Katerfelto: A Story of Exmoor

In the sweltering twilight of April 1763, a raucous tavern in Covent Garden becomes a stage for bawdy ballads and boisterous debate, where a half‑drunk choirmaster belts out a satire about the notorious John Wilkes while gentlemen in lace‑trimmed coats sip port and brandish swords for sport. The bustling scene is painted with vivid detail — cracked tallow candles, a polished mahogany table, and walls hung with rugged sporting prints — grounding the listener in the gritty, convivial world of eighteenth‑century England.

Against this vivid backdrop, the story slips away from the tavern’s heat to the wild, rolling expanse of Exmoor, where rumors of a secretive figure named Katerfelto stir both curiosity and unease. As the first act unfolds, a diverse cast of characters — from proud militia men to sly locals — are drawn together by a mix of political dissent, whispered legends, and a hint of danger that promises a journey as rugged and unpredictable as the moor itself.