A children's book from the old days (published 1951); my brother-in-law says it was his favourite children's book and he is aged over 60. I remember reading it when I too was a young boy.
It is a classic boy's adventure story mixed with historical novel. Peter falls asleep on a Welsh hillside under a ruined castle and wakes up to find himself holding a gauntlet. He is transported back to the fourteenth century where he discovers he is the elder son of the castle's Marcher Lord. Over the next few months he learns about mediaeval table manners and diet, how to be a squire, how to handle a falcon and a longbow and a sword, and he goes to a monastery to be taught his letters (he is criticised for not spelling son 'sonne'). Then the castle is besieged by Welsh rebels and Peter discovers what really happened to Peter de Blois, whose brass-plated tomb is in the local church.
A cleverly written book mixing careful research with a simple story.
March 2020; 194 pages
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