Clouds over Bowland

by Rosemary Sturge

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Clouds over Bowland.

1814, towards the end of the Napoleonic war: Hugh Armstrong leaves behind an unhappy family situation in Scotland to take up a job as land agent to a wealthy Lancashire mill owner. On his rounds, he is soon held up at pistol point by escaped prisoners of war, and he encounters them again when, recaptured, they are sent out by Lancaster Prison as part of a working party to help rebuild dry stone walls. He finds his employer exacting, but his Quaker tenant farming families in the Forest of Bowland make him welcome. He initially finds their simple way of life strange, but soon adjusts. He is having to deal with unusual and alarming events, including a dead man buried for months under snow. The support of the community proves invaluable, and a tentative friendship with Dorcas Hutton, daughter of one of the farmers, gradually develops into something more.

'...a wonderfully written, well-researched, engaging and unusual story,highlighting a part of England and a period of history that is often overlooked. I loved the characters, enjoyed the insight into Quakerism and reached the end wishing I could stay with the story for longer.'

Kathleen McGurl, author of The Lost Diamond - currently nominated for the Saga Romance Award (Romantic Novel of the Year Awards 2026)

'Elegantly written, and gentle infused with humour, Clouds Over Bowland tends towards literary fiction, being Hardy-esque without the tragedy. It calls to mind Pulitzer prize-winner Geraldine Brooks' novel Year of Wonders, which explores isolation, faith and female resilience.'‍ ‍

Jo Chinn, author of Under The Hickory Tree

Historical background to the novel

The Forest Bowland is a beautiful, lesser-known area south of the Lake District in Lancashire, England. Growing up, I knew of several Quaker farming families who lived there and whose families had done so for generations. I felt inspired to set a story there. The 18th and 19th centuries were the ‘Quietest’ period in Quaker history, when the excited outpourings of the early movement gave way to quiet, faithful lives, following codes of simplicity, truthfulness, equality, and peacefulness in their interactions with the wider world, including what many people associate with them, simplicity of dress.

However, they were human beings with loves, and longings, joys, and sorrows. They weren’t always incredibly strict, unbelievably good. They tended to wear dark colours, but not always grey. They were against “All fightings and outward strife,” but they also believed that there was “that of God in everyone,” and at this time were beginning to be concerned about conditions in prisons throughout Britain. I have no evidence that they interacted with either escaped French prisoners of war or those held in Lancaster Castle, but when I was growing up the idea persisted that prisoners of war had helped to build the stone walls that are such a feature of the landscape, and that gave me the idea for the story.

How to buy

In print and Kindle

Clouds over Bowland is available in print from The Guardian Bookshop and for Kindle and in print from Amazon

It is also available from other booksellers. ISBN-10: 1914578120 ISBN-13:‎ 978-1914578120

I would be very pleased if you could leave a review on one of the web sites where it is for sale.