Within the Fetterlock

Within the Fetterlock tells the story of Constance of York, an English princess who lived from (circa) 1375 to 1416. Constance was first cousin to both Richard II and Henry IV.

Brian Wainwright was fascinated by Constance from the first moment he heard of her.

'It was longer ago than I care to remember that I found a fleeting reference to her in an obscure book about English political history. She had done something quite remarkable for a woman of that era, let alone of her rank, and I wanted to know more. This was easier said than achieved. Most texts relating to the era give her a passing mention or don't refer to her at all. Some don't even bother to include her in the family tree of the House of York, even though she was great-grandmother to (among others) Queen Anne Neville and Isabelle, Duchess of Clarence.

'I visited libraries all over the UK, trying to find scraps of information about her. This became almost an end in itself, especially as I was continually turning up new, small aspects that related to her or to those around her. I then started to try to tell her story. There were several versions written, over a period of something like twenty years. It is not a process I could ever repeat, not in this lifetime. At times I despaired of ever completing a satisfactory manuscript, let alone getting it published.

'It was then that I joined a e-group called Late Medieval Britain that, sadly, no longer exists. There I met some wonderful people, interested in the same broad era as me. The discussions we had were inspiring, and took me onto a whole new level of thought. In addition I 'met' two very important people in the history of this novel. Barbara Zuchegna, who didn't only encourage me to finish it but badgered me until I did; and Tamara Mazzei of Trivium Publishing LLC who decided that she wanted to publish it.'

Within the Fetterlock ISBN 0-9722091-1-5 was published by Trivium Publishing LLC in the USA. As of 2022 it is 'hard to find' and expensive. This is one reason why Brian has decided to extend Walking Among Lions from the prequel originally envisaged to a trilogy.