Jan Williams, Author - Jan's Books

Bells Across Cardigan Bay

Jan Williams has had a fascinating adult factual book published! It is called Bells across Cardigan Bay and this time it is a personal story based on an exciting piece of family history. It is the memoir of a master mariner. On a calm September day in 1882 a brig called the Rowland Evans sank off the coast of Bardsey island, on the far end of the North Wales coast . Luckily the captain , his wife and small crew managed to row the ship's log book all the way to the captain's home on the centre of the West Wales coast to a village called Borth. The captain was Jan's great grandfather Captain John Evans and his story turned out to be very exciting for the captain amazingly was disciplined and lost his master mariner's ticket after the ship sank. Whatever had he done? Jan spent twelve years trying to discover the details of this doomed voyage and what a picture emerged of how those nineteenth master mariners lived! Jan learnt how their ships were built and how they even sailed to South America. His log book revealed colourful characters and hilarious adventures. Even his family had astonishing tales to tell which you might expect from a village famous for an ancient petrified forest.

Essex Folk Tales

Essex Folk Tales is one of the many entertaining books produced by History Press to record the folk tales of each individual British county. As well as capturing the special qualities of each individual county, these books are treasured as a revelation of the style of each individual oral storyteller . Jan has always loved the mysterious landscape of the Essex coast. It is a place still haunted by the spirits of historical invaders like the Romans, the Anglo Saxons and the Vikings. Many tales were told by smugglers to keep prying eyes away from their secret hide outs. Inland dramatic stories of the supernatural include witch craft, ghosts, dragons, a violent white lady and a good selection of heroes and villains including some amazing highwaymen. The women of Essex stir the imagination most-from brave Boudicca and beautiful Edith Swan Neck to the adulteress Kitty Canham.

Some stories are told with a respect for their historical background, some with a touch of poetry and some with an impish sense of fun. Jan has taken these tales, many handed down through generations of storytellers and shaped them into an entertaining and readable collection for a modern audience. Price£9.99. December 12th Essex Life's 'Bookof the month' Available from all good bookshops. 0r Amazon Or The History Press

An Amazing Storytelling Cat

This book is a collection of stories about cats from all around the world told by the lovely Kyoto The print run for this edition is ended but there are still 100 copies left which can be ordered from Jan 's office for £8.99 + £1.00 shipping.

A Candle in the Dark Step into a world turned upside down into 1645. This is the booklet Jan produced for the Essex Storytellers in 2006 when they took their dramatic storytelling project about the notorious witch hunts in Manningtree into schools and museums. The careful research and imaginative insight is still a valuable resource for anybody interested in this period. It gives an insight into the beliefs about witches that prevailed in the 17th century and why 1645 was such a special year. It gives a picture of what life was like in Lawford, Manningtree and Mistley at this time. It tells how events progressed as Matthew Hopkins and John Stearne stalked the land, bringing their victims to the gallows and how they tortured poverty stricken old women. The potent combination of civil war, fanatical religion and the breakdown of law and order prod still can affect people today in this terrible tragedy.This is only intended for serious students and can only be ordered directly from Jan Williams at £3 + £1 shipping.