The Gauntlet

by Ronald Welch, T.R. Freeman (Illustrator)

Young Peter is visiting uncle in the Welsh countryside. When he finds an old knight's gauntlet, he put it on and is transported back in time to the fourteenth century. There he is the supposed son of a great Norman knight, his ancestor. He learns all about the Medieval life, and enjoys every part of his adventure (archery, hawking, jousting), even when danger arrives in the form of attack from the Welsh tribes. He helps his family lift the seige of their castle, but must finally return to his time. Will anyone believe his story? How can he convince them?

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Time Travel, Middle Grade

230 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1951

About the author

Ronald Welch is the pen name of Ronald Felton, author of twelve historical novels for children. After reading history at Cambridge, he taught at Bedford Modern School and then became headmaster of Okehampton Grammar School in Devon. He was awarded the Carnegie Medal forKnight Crusader in 1954 which is to be serialized in Story Time on BBC on 4th July, 1972. His interest in military history stems from his family background and his service in The Welch Regiment during the 1939–45 war.

Reviews

[Ruby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book when I was in primary school, and I loved it. I read it many times, and I've been searching for a copy in second hand stores across Australia ever since (I have yet to find one). As another reviewer said, it was one of the mediums that encouraged me to fall in love with history.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thrown back in time from the mid-twentieth to the fourteenth centuries, English schoolboy Peter Staunton becomes Peter de Blois, eldest son and heir of Sir Roger de Blois, the lord of Carreg Cennan Castle, and one of the South Wales Marcher Lords who occupied that country after the Norman conquest. Soon deeply enmeshed in the life around him, Peter learns many things about medieval life, from the duties expected of him as a page to the art of falconry, the life of the Cistercian monks at nearby Valle Crucis Abbey to the finer points of jousting. When the native Welsh rise up in rebellion, he is in the thick of things, and his acts of bravery turn the tide of the battle...

Originally published in 1951, The Gauntlet was one of Ronald Welch's first books for children, written before he began his marvelous Carey Family series, which chronicles the adventures of members of the same landed Welsh family through many centuries of history. In many ways, I think it shows the author finding his feet, in terms of writing historical fiction for children. I enjoyed the story immensely, and think I would have really loved the book as a child reader, although the author's didactic purpose, when it comes to teaching young readers about various aspects of medieval life, does come through. This is natural of course, as Welch was also a history teacher, and the headmaster of a boys' school, and it didn't particularly bother me, as I took the "infodump" aspect of the narrative as a natural outgrowth of Peter's own unfamiliarity with the information in question.

My main critique of the book would be that I thought there was a missed opportunity to give the narrative a deeper emotional resonance, by creating a relationship between Peter and Glyndwr Llewellyn, the son of the local Welsh lord, and an unwilling page at Carreg Cennan. I was rather surprised that this didn't happen, as I was expecting something of the sort: a friendship that must be cut off when the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. But then, perhaps doing this would have distracted from Welch's purpose in writing the story: namely, informing young readers about medieval life. I did find Glyndwr's name interesting, as it immediately reminded me of Owain Glyndŵr, the great Welsh prince who led a revolt against the Norman/English during this same period. It's hard not to think that that choice was deliberate, on the author's part.

In any case, despite not being the equal of Welch's later books, this is one I would recommend to young readers who enjoy historical fiction and/or time-slip stories. If half stars were available, I would have given it a 3.5-star rating.

[Robert Paterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the book that turned me onto history and made me also a voracious reader as a small boy. I read it when I was 8.

Only one of RW's books is on amazon in kindle form - Knight Crusader. It would be wonderful to have all his books there too. They are good enough and sufficiently timeless to find a new audience - and also to reconnect with the old one like me!

[Melica · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an amusing story, the kind of adventure I would like to go through.Although disappointed by the ending(expected more information about what happens after the battle) I enjoyed reading it.

[Bridget Whelan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love history because of this book.
I still remember the tingle it gave me age eight and trying to make chain mail out of an old knitted dishcloth. (Not a good idea.)

[Tim Roast · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read one of Ronald Welch's other books "Knight Crusader" I knew what to expect from this book. I expected Boys' Own knights-in-shining-armour stuff and that is what I got.

