Through the Windows of an Ordinary House: A History of England

This book tells the history of England from the point of view of the people who lived in Mearsdon, the house in Moretonhampstead on the edge of Dartmoor, where the historian Ian Mortimer now lives. The house is documented from the thirteenth century but through a judicious use of archaeological and written evidence, it has been possible to describe daily life locally from the coming of the Saxons in the seventh century to the present day.

Mortimer blends the broadest national history with the most intimate local events and domestic situations. In so doing, he acquaints us with those who inhabited the building – from the first known owner, a thirteenth-century priest, to his own family living there today. Along the way he illustrates important social changes – such as the Norman Conquest, the Black Death, the Reformation, the discovery of the New World, the Industrial Revolution, and the two world wars – through the experiences of the inhabitants of the house and their neighbours in deepest Devon.

The result is a unique and fascinating perspective on English social history. Demonstrating the brilliant imagination, thorough research and storytelling ability that made his Time Traveller’s Guides such a huge success, Mortimer introduces us to lords and peasants, merchants and murderers, clergymen and shepherds, housewives and hoteliers, to create a continuously evolving story. Looking through the windows of his house, we not only see the people who lived there over the ages, we also gaze through their eyes as they witness the world changing around them.