The Journal of a Medieval Abbess
It is the year 1460 and England is in the grip of a cruel civil war. Even the enclosed world of the nunnery is not exempt, and as the Abbess Ghonora Downynton writes her journal in the quietness of the cloister, rumours of unrest draw closer.
Throughout the year of 1460 the Abbess Ghonora fills her journal with personal illustrations and writes of the everyday life and relationships of her community of women.
The story is set against the backdrop of civil war between the rebel Earl of Warwick and King Henry V1, during which a significant battle takes place at the very gates to the Abbey, leaving the nuns community to deal with the aftermath.
Based on historical facts, additional notes and information have been added, and although the Abbess writes in an accessible form of Middle English a translation is provided.
How is inner strength found in a crisis? The challenges of leadership.
The joy found in nature and the artists delight in creating.
Through writing comes increasing confidence in self, relationships to others and to God.
Every story begins with an image. Welcome to a glimpse behind the scenes, the exciting process of creating the medieval world of the Abbess where historical fact and artistic imagination combine.
Original illustrations from The Abbess journal