Twas already twilight; and in the dark'ning house, over the green, was now one casement brightly lit, the curtains undrawn, and within a company of noisy drinkers round a table...
From The Splendid Spur, Chapter I
Detail from the cover of The Splendid Spur showing a spur and a strap which bears the title of the book

The Splendid Spur is a historical novel set in the English Civil War. The main character, Jack Marvel, can be seen as a romanticised version of Q himself.

You can read a study of the novel and the context in which it was written.

 

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The collection of resources contained in this part of the site begin with a summary of the plot. You can also read a more detailed chapter-by-chapter account of the story. Alternatively, for a quick overview of the main plot points in the order in which they happen, look at the walk-through.

The action of the novel is set between Oxford and Bristol and then in Cornwall. You can see the main locations on a modern map here.

The most important characters in the novel are described here.

Q based his story in historical fact and there are three articles describing the Royalists, Parliamentarians and Defectors that he includes in the novel.

There is also a note on the use of spoken Cornish in the novel. You can also find out more about Q's sources and see other references that support the material presented here.

If you would like to read The Splendid Spur for yourself, click here to see the text of the novel on the Project Gutenberg site. Alternatively, you can read a copy on the Internet Archive site.