Category:Fiona Taylor

Fiona Taylor is a local historian and the author of the new children's book The Sheltering Tree.

When Fiona was around eleven she read Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and since then she has been fascinated by social history, which is often described as history of the people. She is especially interested in everyday folk who have stood up for what is right.

After graduating from the London School of Economics she worked for several years in London as an assistant editor for a trade magazine - her claim to fame is that the magazine appeared on Have I got News for You as the guest publication.

Following the birth of her two children, Fiona moved to Dorset to live by the sea. It is here that Fiona has been able to develop her love of history and has written numerous articles for the local press, blogs and has contributed to local community projects. Following a weekend at the Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival last summer, Fiona decided to delve into the life of 13-year-old Elizabeth Standfield, a daughter of one of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, who grew up in the 1830s. The Sheltering Tree is the result of this research and it is the first time Elizabeth's story has been told.

When Fiona does not have her nose deep in a dusty book in the local history centre she can be found floating around her narrowboat on the Grand Union Canal, with one hand on the tiller and a mug of tea in the other.