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The Old Priory
What destiny awaited love in a house cursed by fate?
The Old Priory had stood abandoned, shrouded in whisperings of doom, for as long as the townspeople could remember. Now it belonged to Arthur Tresize, a returning seaman who purchased the house, the land -- and his fate, with gold ill-gotten from a noblewoman veiled in mystery.
Tresize and his family grew richer with each passing year. But strange mishaps and tragic misfortunes befell them with the vengeance of a curse unheeded. Death, betrayal, madness, heartbreak, and murderous hatreds worked their evil through three generations. Until the family's pride and prosperity and all they had built were as broken dreams in the dust.
Yet in a young man's passion for a beautiful woman was the promise that the sorrow haunting the Old Priory might now give way to the joy of love.
The Old Priory had stood abandoned, shrouded in whisperings of doom, for as long as the townspeople could remember. Now it belonged to Arthur Tresize, a returning seaman who purchased the house, the land -- and his fate, with gold ill-gotten from a noblewoman veiled in mystery.
Tresize and his family grew richer with each passing year. But strange mishaps and tragic misfortunes befell them with the vengeance of a curse unheeded. Death, betrayal, madness, heartbreak, and murderous hatreds worked their evil through three generations. Until the family's pride and prosperity and all they had built were as broken dreams in the dust.
Yet in a young man's passion for a beautiful woman was the promise that the sorrow haunting the Old Priory might now give way to the joy of love.
296 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
About the author
Norah Lofts
99 books319 followersNorah Ethel Robinson Lofts Jorisch (27 August 1904–10 September 1983) was a 20th century best-selling British author. She wrote over fifty books specialising in historical fiction, but she also wrote non-fiction and short stories. Many of her novels, including her Suffolk Trilogy, follow the history of a specific house and the residents that lived in it.
Lofts was born in Shipdham, Norfolk in England. She also published using the pseudonyms Juliet Astley and Peter Curtis. Norah Lofts chose to release her murder-mystery novels under the pen name Peter Curtis because she did not want the readers of her historic fiction to pick up a murder-mystery novel and expect classic Norah Lofts historical fiction. However, the murders still show characteristic Norah Lofts elements. Most of her historical novels fall into two general categories: biographical novels about queens, among them Anne Boleyn, Isabella of Castile, and Catherine of Aragon; and novels set in East Anglia centered around the fictitious town of Baildon (patterned largely on Bury St. Edmunds). Her creation of this fictitious area of England is reminiscent of Thomas Hardy's creation of "Wessex"; and her use of recurring characters such that the protagonist of one novel appears as a secondary character in others is even more reminiscent of William Faulkner's work set in "Yoknapatawpha County," Mississippi. Norah Lofts' work set in East Anglia in the 1930s and 1940s shows great concern with the very poor in society and their inability to change their conditions. Her approach suggests an interest in the social reformism that became a feature of British post-war society.
Several of her novels were turned into films. Jassy was filmed as Jassy (1947) starring Margaret Lockwood and Dennis Price. You're Best Alone was filmed as Guilt is My Shadow (1950). The Devil's Own (also known as The Little Wax Doll and Catch As Catch Can) was filmed as The Witches (1966). The film 7 Women was directed by John Ford and based on the story Chinese Finale by Norah Lofts.
Lofts was born in Shipdham, Norfolk in England. She also published using the pseudonyms Juliet Astley and Peter Curtis. Norah Lofts chose to release her murder-mystery novels under the pen name Peter Curtis because she did not want the readers of her historic fiction to pick up a murder-mystery novel and expect classic Norah Lofts historical fiction. However, the murders still show characteristic Norah Lofts elements. Most of her historical novels fall into two general categories: biographical novels about queens, among them Anne Boleyn, Isabella of Castile, and Catherine of Aragon; and novels set in East Anglia centered around the fictitious town of Baildon (patterned largely on Bury St. Edmunds). Her creation of this fictitious area of England is reminiscent of Thomas Hardy's creation of "Wessex"; and her use of recurring characters such that the protagonist of one novel appears as a secondary character in others is even more reminiscent of William Faulkner's work set in "Yoknapatawpha County," Mississippi. Norah Lofts' work set in East Anglia in the 1930s and 1940s shows great concern with the very poor in society and their inability to change their conditions. Her approach suggests an interest in the social reformism that became a feature of British post-war society.
