John Holdsworth, Chief Mate

The quaint and primitive village of Southbourne in England is the setting for William Clark Russell's novel, 'John Holdsworth, Chief Mate'. In a time when Parliament was corrupt and the Poor Laws barbarous, Southbourne weaves its homely interests around a man's heart. The story opens on a summer's evening where the farmyards are tranquil, and men sit at open doors smoking long pipes and conversing.