Originally released in 1951 and now being re-published "The Gauntlet" is about "an old glove" or a gauntlet. By wearing the magical gauntlet 1950s child Peter Staunton goes back in time to the middle ages where he becomes Peter de Blois son of the owner of Welsh castle Carreg Cennen. Being Norman barons in the Welsh heartlands there is a danger that the Welsh could start an uprising and if so then young Peter is sure to be involved in the ensuing battle,

The book is quite clever in how it "teaches" the historical aspects of the situation. In the beginning during the 1950s there is the vicar character who is gives lectures on the ruins of Carreg Cennen, for example, and its history, thus getting the messages across. Then when Peter ends up in the 14th century after the gauntlet finds him, he observes everything going on through his 20th century eyes, or "with the detached eye of an observer from another age". This includes things like Peter learning the longbow and the art of falconry. You can see that the author has the passion for the subject which explains why he became a history teacher.

All-in-all then a book that is interesting for its historical teaching cleverly disguised within a piece of fiction, and the bringing to life of the real events that happened at the time (although some bits are imaginary of course), and for the adrenaline rush of the jousting and battle scenes.

[Megan Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt horribly sad that the book had to end. Peter de Blois was a brave young lad who lived in this fictional tale of the 14th century. Yet, Peter Staunton, of the 20th century, who took his place for awhile believed in the end that it was all just a delirious dream. I would love to have stayed in Catholic England exploring with Peter. Sadly, all good things must come to an end.
Perhaps, I am just emotional, but the ending makes me feel like crying.

[Bethnoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the mechanic for time travel in this book and having recently visited Castle Carreg Cennen I had no trouble imagining the place, but found being lead to root for the Normans over the Welsh a bit uncomfortable. It was a charming story though and I'm glad to have spent time with it.

[Terzah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose to read this little book as my first of 2013 based on a recommendation in the NYT Book Review by Ian McEwan. He was asked, "Do you remember the first book that made you cry?" This is what he wrote in response: "It was The Gauntlet by Ronald Welch. I was 10 years old and in hospital, so I had time to read this wonderful historical novel for children in a day. Its hero, Peter, is transported in a dreamlike state back 600 years to a late medieval Welsh castle. Many adventures and battles and much falconry ensue. When at last Peter returns to the present, the castle is the awesome ruin it was in the opening pages, and all the scenes and the dear friends he has made have vanished. “Their bones must have crumbled into dust in the quiet churchyard of Llanferon.” It was a new idea to me then, time obliterating loved ones and turning them to dust — and I was stricken for a while. But no other novel on the children’s book trolley would do. The next day I read The Gauntlet again."

It didn't have quite the same effect on me as it did McEwan at 10, but after a slow start I enjoyed it a lot. The battle scene at the end was particularly thrilling, and Peter's return to the 20th century did make me feel a sad wistfulness for the adventurous life he left in the 1400s. A fun read, and a good reminder of why it's salutary to return to kids' books sometimes.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading all of Welch's Carey family historical novels, I came to this mostly unrelated predecessor (no Careys, but it is set in Wales with mention of Llanstephan, the Carey's ancestral home). Unfortunately, after all those great books, I found this to be lackluster. Unlike the Careys, it's a time slip which starts and ends in the present day (post-WWII Wales) and goes back to 1326 in the exact same location. I rather enjoyed the modern chapters at the beginning, which reminded me a bit of things like Geoffrey Trease's Bannermere books, published around the same time.

Starting in chapter five when our hero Peter arrives in medieval times (where he is the son of a Norman nobleman), however, it was one dull information dump after another. This is something that I never felt about the Carey books. In those, Welch provided accurate historical details but one always felt it was subservient to the plot, and it was never so concentrated. He also assumed that he did not need to address the rudimentary aspects. Here, however, it's as if Welch had a laundry list that he was checking off. On it are all the things he (the schoolteacher) wanted his novice pupils to know about life in the Middle Ages: castles, clothing, food, meals (and manners), the feudal system, falconry, archery, jousting tournaments, heraldry, armor, weapons, and abbey life including the monastic schedule, libraries, preparation of manuscripts, and illumination. This takes basically ten (of eighteen) chapters. Oh, and we also are instructed about brass rubbing in the present day section.

