Charlotte Paton

Charlotte Paton

A researcher and historian, Charlotte Paton is particularly interested in East Anglian rural history in the Victorian and Edwardian period. She writes regularly for a number of magazines and newspapers especially The Eastern Daily Press. She also undertakes research for people interested in finding out their own family history, or the history of the house in which they live. Charlotte gives talks allied to her interests, subjects include Frederick Rolfe, Victorian women and life in the workhouses.

Charlotte lives in West Norfolk, and is restoring a gypsy caravan, learning the Romany language and researching the part gypsies played in agricultural life before mechanisation.

She grew up in Bungay, Suffolk, where she read “I Walked by Night”, a book she loved. Little did she realise that almost 50 years later she would discover that the author had at one time lived in a cottage where she too lived for many years. This led her onto research the life of the author Frederick Rolfe in a biography, The King of the Norfolk Poachers, published in 2009.

She is now an expert on the ways of the poacher, having studied them in depth to try to understand what drove Rolfe to pursue his criminal activities.

New documentary: 1000 years of the English Poacher

This new production from Peter Hodges and Charlotte Paton brings to life the history of the poachers, their methods, and the gamekeepers who tried to stop them. Available as a DVD or to watch online. More »

The Truth Behind ‘I Walked by Night’ DVD

The Truth behind ‘I Walked by Night’ is a 60 minute DVD with additional sections, filming the seven year search Charlotte undertook to find out about Frederick Rolfe, The King of the Norfolk Poachers. Courthouse scenes, his childhood haunts, the art of poaching, recollections from those who remember him, his last resting place, and lots more.

Projects and Articles

• Bob’s Allotment - Best of Britain
• Breach of Promise - Ancestors Magazine.
• Robert Bugg Marathon Man 1908 - Eastern Daily Press.
• Suicide amongst the rural poor - Ancestors Magazine.
• Christmas Day in the Workhouse - Eastern Daily Press
• Edwardian Postcards, the emails of their day - Ancestors Magazine.
• The Victorian Public House - Ancestors Magazine
• East Winch Right Royal Races - Eastern Daily Press.
• Tom Batchelor, Page to the Backstairs to Queen Victoria who seems to have a royal secret - Family History Monthly.
• Walter Dexter RBA - Eastern Daily Press
• As part of Robert Fuller associates DVD ‘THE LAND OF TRADITION’ Charlotte Paton, with Steve Caple acting as the poacher, has contributed the section on the DVD covered the lot of the Victorian poacher. Copies of this DVD available from www.robertfullerassociates.co.uk

New talk: Five East Anglian people whose stories deserve telling

We may not know them or even recognise their names but they worked tirelessly behind the scenes making things happen and supporting others so they could too. Come and hear Charlotte bring them to life.