The Lydiard Chronicles by Elizabeth St.John

Archaeolibrarian
Jul 8
4 min read

Book details:

Book Title: The Lydiard Chronicles (A Trilogy)

Author: Elizabeth St.John

Publication Date: 2016-2020

Publisher: Falcon Historical

Genre: Historical Fiction

Any Triggers: No

@ElizabethJStJohn @cathie.dunn1 @thecoffeepotbookclub

@elizabethjstjohn @thecoffeepotbookclub

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Duty, passion, and power collide in The Lydiard Chronicles, a gripping trilogy inspired by true events. Follow three courageous women—survivors, strategists, and storytellers—who defy the constraints of society to shape their family’s fate and England’s future. Their voices echo through time. Their legacy changed a nation.

The Lydiard Chronicles is an award-winning, best-selling historical family saga which brings to life the remarkable true stories of theSt.Johnfamily. Spanning three compelling novels—The Lady of the Tower, By Love Divided, and Written in Their Stars—the series follows the legacy of resilient and intelligent women who lived as spies, courtiers, and diarists during England’s most turbulent century, navigating the quicksand of love and war, political upheaval, and personal sacrifice.

Bound by fierce family loyalty and unforgettable love, the women of The Lydiard Chronicles defy the limits of their time with passion, courage, and unshakable independence. They endure captivity in the Tower of London, exile in the Louvre Palace, and the heart-wrenching divisions of the English Civil War—fighting not just for survival, but for their beliefs, their families, and the right to choose their own fate. Meticulously researched and vividly told, this epic saga reveals how these women created history from the shadows, leaving a legacy of resilience, defiance, and enduring influence.

Rooted in original diaries, letters, and family papers, The Lydiard Chronicles offers an intimate, biographical portrait of women who moved behind the scenes of power. Serving as trusted secret agents, military wives, and confidantes of kings, they were deeply engaged in the political and religious conflicts of their time. Through tragedy and triumph, the women of The Lydiard Chronicles shape their destinies—and the fate of a nation—in this richly researched and vividly told historical epic.

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Women with Agency in The Lydiard Chronicles

History is usually told through the lens of kings and conquerors, rebellions and regimes. But beneath the surface of every revolution, behind every royal command, there are voices we rarely hear—especially those of women. When I began writing The Lydiard Chronicles, I was driven by the need to uncover and share those voices. What I discovered in the lives of Lucy St.John, Frances Apsley, Luce Hutchinson, Anne Wilmot and others was not only a powerful counterpoint to traditional narratives, but a challenge to how we define power, agency, and legacy itself.

These were not queens or leaders of armies. They were wives, widows, mothers, and courtiers. Yet they shaped events in subtle, profound ways—through diplomacy, loyalty, courage, and sheer resilience. Their influence was often hidden in letters, in muted advice, in the decisions they made behind closed doors. And yet, these actions reverberated across history.

During the English Civil War and the political chaos that followed, the choices women made were often matters of survival—but they were also acts of conviction. Frances Apsley chose exile in France with Charles II as an intelligencer, rather than stay in England under Cromwell’s regime. Luce Hutchinson, a highly educated and fiercely principledPuritan, helped her husband defend Nottingham Castle at the outbreak of war. She wrote relentlessly as an eyewitness to the civil war, concealing her notebooks until it was politically safe to publish. Lady Anne Wilmot, Countess of Rochester andwife of Henry Wilmot, King Charles’s favourite, stood virtually alone in the battle to protect her estates at Ditchley Park from sequestration by Cromwell’s government—engaging in political manoeuvring and legal appeals so skillfully that she preserved her family's fortunes and status against all odds.

What fascinates me is how their stories defy the stereotypes often assigned to women of the 17th century. They weren’t passive victims or mere footnotes. They were deeply political, strategic thinkers, unafraid to stand up for what they believed in—even when it came at great personal cost. Their lives ask us to reconsider where power truly lies. Is it in a title? A sword? Or in the quiet conviction of someone who refuses to be silenced?

By bringing these women to the forefront, The Lydiard Chronicles invites us to question how history remembers—or forgets. Their stories highlight the complexity of legacy: how much is preserved, how much is lost, and who gets to decide. They remind us that history is not a single narrative, but a tapestry of many threads, some faded, some still waiting to be pulled into the light.

In telling these untold stories, I’ve found that fiction can be a powerful tool for historical truth. It allows us to imagine the inner lives of these women, to feel their triumphs and heartbreaks, to see the world through their eyes. And in doing so, we not only honour them—we challenge the way history has long been written.

Because the truth is, the past is full of powerful women. We just need to listen.

Elizabeth St.John’s critically acclaimed historical fiction novels tell the stories of her ancestors: extraordinary women whose intriguing kinship with England's kings and queens brings an intimately unique perspective to Medieval, Tudor, and Stuart times.

Inspired by family archives and residences from Lydiard Park to the Tower of London, Elizabeth spends much of her time exploring ancestral portraits, diaries, and lost gardens. And encountering the occasional ghost. But that’s another story.

Living between California, England, and the past, Elizabeth is the International Ambassador for The Friends of Lydiard Park, an English charity dedicated to conserving and enhancing this beautiful centuries-old country house and park. As a curator for The Lydiard Archives, she is constantly looking for an undiscovered treasure to inspire her next novel.

Elizabeth's works include The Lydiard Chronicles, a family saga set in 17th-century England during the Civil War, and The Godmother's Secret, which unravels the medieval mystery of the missing princes in the Tower of London. Her latest release, The King’s Intelligencer, follows Franny Apsley in the treacherous court of Charles II as she risks everything to uncover the dangerous truth behind the discovery of the princes’ bones.