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The setting: Cornwall 1786 - 1800 The period is as turbulent and
dramatic as the sweeping seascapes of the setting for the series.
Who has visited Cornwall and not been touched by its beauty and mystery?
Or been inspired by its history or folklore. Secret sandy coves speak
of ancient days when smuggling was the only way many families could
survive through
a harsh winter when the fishing fleet failed. The
granite cliffs buffeted by stormy seas tested many a proud sea-captain
to the limits of his skill against the elements - and many lost their
lives when their ships floundered on the rocks.
The vast moors with their heritage of ancient standing stones is the
mystical heritage of all mankind. The courage of King Arthur and the
legacy of Merlin is steeped in this beautiful county.
Lives
of the fishermen of Cornwall was hard and when the catch failed the
only way to keep your family from starving was to risk your freedom
and your life by joining the local freetraders (smuggling tea, brandy,
silk and lace). Taxes on these items were high and the trade was profitable.
Many of the smugglers were ordinary men with little choice to engage
in such a dangerous double-life. Often their leaders were ruthless
and cruel and ruled the gangs through fear. Harry Sawle, the brother-in-law
of St John Loveday, was such a smuggler. Many men who crossed him
ended as food for the fishes in the Cornish waters. He dragged the
Lovedays into his web of intrigue and deceit putting their lives in
danger. Even the stalwart Edward Loveday, father of Adam and St John
and an honourable man and respectable pillar of society, cannot escape
the consequenes of the trade.
This
period in history was a turbulent one. The French Revolution bought
danger to Adam Loveday's cousins Lisette and Etienne Riviere living
in France. Adam became involved with the British government as a spy
during this time, rescuing émigrés from the Terror. The later war
with France would bring many members of the family into danger and
imprisonment.
Mariner's House at the shipyard at Trevowan Hard, became Adam's home after he married.
Trevowan Hard Situated on an inlet of the River Fowey a few miles upriver from Fowey. The shipyard has a dozen cottages to house the shipwrights and their families, a kiddlywink (a pub/general store) provisioned by the Lovedays for the use of the workers, a schoolhouse, forge, carpentry sheds, Edward's office and a dry dock and a landing stage.
Boscabel A ruined Elizabethan house and estate purchased by Adam. He repairs the house and struggles to make the estate prosper to rival Trevowan his childhood home that he loves with an abiding passion. But despite its glory and all Adam's achievements Boscabel will never replace Trevowan in Adam's heart. And when the dissolute St John inherits his beloved home and his wastrel ways bring Trevowan ino dispute and close to ruin, the old rivalry intensifies between the twins.
Penruan is a fishing village and harbour a mile from Trevowan. It is the home of the notorious Sawle family and Thadeous Lanyon both adversaries of the Loveday family. The lives of many of the villagers are interwoven into the Loveday series.