Blackmore, R(ichard) D(odderidge)

(British, 1825–1900)

Blackmore's most famous novel is Lorna Doone (1869), a historical romance set in the 1680s on Exmoor. As a boy John Ridd is saved from death by the beautiful child Lorna Doone, and as an adult he is in love with her. But the Doones (who are a clan of aristocratic outlaws, terrorizing the neighbourhood) have murdered his farmer father, and he has to avenge this. Eventually Lorna is discovered to be not a Doone but the kidnapped heiress of a noble family, and the pair marry. But the drama does not end with wedding bells—in fact, Lorna is shot (but not fatally) at the altar. Monmouth's rebellion, and various historical characters including Judge Jeffries, play a part in the story, which, despite its dated language, is still a good and enduringly popular read. Blackmore was admired by writers as diverse as Thomas Hardy and R. L. Stevenson.

Walter Scott, R. L. Stevenson, Alexandre Dumas  JR