Finding facts in fiction

While family historians must be meticulous in their research, sticking always to proven facts, there are many times when context and atmosphere are sadly lacking. It is in this area that observant, well-written fiction can provide what is missing.

The best authors fall into two categories – those such as Charles Dickens and Anthony Trollope who were keen observers of society and conditions in their own life-time, and those like Bernard Cornwell who, after sustained and accurate research, write of earlier times. Even where these books mention real characters, most of us are unlikely to find our own ancestors on the pages. What we will find, however, is accurate observation of societies, locations, conditions, and customs that will match those our ancestors encountered and endured, and put their lives into clearer context.

To follow is a selection of such authors who will provide useful background material, to enrich your appreciation for the lives and experiences of your ancestors, and the times they once lived through.

Bernard Cornwell (1944 to present)

Genre, period: Historical fiction, particularly military history 1899-1821

Cornwell, a prolific author, historian, and family historian, brings great authenticity to his historical fiction. Using historical records, in his series of 21 books about Richard Sharpe, Cornwell accurately portrays the background to British Army actions, starting with Sharpe’s Tiger, set in Seringapatam, India in 1799, through the Peninsular Wars, to Sharpe’s Waterloo (set in 1815), and culminating in Sharpe’s Devil (set in 1820-21). All except three of the battles depicted in the Sharpe books were real battles, described from official records.

Sharpe’s Havoc, Portugal (set in 1809): Sharpe laughed. ‘Go and clean your rifle, Pat.’ Cooper had boiled a can of water and some