The House of Walderne A Tale of the Cloister and the Forest in the Days of the Barons' Wars

In the shadow of the Andredsweald, a forgotten stone keep clings to a moss‑covered moat, its silent walls watching over a world torn by the Barons’ Wars. Here the story opens with Brother Martin, a young Franciscan friar, and Sir Hubert of Walderne, a knight bound to his ancestral castle. Their lives intersect amid the austere life of Michelham Priory and the restless green of the forest, setting the stage for a clash of faith and feudal duty.

The narrative follows Martin as he leaves the cloister for Oxford, seeking knowledge while his heart remains tied to the troubled lands of Sussex. Hubert, meanwhile, prepares his men for looming conflict, his loyalties tested by both family legacy and the turbulent politics of the age. As tensions rise, the ancient stones of Walderne bear silent witness to choices that will shape both men’s futures.