Several of her novels were turned into films. Jassy was filmed as Jassy (1947) starring Margaret Lockwood and Dennis Price. You're Best Alone was filmed as Guilt is My Shadow (1950). The Devil's Own (also known as The Little Wax Doll and Catch As Catch Can) was filmed as The Witches (1966). The film 7 Women was directed by John Ford and based on the story Chinese Finale by Norah Lofts.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 12, 2016
Currently this is a reread with this Lofts with the Norah Lofts group here. Enjoyed the reread after 3 or 4 decades. I remember most parts, but do not remember all. The chestnut colored hair of course, but I also remembered our first sailor, come to land, even more.
A slimmer Lofts house book, this one takes place from the late Elizabethan period. We follow the former priory for over a century and through 3 or 4 generations.
This one has more of the occult and superstition. Some of it is the pulp of legends and some other quite substantiated. But throughout we have excellent and deep characterizations. From sea captains who came from the sea to the land with great relief, to others that are newly rich and formerly pirates of suspicious renown- and also to the builders and masons, this one holds interest at high levels. And also to the details of that new and dubious plant, the potato.
This priory place sees inheritance for sure. But it also sees sale during this period. And the women of the Old Priory are core. All of them.
Possibly the most connecting factor from beginning to end is the deep and richly chestnut hair as a human marker in the inhabitants. And also by the entity that leaves when confronted by spiritual goodness. And then yet returns.
It was fully worth reading twice. Lofts had a tremendous gift of imparting unique individuality and she didn't need more than 3 or 4 short chapters of narrator speaking to do it. This made me want to revisit some of the others. These people seem SO real. Hardly any seem soulless or rudderless- as in the moderns.
A slimmer Lofts house book, this one takes place from the late Elizabethan period. We follow the former priory for over a century and through 3 or 4 generations.
This one has more of the occult and superstition. Some of it is the pulp of legends and some other quite substantiated. But throughout we have excellent and deep characterizations. From sea captains who came from the sea to the land with great relief, to others that are newly rich and formerly pirates of suspicious renown- and also to the builders and masons, this one holds interest at high levels. And also to the details of that new and dubious plant, the potato.
This priory place sees inheritance for sure. But it also sees sale during this period. And the women of the Old Priory are core. All of them.
Possibly the most connecting factor from beginning to end is the deep and richly chestnut hair as a human marker in the inhabitants. And also by the entity that leaves when confronted by spiritual goodness. And then yet returns.
It was fully worth reading twice. Lofts had a tremendous gift of imparting unique individuality and she didn't need more than 3 or 4 short chapters of narrator speaking to do it. This made me want to revisit some of the others. These people seem SO real. Hardly any seem soulless or rudderless- as in the moderns.
May 6, 2013
For some reason I got the urge to check out Lofts again. I hadn’t read anything by her since I was a teenager, but recalled enjoying her little trick of having several stories connected through time by one house. The library can’t seem to decide whether to put her stuff in Romance or general fiction - some of her books are in one or the other, even the same book in different locations in the different branches. I did wonder whether I’d find her stuff soppy now, but this was quite enjoyable. She does good characters and interesting situations, and I still enjoy that same trick - that the crises and intensities of the heroes of one part of the story have become legends and hearsay to people a couple of generations on gives a lovely perspective.
April 8, 2014
This Lofts book, one of her slimmer volumes, deals with three generations of a family that live in a house built on the grounds of a priory that was dismantled in the 16th century and rumored to be cursed. Its emphasis is on romance more than history, unlike many of her other works. All the main characters are multi-faceted and the story is briskly paced.
November 6, 2014
I think there may be as many as 5 narrators which I had forgotten. Its a fascinating story and similar stuff is in another book as there must have been too much intermarriage in Norfolk and Suffolk. You can easily read this exciting tale in a day if you can find a copy!
September 21, 2018
A delightful story about three generations living in the same old house. Vintage Norah Lofts. There is murder, love, revenge, dreams, cruelty, superstition, and more. I read all I can get hold of that Norah Lofts wrote.
October 31, 2011
The story of three generations.
July 4, 2013
Here was some good ol' 16th-17th century drama.
October 10, 2021
An insipid and improbable book, which reminds me (only reminds!) of her beautiful "Suffolk House Trilogy".
January 10, 2025
For how many years it covers, it's a thin book. Gave just enough of the core of each generation's story to keep me connected and intrigued. Cried (tears, not sobbing) during the last several pages--always a plus.
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August 7, 2015amazing
June 9, 2021
Recently, I reread an old book by a favorite author Norah Lofts. The Old Priory is one type of book that she was known for writing—the history of a house book. She would create a fictional house and then tell its history through the point of view of the characters who lived there. Sometimes, as with The Old Priory, these were stand-alone books; other times, she wrote a series of three books about the house such as The House Trilogy, which included The Town House, The House at Old Vine, and The House at Sunset.
