October 2014
Speaker: local author, Liz Shakespeare
'The Turning of the Tide' - set in 1870s Bideford
Liz, a former teacher from near Bideford, described to the group how she set about researching and writing her latest book. Although it is fiction it is based on the lives of people who lived in the Bideford area 150 years ago. She makes extensive use of on-line facilities to look at census details as well as parish and workhouse records.
However she still has to go and search the 'actual' archive when looking at the medical papers/diaries of a local Bideford doctor - Dr. Ackland. At one point when presented with the large, heavy-duty ledgers, she believed she was the first person to look at them in 150 years.
I very enjoyable and informative evening - I look forward to reading the book!