H ... Her-Story at Hartland
Hartland Abbey © Copyright Roger Cornfoot and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence A-Z of Devon Places and Devon Women Writers Her-Story at Hartland My choice of Hartland for 'H' in this A-Z of Devon places associated with Devon women writers is twofold; I have two 'Devon' women in mind. They lived centuries apart and, for different reasons, both of their lives and specific connections with Hartland are swathed in mystery. They are Elizabeth Stucley Northmore , who was a C20 writer and the very much earlier Gytha , the C11 Danish noblewoman who spent part of her life in Devon, and became mother of kings and queens. Not much appears to be known about either Gytha or Elizabeth; but they share certain characteristics, especially their upper-class ancestries. Fifteen or so years before she escaped from Exeter down the river Exe and from thence more or less out of his or her story, Gytha mother o