The Witch’s Brat

England, in the reign of Henry I. Lovel is orphaned, physically disabled and branded a witch’s brat because of the herbal knowledge taught by his grandmother. Monks at New Minster give him shelter, but his future changes when he meets Rahere, the king’s entertainer, who recognises both his intelligence and his capacity to heal.

Lovel travels to London and becomes involved in the work that grows around Rahere’s vow to establish St Bartholomew’s Hospital. Medieval suspicion, monastic charity and practical medicine shape his search for a useful place in society. The novel connects an outcast child’s development with the historical foundation of a lasting institution, showing healing as craft, service and a challenge to inherited prejudice.