the world’s earliest railways, a tree planted in memory of the beautiful actress Vivien Leigh, the house of the bestselling of all Victorian novelists (it’s not Charles Dickens), wall paintings that Shakespeare would have seen, the house in which the Gunpowder Plot was launched, and the home of the man who drew the most famous cartoon of all time. Those reading Nicholas Fogg’s book will never look at this famous place in the same way again. It demonstrates the wealth of detail that lies below every familiar surface.

The birthplace of Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon is a celebrated and much-visited town. From the probable origins of Stratford as a monastic settlement, to the foundation of a ‘new town’ in the Middle Ages and the development of a miniature Christian commonwealth under the medieval guilds, the town’s early years are traced in fascinating detail. These pages hold a full account of the Civil War, the Commonwealth and the Restoration, followed by the languor of the Georgian era. Victorian revival and the growth of modern communications led to the disappearance of much of old Stratford, while the present century has seen both change and conservation. The town’s Shakespeare connections ensured keen interest in its local records as early as the eighteenth century, so they are probably the fullest archives for any place in England, providing a uniquely detailed picture of town life through the centuries. Extensive research into these records, as well as into the memories of Stratfordians past and present, results in a portrait of a town that is at once lively and thorough. We meet the greats (Warwick the Kingmaker, William Shakespeare, Oliver Cromwell, David Garrick, James Boswell, Queen Victoria) and also the generations of townspeople whose lives and works made Stratford what it is today. The book is a celebration of a wonderful town and of those who have called it home.

On 26th April 1564, William Shakespeare was baptised in Stratford-upon-Avon. He would go on to be the greatest writer who ever lived. In Hidden Shakespeare, Nicholas Fogg explores Shakespeare's life, from his family background and education in Stratford, through his career in London, to 1616, when he finally shuffled off this mortal coil. Fogg examines the circumstances and stories surrounding Shakespeare, providing reasoned answers to the many questions. Did he leave school at the age of thirteen? Did he have an arranged marriage? Why did he leave Stratford to emerge as a star of the London stage? What impact did his life and the period in which he lived have on his work? William Shakespeare's talent was the result of a fortuitous combination of environment, epoch and genius. This fascinating new book draws these threads together to provide a more complete impression of the man and his works.

On 26 April 1564, William Shakespeare was baptised in Stratford-upon-Avon. He would go on to be the greatest writer who ever lived. In Hidden Shakespeare, Nicholas Fogg explores Shakespeare's life, from his family background and education in Stratford, through his career in London, to 1616, when he finally shuffled off this mortal coil. Fogg examines the circumstances and stories surrounding Shakespeare, providing reasoned answers to the many questions. Did he leave school at the age of thirteen? Did he have an arranged marriage? Why did he leave Stratford to emerge as a star of the London stage? What impact did his life and the period in which he lived have on his work? William Shakespeare's talent was the result of a fortuitous combination of environment, epoch and genius. This fascinating new book draws these threads together to provide a more complete impression of the man and his works.Includes 25 Illustrations

One of Stratford's foremost historians, Nicholas Fogg, interweaves diaries, letters, newspaper accounts and oral testimony, showing us clearly how ordinary men and women reacted to the challenge of war. As well as describing life on the Home Front, he also includes memories of those who served in the armed forces, at home and overseas, including Edgar Cranmer, the telegraphist who received the German offer of an armistice.

Before the First World War Stratford was an idyllic market town, where most townsfolk lived in the same alleys and tenements their ancestors had occupied for centuries. It was against this background that the drift to war occurred - and the outside world started to influence this sleepy town in a way it had never done before. In his new book local author Nick Fogg interweaves diaries, letters, newspaper accounts and oral testimony to create a rich and varied picture of Stratford and its people during the two world wars, showing us clearly how ordinary men and women reacted to the challenge of war. As well as describing life on the Home Front, the author also includes memories of those who served in the armed forces, at home and overseas: for example, the Stratfordians Edgar Cranmer - who was the telegraphist who received the German offer of an armistice, and Bruce Organ - who helped to organise the theatricals that disguised the Great Escape. A wide range of illustrations, many of them previously unpublished, complement the text. This fascinating account by Stratford's foremost historian will appeal to anyone interested in the history of the town, residents and visitors alike.