Now, after that, we actually get some action with a Welsh attack on the Norman castle. There's still a bit of the dumping, because now we learn about trebuchets and mangonels and tortoises and how castles were defended, but at least things move along a bit. But alas, it's all too brief - just three chapters - and after saving the day, Peter awakes back in the present where he struggles to prove what he has experienced to the skeptics who think he got it all from books. I found the ending to be unsatisfying, though I think I understand what Welch was trying to say to youngsters: you can learn all this stuff in museums and in non-fiction books that look back and drily enumerate all the evolutional developments of armor, heraldry, architecture, etc., but isn't it more enjoyable to learn the same things by living through that period, using the weapons and eating the meals. So he wrote a story where a modern boy gets to do that. I get it - but I'm still not particularly enamored with this actual book.

I do think a big part of my disappointment had to do with the fact that I have already read many other books, both fiction and non-, that cover the things that Welch spends so much time on. I wasn't getting anything new out of the information dumps that make up a huge portion of the total. What must be remembered, however, is that in 1951 when this book was written, most of these books that I know did not exist! So for readers at the time, his book was probably viewed as a fairly fresh and exciting way for young readers to learn about the customs of the era.

A couple of precedents I have read, both of which were Newbery winners: The Hidden Treasure of Glaston (1946) is set bit earlier in 1171 and is mostly abbey life; The Door in the Wall (1949) also has monastery details and is about the son of a nobleman as a page-in-training in the 14th century - it also has a castle attack by the Welsh. I think I would say both of these are superior books to the Welch. By the late 1950s, it seems that books on this topic were coming thick and fast. Everyone and his uncle had a book about a kid being sent off to become a page or a squire. I have no sense of whether Welch's book was considered influential on later books in this vein. Some of the later books are not particularly inventive, but there are some by great writers like Rosemary Sutcliff, Geoffrey Trease, and Christine Price (and probably more that I've not gotten around to yet). Most that I know are not time slips, though some are. And over the decades, this portion of history has continued to be mined, both in novels and in picture books. Some take on only one particular aspect (e.g., falconry or abbey life, but not both), and perhaps Welch overextended himself in trying to address so many things in just one book. But if you excise all or most of the information dumps, there's really not much to this book, and I think that's where I find it falls short.

Anyway, I'm glad that Welch decided to spend the bulk of his writing career with a slightly different focus, both in terms of reading level and historical approach. I felt this book was too simplistic and that his talents were not put to the best use on it. It's not bad, but it's not anything special - and some of his later Carey books really are special in the world of juvenile historical fiction.

Similarly, the illustrations by T. R. Freeman were OK; nothing exceptional.

[Blanche Dabney · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book that got me hooked on time travel stories as a child. A boy finds a gauntlet and is whisked back in time to the middle ages for a rip roaring adventure filled with excitement and poignant moments. Has pride of place on my bookshelf all these years later.

[Richard Swan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something of a shock, on re-reading one of my favourite childhood books, to discover how much it has not merely influenced but actually dictated the course of my life. It’s a time-slip fantasy novel about a twentieth-century boy (it was originally published in 1951), who is drawn back in time to 1326. There he experiences life in a medieval castle and learns all about medieval activities like jousting and hawking. I read and re-read it as a child, and it sparked all my interests in things medieval, particularly castles, manuscripts and heraldry, and set me on my career as a medieval literature specialist. More strikingly, I’d forgotten that the author uses Carreg Cennen castle as the setting for the story – and Carreg Cennen is the central setting of Chapters 4-5 of Melody’s Dragon. Wow! There’s influence for you. Just goes to show how profound the impact can be of the books that obsess you when you’re young.

[Glenn Blake · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent time-slip novel that goes back to 1326 AD in medieval Wales. Written by Ronald Welch who within three years of publishing this book would go on to win the Carnegie Medal in 1954 for his novel Knight Crusader.

It is easy to see that it was written to educate children about history and life in the time period, but in no way does it feel didactic. I actually enjoyed the way it attempts to teach the reader and can see that Welch had a real love of history.

Of note, the author presented the story of the Marcher Lords from the perspective of the Normans, rather than the Welsh which is generally the opposite to most books written about this particular time and place in history.

A great children's book, that i enjoyed thoroughly.

