“If I had my time to come over again I would still be what I have been—a poacher. So I remain, Gentlemen, The Ex King of the Norfolk Poachers.”
These are the concluding words of one of the most remarkable British books about the countryside, I Walked By Night, edited by Lilias Rider Haggard and first published in 1935.
The poacher went un-named in the book. The title page just reads 'by Himself'. Now, spurred on by a belief that she lives in a lodge once occupied by the mysterious poacher, East Anglian writer Charlotte Paton has researched his life and written his biography.
The name of the poacher was Frederick Rolfe. The true story of Rolfe’s life is just as remarkable his original tale, although it was embroidered and he glossed over some of his less pleasant actions, particularly where his wives were concerned.
In the course of her research Charlotte Paton has discovered a manuscript that throws light on Rolfe’s family life: an account by his daughter Emily. This is published for the first time as part of this book.
Charlotte Paton captures the social conditions in which Rolfe lived. There is plenty of background about magistrates’ courts, poaching practices, the life of the rural poor and attempts at the reform of agricultural labour.
Frederick Rolfe was already in his seventies when I Walked by Night was published. Charlotte Paton has unearthed much new material about his declining years and his unexpected end.
This is the story of a complex man who went his own way, often stirring up trouble on the wrong side of the law. He could inspire devotion and he created one of the most remarkable accounts of our countryside.
The King of the Norfolk Poachers by Charlotte Paton, hardback book. 224 pages inc. 16 pp photographs, indexed. ISBN 978-1-905523-89-4. IN STOCK at Old Pond at £19.95.
The real Frederick Rolfe (right) was photographed at about the time of his book's publication. The painting on the front cover of Charlotte Paton's book is 'The Moon Lighter' by Lawson Wood (Lynn Museums).
I've adored Lilias Rider Haggard's edit of George Baldry's "The Rabbit Skin Cap" since I was about 10, when my father brought home a copy (he was a Cambridgeshire printer).
It was a delight - a magical (but also practical) glimpse into a forgotten and now-unattainable world.
I would absolutely love to read "I Walked by Night" and find a space for it alongside the (by now) very battered copy of its "brother".
Posted by: Mark Philip Jones | 09/26/2009 at 11:16 PM