New novel inspired by medieval research on Holy Island and Lowick set to be published

It is penned by John Daniels, a former language teacher and headteacher, who has lived in Lowick for many years.

As chair of the Lowick Heritage Group, he researched the medieval history of the village and the often-difficult relationship with the monastery on Holy Island.

‘Isolde, daughter of the priest’ is inspired by an excommunication document in which Isolde was included in a list of 20 from Lowick.

John said: “As soon as I saw the excommunication document in Durham, written in Latin with the impressive red seal of the Prince Bishop of Durham, one name stood out, Isolde. Who was this girl?

“Why was she, in a man’s world, included in the list of 20 from the village of Lowick who had ‘maliciously’ buried the corn tithes due to the monastery on Holy Island in pits in the ground.

"The crime which lead to this fearful punishment of excommunication, banishment from the church, shutting them off from the one thing that made their miserable lives supportable: the promise of a future paradise in heaven. It seemed that Isolde was a person from the distant past who deserved to have her story told, to be remembered.”

The story almost writes itself; Isolde is the central character around which the novel is composed, standing out as different to the other girls in her village, a special person who somehow is caught up in the action which leads to excommunication.

‘Isolde, daughter of the priest’ is launched on January 5 and is available to pre-order from W.H.Smith, Amazon and Austin Macauley publishers.