Books

Young Richard Fitz-Eustace's return from Palestine is far from joyous. Damned by leprosy he must bid his mother, grandmother and sisters a final and sorrowful farewell and leave his estates at Halton Castle forever. Condemned to shun the company of others he must now find a place of solitude where he can seek forgiveness for sins committed in the Holy Land for which he is certain he has earned God's curse. Resolved to live out his life as a hermit, he journeys north into the newly named county of Lancashire. But this is no arbitrary journey; there is one last obligation undertaken for his grandmother: that he will seek out her kinsman, Sir Robert de Lacy, at Cliderhou Castle and there press his consideration of her claim to his estate. Meanwhile, at Halton, Richard's headstrong fourteen-year-old sister, Johanna is distraught. The fate of her beloved elder brother has done more than leave her bereft. Her other brother, ruthless and ambitious Roger has returned to take his place as head of the family. He and Johanna's mother have contrived a marriage for her to a wealthy old landowner, and without Richard's protection there seems little she can do about it- unless of course she can escape and find him.

I have also compiled a 'de Lacy Inheritance Trail' with photos and information about some of the places connected with the book. Click the link on the left to have a look.

'Elizabeth Ashworth’s familiarity with the locations and the period, which is worn lightly, but can only be the result of extensive research, makes her so much at home in these places with these people, that the reader feels in safe hands. This is a delightful first novel; I very much look forward to the next.'

'This is a great story, well told, with pace and drama as well as painstaking attention to historical detail. Highly recommended.'

'This was a book I just couldn't put down until I'd reached the end - it's on my list of books to buy for Christmas presents this year.'

'My doctorate, with its focus on medieval literature, killed my pleasure in reading medieval historical novels. I'd either be grousing at the author's sloppiness in recreating the period or wondering why I was wasting my time with a modern book when medieval literature itself is so rich (especially saga literature!). Or I'd avoid the genre because it just seemed too much like work. But The de Lacy Inheritance has brought me back to reading good historical fiction set in the Middle Ages.Her characters are also believable and compelling. Johanna does not seem anachronistic in her desire to escape an unappealing forced marriage. I'm currently teaching a class on medieval female authors, and Johanna's voice would fit right in! ' Leah Larson

'I knew very little about this era of history, but the book brought it very much alive. It was interesting to learn about attitudes to disease, too, as well as meeting a cast of fascinating characters, based on real historical figures but re-imagined vividly by the author and placed in a very convincing Lancashire of the period.' Rosy Thornton (author of More Than Love Letters, Hearts and Minds, Crossed Wires and The Tapestry of Love).

'As a fan of historical fiction, I thorougly enjoyed Elizabeth Ashworth's novel, "The De Lacy Inheritance." It was well-written, fast-paced, and the author delicately made the history of the De Lacy family come to life through her characters. It was a gripping look at the life of a man struck with lepropsy, and how it impacts his family, home, and position in life. I especially enjoyed the character of Johanna - a fiesty heroine who knows what she wants, and goes after it.' Annalynn Cox.

'It's a well researched, engrossing read with convincing characters and a satisying ending. I was impressed with the way that the author, skilfully blending fiction and fact, constructed the story from a very small piece of local history.' Elizabeth Alger.

is my new best selling non-fiction book from Countryside Books. Read the reviews:

"Lancashire has a great wealth of stories from the past. Some are ancient legends such as the sad tale of the White Lady of Samlesbury Hall. Others are drawn straight from the pages of history as with the Siege of Lathom House during the Civil War. All bring to life moments of drama and mystery, romance and heroism. The local characters involved include a hermit, a saint, a highwayman, knights, witches and ghosts. Elizabeth Ashworth has written an absorbing and highly readable collection of colourful tales."

Champion Lancastrians looks at the lives of local characters from when the county was first created until the present day. It includes John of Gaunt; Humphrey Chetham, who helped found the first public library in Manchester; the inventors of the Industrial Revolution; Robert Peel the founder of the modern police force; the sugar magnate Henry Tate; Lord Leverhulme the inventor of Sunlight Soap; Emmaline Pankhurst; Wallace Hartley, the hero of the Titanic; and Richmal Crompton, the writer of the Just William stories. There are also well-known entertainers like Gracie Fields and Eric Morecambe. Modern champions include best selling author Josephine Cox; Nick Park, the inventor of Wallace and Gromit; and former fashion designer Wayne Hemingway, who is campaigning for better housing. And what do these people have in common? They are all Lancastrians.

When Guy de Sawley's promised bride takes refuge in a nunnery rather than marry him he turns his attentions to village girl Martha Rolfe. But, although Martha has been secretly in love with Lord Sawley since arriving at Beech Hill with her brother, she soon discovers that the reality of being his servant girl is not the life she wished for.

Can Martha escape from Lord Sawley? Will she be rescued by his cousin John? Or by the outlaws who live beyond the law in the forest? And what is the hidden secret of her parentage that not even Martha knows until all the secrets and lies are eventually revealed?