Killigrew of Gleys (d. July 1642), a Puritan of the Protestant Reformed tradition, rejects but does not disinherit his son, Sir Deakin Killigrew, for marrying a Breton Catholic. Sir Deakin, an associate of Royalist Anglicans such as Sir Bevil Grenville of Stowe, makes his home amongst his wife’s people in Morlaix. The Morlaix Killigrews have two children: Anthony who is an Anglican and registers at Oxford University, and Delia who adopts her mother’s Catholicism and remains at Morlaix.
To the Killigrews of Gleys, the Anglicanism of Charles I is little better than Catholicism, especially as Charles is married to a Catholic. With the approach of the Civil War, they side with Parliament and its Presbyterian wing.
Hearing of the death of Killigrew of Gleys, Sir Deakin and Delia Killigrew land in England, presumably in London. They arrange to meet Anthony Killigrew at the Three Cups inn at Hungerford on 3 December, 1642. They then propose to travel west to Cornwall to take up residence at Gleys. The steward of Gleys, Hannibal Tingcomb JP, wants to prevent the estate falling into Royalist hands. In late November, he rides from Gleys to Oxford to meet Captain Luke Settle, alias Captain Lucius Higgs, and to arrange for the assassination of the Killigrew family before they reach Cornwall.
On 29 November, 1642, Jack Marvel of Cumberland, the hero of the novel, overhears Tingcomb and Settle at the Crown inn. Quite by chance, Marvel becomes acquainted with Anthony Killigrew on the following day and warns him of the danger. Before riding out of Oxford that evening to meet his father and sister at the Three Cups, and in possession of a letter from King Charles to Sir Ralph Hopton, commander of the Royalist forces in the west, Anthony Killigrew is murdered by Settle at the Crown. Jack Marvel rescues the letter from the dying Anthony and escapes from Oxford by the South Gate, intent upon riding to Hopton’s headquarters in Bodmin.
Jack Marvel takes a wrong turning and quite by chance arrives at the Three Cups near Hungerford on 3 December, encountering Sir Deakin and Delia Killigrew, along with Luke Settle and his associates. Sir Deakin is mortally wounded but Delia escapes with Jack Marvel. Beyond Marlborough they are captured by Parliamentary troopers retreating from the battle in the town and are imprisoned in Bristol Castle. Four weeks later, they escape from Bristol aboard the Godsend, captained by the Royalist Billy Pottery. After landing near Bude, Delia is captured by Settle at Launceston, but Marvel, bearing a serious wound, escapes across Bodmin Moor as far as Temple, where he is sheltered by Joan of the Tor at Temple Tor Farm. Joan delivers Anthony’s letter to Sir Ralph Hopton at Boconnoc House, with information about the approach of Parliamentary forces, and remains to see Parliamentarians defeated at Braddock Down on 19 January, 1643.
Marvel recovers from his wounds at Temple. On 14 May he accompanies Joan to Bodmin fair, where they see Hannibal Tingcomb. The following day Marvel rides to Gleys but is outwitted by Tingcomb, who communicates to Settle the need to have Delia transported to America if the Parliamentary forces, under the Earl of Stamford, fail to defeat the Royalists at Stratton. Marvel returns to Temple where he is met by Pottery with news of the approaching battle.
Marvel and Pottery hurry to Stratton and join the regiment of Sir Bevil Grenville. The Battle of Stratton or Stamford Heath, which takes place on 16 May, 1643, is a Royalist victory. In the evening of the battle, Marvel and Pottery discover Settle signalling to the Fortitude, a vessel containing Delia Killigrew. They rescue her and ride to Stowe, the home of Sir Bevil Grenville. The next day, Marvel and Delia ride to Temple, where Joan saves them from a company of Parliamentary horse at the cost of her own life. Marvel and Delia then ride to Gleys, where Tingcomb falls to his death, the house burns to the ground and Delia takes ship with Pottery to Brittany. After declaring undying love, Marvel returns to the war.