Bøger af Laurie Penman

A little over a decade before the historical Roman invasion of Britain two Romans, refugees from the Emperor Tiberius fled to the island. They had wealth and planned to buy land for an estate and live in comfort on the edge of civilization, but out of the reach of Rome. Gregorius was the remaining son of a patrician family, who unusually had been educated in Alexandria by Heron the engineer, Lucius his adoptive brother was an officer in the Roman legion.Although their plans to buy land fail, a fortunate set of circumstances induces the elderly king of South eastern Britain to use the in settling a small fortified town on his northern border. This is named Windubro.Windubro prospers commercially and develops a small trained army. As a result of increasing rumours of a Roman invasion, the decision is made to develop another town (Cantodunon) further north as a fall back position. The army has grown to over a thousand, several small battles have been fought and Windubro has become a force to be reckoned with. More importantly, a number of Gregory's improvements and the gradual education of his Britons has made the town wealthy and attractive to neighbours seeking citizenship.Both towns are situated on the Trent, about one hundred miles apart. Smaller settlements are developed around them, using water wheels for powering workshops, sawing timber, grinding corn, lines of signal posts and a network of roads begin to link the villages. Over the course of a few years, the two towns become major exporters of iron goods, cut timber and grain whilst expanding their population and legions. The legion adopts Gregory's invention of mobile ballistas and the stirrup and there are major confrontations with Caradoc prince of the south east, Venutius a prince of the Brigante federation and his erstwhile wife, Cartimandua 'queen' of the federation.Success in each episode is a result of good luck, the experienced men of the legion, artillery, cavalry and turpentine fuelled incendiary ballista bolts. The influence of the towns has grown to the extent that they form a new nation and the archdruid bestows the name Camelod with due ceremony and the recital of an ancient prophecy. Expeditions to the north and west add new land and curtail Brigante raids in the midlands.The Roman threat becomes more intense and then on the eve of the invasion, Caradoc approaches with an army of seventy thousand with the clear intention of taking the two towns.

This the first book of a series of Romano-British stories where history is bent just a little when two Roman refugees with a great deal of money flee Tiberius and build a town at the request of the King of the Cattuvelauni. The town prospers as a result of making use of new technology and military training.

This is an autobiography; Laurie Penman was born in 1932 and as a consequence has lived through what might easily be described as 'Interesting Times'. Along with millions of other Britons he experienced frequent bombing ... but Hitler missed him every time!It is a story of growing up (quite rapidly), courting, marrying, producing a family (with help) and all the other things that one can do in eighty five years. Most of it was fun, some of it was hilarious and most satisfactory of all; it is a love story.

Laurie Penman is the author of a number of clock related books and at one time lived in Totnes in a house that was literally just around the corner from the home and workshop of a well-known 18th century clockmaker William Stumbells who has been ranked as one of the most accomplished clockmakers in 18th century Britain. This tale revolves around his ex-apprentice John Richards who literally falls into a tangle of espionage on the last day of his apprenticeship and with Stumbells' encouragement is introduced into the world of naval intelligence. It was a time when French and British spies were tripping around both countries and 'clock and dagger' adventures and misadventures were rife. French agents crossed the channel on smuggling vessels and so did British agents. But they often travelled openly as gentlemen; John as fully qualified clockmaker had a good education in the science of horology and astronomy and could mix with like-minded men of the 'Enlightenment'; but much of his time was spent in the company of much more dangerous company.

An army of Catuvellauni is gathering under the leadership of Caradoc with the intention of storming and plundering the fortress town of Windubro. A local tribe (the Coritani) are not active allies of Caradoc but they are numerous and his army would be vulnerable to sporadic attacks from their heavily forested domain. Seventy thousand warriors have gathered and more bands are arriving; one of them makes for a small town in the forest to replenish its rations only to find that the natives have nothing for them. In a fit of anger he has the daughter of the headman disgraced (the warriors are under strict orders from Caradoc not to offer violence to the Coritani) in a manner that in his view obeys that stricture. The Coritani are outraged and make a strong protest to Caradoc. After executing the leader of the warriors, Caradoc razes the Coritani town to intimidate them but cannot rely on them remaining subdued while he attacks Windubro and he reluctantly turns away. At that moment he learns that the Roman have landed in Britain and have taken possession of Camulodunun the major town of his own lands. He orders his whole gathering (which is now approaching one hundred thousand men) to charge south to confront the invaders.

Laurie Penman was born in 1932 at a time when sugar came in blue bags, loose tea was weighed out, milk came around the town in a horse drawn cart and was measured out of the churn with a 'dipper' and then poured into a milk can. His first memory of newspapers was a front page showing Japanese fighters strafing Chinese civilians in a town high street.He was seven when he saw the barrage balloons going up into a turquoise evening sky on September 3rd 1939. The war came, rationing came and then peace. He took an apprenticeship and studied for engineering qualifications, fell in love, did his National Service and got married. In other words he is (still) living through the most momentous times that Britain and Europe have experienced. This book describes his (and millions of others) view of a very rapidly changing world and its effects on ordinary people.It is also the story of a sixty five years love affair with his wife Betty.

Britain in 60AD is divided into two major areas, the south east, which consisted of Roman Britain and the north which was now the nation of Camelod. This nation had grown rapidly from a small colony established by two Roman refugees, in 34AD. Over a quarter of a century Camelod has built a highly mobile army, and industries that make use of steam and water power. Although tiny by comparison with Rome, its' economy is strong.When Roman tax collectors took advantage of the death of the King of the Iceni (officially recognised as a 'Friend of Rome') to seize property, much of the wealth of the tribe, humiliate his Queen, Boudica and rape her teenage daughters before the assembled tribe, the Iceni rose and followed the raging Queen in an orgy of destruction vented on the cities of the Roman province.Camelod watched the rapid growth of the rising, and mobilised its army to take advantage of the chaos that is resulting in the south. Rome's occupation of Britain hangs in the balance.

This book is a practical guide to selecting, setting up and using an engineer's lathe to create parts specifically for clockmaking or clock repairs.