Davies

Davies became famous briefly in 1911 when Home Secretary Winston Churchill raised his case in Parliament. But who was Davies? In this fictionalised account of a lifelong petty criminal, Constantine explores the mystery of a shadowy loner caught in a vicious circle of self-perpetuating crime. David Davies (1849-1929) was known in his day as the 'Dartmoor Shepherd'. He spent half a century in prison for a succession of minor offences, mostly for stealing coppers from the poor-boxes of local churches. In Constantine's novel three characters reflect on Davies' life, and understand him as best they can. But Davies remains uncomprehended and in isolation. Davies came from Llanfyllin, Montgomeryshire, and Constantine has set his novel in the counties of the Welsh Marches, in Flint and Montgomery, Shropshire and Cheshire. He has made much use of documentary material - Hansard, newspaper reports and a biography - and aims in his novel to seek a truth behind established facts. Although historically based, Davies is a novel whose concerns are very much relevant to the present day, particularly in its portrait of the habitual offender and of vagrancy. This first novel by a young award-winning Bloodaxe poet marks the emergence of an exciting new talent in British fiction.