With 250 years of familial links to the village - Ashford pens historical fiction set in Morthoe on the North Devon Coast
The Book
Morte - Historical adventure set in North Devon
Morthoe is a remote village on the North Devon Coast with the treacherous rock formation Mort Stone (Death Rock) just off the coast, notorious for its role in numerous shipwrecks. It is where the Bristol Channel meets the Atlantic and is where the author’s family has lived for the past 250 years. From this place come the stories and people in this book.
Captain Parker has newly arrived back from India with his Regiment and has inherited his uncle’s estate and the old Zora Manor House. Soon Parker and Bennett, his Sargent, make their way to Mort and settle in the old Manor House. Now the adventures begin, with shipwrecks, smuggling, wrecking, romance, an escape from Lundy Island, the Mill at Lee. Parker soon finds himself deep in trouble with the Customs, is there a way out for him? Luckily Parker had friends in high places but will they help?
About the author
Richard Ashford comes from a family which have lived in Morte [Mortehoe] for the past 250 years. He has had a passion for history of the village since he was 14 when after visiting all of the old people in the village, he recorded their stories of shipwrecks and smuggling which many years later have been used in his books. He has published three booklets on the history of Morte, and two novels.
Why this book
Richard explains: I have lived and worked in Morte for the past seventy years and have been researching the history of the village from when I was a boy. I have run two Archaeological digs in the village, but what started me writing was one day I walked from one end of the village to the other and didn’t see one person I knew. Ninety percent of the houses in Mortehoe are now holiday homes. So when I got home in my mind I walked the length of the village again and recorded the ghost of the people who lived there, like Mr Gammon coming out of Barricane house on his way to get his paper, and so on, and I gave it to a local publisher. To my surprise they thought it was wonderful and published it, now on sale in the Mortehoe Museum. I have also done an Oral History Interview for the Beaford Archive.”
In our opinion:
This is an adventure novel set on the wild North Devon coast packed with shipwrecks, smuggling, wrecking, romance, and an escape from Lundy Island. Written by an author whose family have lived in the area for hundreds of years, how could it not deliver. A Great historical adventure from the 1800's a novel you will enthrall. Natalie Key For Female First
Morte by author Richard Ashford is released 28/04/2026 ISBN: 9781806341573 Price: £9.99
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