The Maid of Sker by R.D. Blackmore (Unabridged)
Episodes
Chapter Thirty One - Two Lovers
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
While keeping watch nearby, Davy accidentally overhears a private and heartfelt exchange between Drake Bamfylde and young Isabella. Their conversation...
Chapter Thirty - On Duty
23 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Confined to his duties aboard a ship docked off Barnstaple, Davy finds himself torn between obedience and conscience.When Parson Chowne directs him to...
Chapter Twenty Nine - A Visit To A Parson
10 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This chapter brings an uneasy meeting with Parson Chowne, whose reputation already casts a long shadow. What begins as a polite visit soon reveals ten...
Chapter Twenty Eight - Something About Him
08 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this quietly revealing chapter, set in a noisy pub on fair day in Barnstaple, Blackmore invites us to look more closely at one of his most unsettl...
Chapter Twenty Seven - A Fine Spectacle
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The scene shifts from coast and countryside to the bustle of a Barnstaple town fair, where Boutport Street and Bear Street are alive with noise, colou...
Chapter Twenty Six - Braunton Burrows
28 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The story crosses the Bristol Channel to the windswept Braunton Burrows of North Devon, a vast expanse of shifting dunes and wild nature. The area has...
Chapter Twenty Five - A Long Goodbye
27 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Partings are rarely simple in Blackmore’s world, and this chapter lingers on the emotions stirred by a farewell that stretches longer than expected....
Chapter Twenty Four - Sound Investments
26 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Blackmore shifts from beaches and chance encounters to the weightier world of money and property. In this chapter, characters look to secure their fut...
Chapter Twenty Three - In Good Society
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Colonel Lougher and Lady Bluett take a September afternoon coach ride to Sker beach, expecting peace, quiet, and the gentle warmth of late sunshine. B...
Chapter Twenty Two - Another Disappointment
21 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hopes rise, only to be dashed again. Sir Philip and Anthony Stew return from Porthcawl and there a hints of things to come but no resolutions readily ...
Chapter Twenty One - Cross Examination
21 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The courtroom drama spills into the kitchen as late in the evening a travelling magistrate and an investigator pay an unexpected visit to the Llewelly...
Chapter Twenty - Confidential Intercourse
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this chapter, R.D. Blackmore shifts the pace from storms and smuggling to quieter but no less important matters: private conversation. “Confident...
Chapter Nineteen - A Craft Beyond The Law
15 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this chapter, R.D. Blackmore turns his attention to the darker side of coastal life. Davy’s “craft beyond the law” plies its trade outside th...
Chapter Eighteen - Public Approbation
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this chapter of R.D. Blackmore’s The Maid of Sker, the verdict of the court is followed by the verdict of the crowd. “Public approbation.” T...
Chapter Seventeen - For A Little Change Of Air
10 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes a change of place offers a change of perspective. In this chapter of R.D. Blackmore’s The Maid of Sker, the scene shifts, bringing fresh a...
Chapter Sixteen - Truth Lies Sometimes In A Well
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
R.D. Blackmore gives this chapter a striking title drawn from an old proverb: “Truth lies at the bottom of a well.” As in the modern writings of H...
Chapter Fifteen - A Verdict On The Jury
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this chapter of R.D. Blackmore’s The Maid of Sker, the spotlight falls not only on the verdict delivered, but also on the jurors themselves. Blac...
Chapter Fourteen - In Accordance With The Evidence
03 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this chapter of R.D. Blackmore’s The Maid of Sker, the drama of the inquest continues. Testimony is weighed, facts are examined, and decisions ar...
Chapter Thirteen - The Coroner and The Coronet
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This chapter of R.D. Blackmore’s The Maid of Sker combines legal drama with social observation, as a coroner’s inquest and the weight of a coronet...
Chapter Thirteen - The Coroner and The Coronet
02 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This chapter of R.D. Blackmore’s The Maid of Sker combines legal drama with social observation, as a coroner’s inquest and the weight of a coronet...
Chapter Twelve - How To Sell Fish
31 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this chapter of R.D. Blackmore’s The Maid of Sker, the focus turns from catching fish to selling them. With wit and sharp observation, the narrat...
Chapter Eleven - A Wrecker Wrecked
30 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Shipwreck and salvage were part of life along the South Wales coast, and in this chapter of R.D. Blackmore’s The Maid of Sker, we meet a wrecker who...
Chapter Ten - Under The Rock
29 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This chapter of R.D. Blackmore’s The Maid of Sker contains language and attitudes which today are rightly recognised as racist and offensive. Listen...
Chapter Nine - Sandhills Turned To Sand-Holes
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this chapter of R.D. Blackmore’s The Maid of Sker, the shifting sands of the Glamorgan coast become both setting and symbol. What once seemed sol...
Chapter Eight - Children Will Be Children
27 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this chapter of R.D. Blackmore’s The Maid of Sker, the focus shifts to the mischievousness and playfulness of childhood. Through lively scenes, B...
Chapter Seven - Boat Versus Bardie
23 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The sea once again takes centre stage in this chapter of R.D. Blackmore’s The Maid of Sker. Here, the narrator recounts a lively clash between villa...
Chapter Six - Finds a Home of Some Sort
23 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this chapter of R.D. Blackmore’s The Maid of Sker, the story turns toward shelter and belonging. The narrator, with the “little orphan mermaid”...
Chapter Five - A Little Orphan Mermaid
22 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The story takes a poignant turn in this chapter of R.D. Blackmore’s The Maid of Sker. What begins as an unusual catch from the sea is revealed to be...
Chapter Four - He Lands An Unexpected Fish
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What begins as an ordinary fishing trip takes an extraordinary turn in this chapter of R.D. Blackmore’s The Maid of Sker. Our narrator finds himself...
Chapter Three - The Fish Are As Hungry As He Is
21 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Hunger is still our narrator’s companion as he casts his line once more — but in this chapter, the sea’s creatures prove just as desperate for a...
Chapter 2 - Hunger Drives Him A-Fishing
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this second episode of our unabridged reading of R.D. Blackmore’s The Maid of Sker, our narrator’s empty stomach pushes him to take up his fish...
Chapter 1 - Fisherman Davy A Fish Out Of Water
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Step back in time to the rugged South Wales coast with an unabridged reading of the opening chapter of R.D. Blackmore’s classic — and now long out...