[Pollymoore3 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading this aged about 10, though all that had stayed with me was Peter's scary climb down the castle wall. It's basically a boys' adventure story written by an ex-soldier who clearly loved action. He was also a teacher, and I can see now what probably escaped me then: it's very educational! Its charm lies in the loving descriptions of life in a castle (and a monastery), and Peter's growing love for his medieval family. I couldn't help getting caught up in the excitement of the siege, even though my sympathies were definitely with the Welsh, who after all were trying to throw out a hated invader (this issue simply doesn't seem to exist for Welch though).

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a home schooled eight-grader and read this in history class. It was well written, and leaves you feeling completely submerged into the fourteenth century. The few battle scenes there were are pretty censored, so it doesn't go into all of the gory bits. While I feel there are a few plot holes, Welch keeps the integrity of medieval life and customs, and doesn't try to turn it into something weird, like "Actually its a LOVE story, that is very unrealistic and not pertaining to the fourteenth century in any way!". Nope, He just lets the kid experience everything, without any kind of odd twist. Would definitely recommend this read.

[Simon Mcleish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun children's adventure where a twentieth century boy is transported to thirteenth century Wales, where he he learns a lot about the medieval world of a castle, culminating in an exciting siege. While not part of his best known Carey family series, it shares a real passion for the excitement of history, though aimed at a somewhat younger readership. It is in places a little bit too reliant on fairly lengthy sections of dumps of facts, however, so doesn't rate four stars.

[Francis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you like medieval times? Do you want to read a good book? I am a 11 year old boy almost a 12 year old who is being homeschooled and this is now one of my favorite books! At first it was kind of boring but after that it was pure enjoyment! It was a captivating story that takes you on an epic adventure!

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The action was fast paced and interesting and it’s full of information about the Middle Ages without being preachy or too academic. I think it would be a great book for young readers interested in medieval stuff.

[Christian Klaue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the book (years ago), visited Carreg Cennen Castle recently, and then re-read the book. The book is accurate to the area and the historicity. It is written for a younger audience, but it was an enjoyable read.

[J Grimsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book 60 years ago (about) and I really liked it then I read it again and still found it very absorbing. It was a historical picture of Medieval life which is a real pleasure to read whatever your age.

[Elvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written time travel novel for youth. This book was my introduction to Ronald Welch's excellent series of historical novels.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this when I was in primary school. Once you get past the time shift conceit it is a well written word of a boy in the Middle Ages. Great introduction for kids - if a little dated now.

[Paul Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite book from childhood
Would make a great Disney !.

[Dave Brietzke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book many years ago as a child and loved it.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this time travel book immensely. Did Peter de Blois really find himself in 14th century Wales when he picked up the old glove while hiking around castle Carreg Cennen or did he dream those adventures?

Convincing those around him proves quite the task even with his newly game gained knowledge in archery, falconry, heraldry, dress, food and table manners-or lack thereof-and so many intimate details of the period.

And then, coming to terms with his 14th century name sake and the historical battle that took his life, Peter has one piece of evidence that might convince them.

This middle grade novel has all the fun and flare of the time period for readers of any age!

[Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter finds an old chainmail gauntlet at the ruined castle of Carreg Cennen in the Welsh borders. When he puts it on, he's transported back to the castle's heyday of the 1300s and has to learn customs and practices far removed from his 20th-century life.

This is the children's book that I remembered from junior school, but had conflated in my memory with Knight Crusader, also by Welch.

Both are still terrific reads.

[Friend of Pixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exploring Carreg Cennen castle in Wales, Peter find an old gauntlet. Slipping it on, he is transported to the 14th century. Lots of details about medieval life: Feasting, falconry, manners, jousting, longbow training, siege tactics, architecture. Logan couldn't wait to hear what would happen next. I found this book for us because in the NYT book review, Ian McEwan said he'd read it when he was 10 and loved it.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there's a fair amount of historical detail - like the pieces of armor - that are often listed rather than integrated into the story, the story is strong and charged with the wonder and brutality of the medieval times. A good read for 4-5th graders who are interested in knights and armor and chivalry.

[Linda A · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nifty YA time travel novel with wonderful, accurate details of life in the Middle Ages, told from the point of view of a young teenage boy who seems to discover that he (yes, he himself) influenced the history of his 20th century English home town. I read it to see if it would appeal to my grandson and I couldn't put it down. Now, finally, I will pass it on to him, haha.

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book even though I only gave it three stars but it is definitely for a younger audience. The history doesn't get boring and I love the details described, especially in the chapter on falconry.