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1790s- 1815: Against the backdrop of the Napoleonic wars and the threat of invasion, the Trumpet Major roams..
The Trumpet-Major
What you need to know before your trail
Thomas Hardy’s only historical novel, The Trumpet Major is set in Wessex during the Napoleonic Wars. Hardy skilfully immerses us in the life of the day, making us feel the impact of historical events on the immemorial local way of life – the glamour of the coming of George III and his soldiery, fears of the press-gang and invasion, and the effect of distant but momentous events like the Battle of Trafalgar.
He interweaves a compelling, bitter-sweet romantic love story of the rivalry of two brothers for the hand of the heroine Anne Garland, played out against the loves of a lively gallery of other characters.
Travel Guide
Hardy Country
Hardy described his landscape “Wessex” and in Far from the Madding Crowd describes his country as the “partly real, partly dream-country” that unifies his South West England
The village of Puddletown, near Dorchester, is the inspiration for the novel’s Weatherbury. Dorchester, in turn, is said to have inspired Hardy’s Casterbridge which appears in The Major of Casterbridge
True Hardy Fans should also visit Higher Bockhampton as this is where the literary man was born
Booktrail Boarding Pass Information: The Trumpet-Major
Author/Guide: Thomas Hardy Destination: “Wessex”, Dorchester, Higher Bockhampton Departure Time:1790s – 1815
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