The Lion of Canterbury

In 1832 a stranger arrived in Canterbury dressed like a Turkish sultan and with seemingly limitless wealth. He claimed to be Sir William Percy Honeywood Courtenay and said that he was the King of Jerusalem, a Prince of Arabia, the Prince of Abyssinia, and King of the Gypsies. He entranced many in the city and soon had a sizeable following among the agricultural labourers who saw in his radical politics an answer to their poverty. Some five years later after unsuccessfully standing for parliament and being incarcerated in a mental asylum Sir William' led the last armed uprising in England that left twenty dead and many seriously wounded at what became known as the Battle of Bossenden. Who was Sir William' if he was not who he claimed to be Who indeed And why The Lion of Canterbury is a haunting narrative written with particular sensitivity to the language of the period that brings readers into the heart of the strange story of Sir William Courtenay.


Genre: Historical