The Old Priory begins in 1590 with its purchase by a seaman who has unexpectedly come into a significant sum of money. The last of the book’s six narrators finishes in 1640. The story covers three generations of the house’s history.
During this time period, Queen Elizabeth I dies and the Stuart dynasty begins with James I and VI. The book ends before King Charles I is beheaded, and the English Civil War breaks out. Instead of detailing how the decisions and actions of the “great” affected the people, Ms. Lofts focuses on the domestic and social life of a small area in England. Who will marry whom? What are the results of an attempted murder? How do spite and hatred poison the future?
Her Priory stands in Suffolk, in an area she fictionalized in much of her writing. Main characters in one book would appear in others as secondary or minor characters in other stories. For readers who sought out her writing, this technique gave a sense of realism to her fiction by creating a world the characters inhabited with their own concerns and motives.
Although I didn’t know the term when I first read her books, this deep point of view method of storytelling drew me deep into her books. I cared about what the characters attempted to do. I knew why they did what they did, even if I didn’t always agree with the motives.
Today when I visit a historical house, I sometimes wish an author had used the site to tell the story of the inhabitants. A visitor can usually get some kind of brochure that tells when the place was built and what improvements/changes various owners have made through the years. All very interesting stuff.
But what I looking for is who the inhabitants were. How did they live in this house? What joys and tragedies did they experience? Maybe it’s this need to know that lead me to write historical romance.
The Old Priory begins in 1590 with its purchase by a seaman who has unexpectedly come into a significant sum of money. The last of the book’s six narrators finishes in 1640. The story covers three generations of the house’s history.
During this time period, Queen Elizabeth I dies and the Stuart dynasty begins with James I and VI. The book ends before King Charles I is beheaded, and the English Civil War breaks out. Instead of detailing how the decisions and actions of the “great” affected the people, Ms. Lofts focuses on the domestic and social life of a small area in England. Who will marry whom? What are the results of an attempted murder? How do spite and hatred poison the future?
Her Priory stands in Suffolk, in an area she fictionalized in much of her writing. Main characters in one book would appear in others as secondary or minor characters in other stories. For readers who sought out her writing, this technique gave a sense of realism to her fiction by creating a world the characters inhabited with their own concerns and motives.
Although I didn’t know the term when I first read her books, this deep point of view method of storytelling drew me deep into her books. I cared about what the characters attempted to do. I knew why they did what they did, even if I didn’t always agree with the motives.
Today when I visit a historical house, I sometimes wish an author had used the site to tell the story of the inhabitants. A visitor can usually get some kind of brochure that tells when the place was built and what improvements/changes various owners have made through the years. All very interesting stuff.
But what I looking for is who the inhabitants were. How did they live in this house? What joys and tragedies did they experience? Maybe it’s this need to know that lead me to write historical romance.
September 28, 2025
This book is written in six part, each part narrated by five different characters. More modern books have flipped back and forth between characters and it can work or it can really not work. Writing in parts with the narrator changing chronological makes things very easy to follow. At the beginning of each part, I found I missed the previous main character, as they are still in the story but a bit more distant. By the end I cared very much about all the characters. I like the way that Norah Lofts covers three generations in a relatively short number of pages. Did writers of the last century value conciseness? I do. But I would have liked the story to continue to cover a few more years. The ending was a bit sudden for me.
The historical aspect is not about specific events, but more a picture of people's daily lives in those past time. I enjoyed these details very much.
The historical aspect is not about specific events, but more a picture of people's daily lives in those past time. I enjoyed these details very much.
November 30, 2021
Re reading some old friends.
I first read Norah Lofts books around 30 yrs ago. I loved the characterization, the feeling of knowing these people, and caring about
them. I can imagine the Old Priory, the house and garden.
I have really enjoyed reacquainting myself with Norah Lofts.
I first read Norah Lofts books around 30 yrs ago. I loved the characterization, the feeling of knowing these people, and caring about
them. I can imagine the Old Priory, the house and garden.
I have really enjoyed reacquainting myself with Norah Lofts.
June 6, 2023
I so enjoyed this book!
Norah Lofts books are so well researched you feel absolutely in the moment. The characters ring true, all so different and distinctive. A great read!
Norah Lofts books are so well researched you feel absolutely in the moment. The characters ring true, all so different and distinctive. A great read!
August 26, 2010
Again, I could not get into this one. The first 15 pages were pretty good and then it just got slow and bogged down, and I quit around page 40 or so. I guess I'm not destined to be a Lofts fan after trying several novels by her. I did give her an honest try. :)
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews