‘The Sempster’s Tale’ by Margaret Frazer
Published by Soundings Audio Books. ISBN: 978-1-4079-0188-6 ( 10 Cassettes)
Read by Anne Dover

Anne Blakhall shared a tailoring business with her husband Matthew, a marriage arranged between Matthew and her father. The marriage has worked, but now six years later Anne is widowed. Matthew had protected his wife by giving her the right to continue on the business alone.  Although after a time she had several offers of marriage she has chosen not to, but has taken a lover – Daved Weir, a foreign merchant whom she loves deeply. But there are problems in that Daved is a Jew, which places them both in deadly peril, as Jews have been banished from England.

Master Greene has a mission to transport a shipment of gold on behalf of his late murdered master the Duke of Suffolk back into England.  Dame Frevisse of the St Frideswide’s nunnery is in London to obtain vestments for her cousin, Lady Alice, Her Grace of Sussex. Under cover of providing material and a tailor for the vestments, Master Greene enlists the aid of Dame Frevisse in delivering the gold to Lady Alice.  Although she is suspicious of its origins, Master Greene convinces Frevisse that Lady Alice is in dire need of the money and that the conveyers of the gold are foreign merchants only allowed into the country for a limited time, so she reluctantly agrees for her cousin’s sake she will help.

Whilst taking the opportunity of some shopping in London they hear news of the Kentish rebels being as close as Blackheath, not ten miles away and vow to cut short their visit and head back to the nunnery. Then a high ranking churchman is murdered, which creates considerable unrest, particularly against the King.

Much of the story is centred around the persecution of Jews, and the love Anne Blackwell has for her lover Daved. Dame Fevisse is a calming voice in a volatile story. I wondered just what women were really like in an age when they couldn’t just go out and see what was happening, but had to wait indoors until news was brought to them, unable to venture forth unless accompanied by a man. I found the whole concept unacceptable, but marvelled that women have still, despite the confinements they had, evolved to what we are today.

Anne Dover provided a sympathetic reading. She portrayed in her voice the setting, the feeling of the age, the whole ambiance of the time. Very highly recommended.

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Lizzie Hayes