Derwent Priory, or Memoirs of an Orphan in a Series of Letters, a romance novel by Mrs A. Kendall, contemporary of Jane Austen. Heiress Lady Laura Merioneth and her aunt visit the old family seat, Derwent Priory, now in the hands of Laura's plotting uncle, Lord Earl of Derwent. Intrigues abound, into which the gentle Ellen Rutland, ward of Lady Derwent, is also ensnared! Mrs Kendall wrote Derwent Priory at the same time as Austen was preparing her first drafts of what was to be Pride & Prejudice and the two novels share not a little in common. Novel duration 7 hrs 10 mins.
First published in 1796 -97 in the hugely popular Lady's Magazine; or Entertaining Companion for the Fair Sex, a Georgian women's periodical (1770 - 1830), a selection of short excerpts from which follow Derwent Priory and an afterword by Dr Jennie Batchelor, professor of 18th C studies and Jane Austen expert at the University of Kent. Witty and alive with a wonderful cast of characters, Dr Batchelor asserts that Derwent Priory was more widely read in its day than Austen's first editions. Here is its first ever publication as an audiobook! Enjoy this novel of manners and time travel into the era just preceding the Regency period.
Cover design by Deborah Greenfield