Frederick Marryat: start with The Children of the New Forest
Meet Frederick Marryat through The Children of the New Forest, a historical children's novel set in 1647, and find two free digital records of the text.
Last updated September 2026
Contents4
Frederick Marryat's The Children of the New Forest is a children's novel set in 1647, during England's civil war. It opens with the Beverley family and the New Forest. The children lose their parents. An old forest keeper, Jacob Armitage, looks after them.
Image note: The open book is Francis Grose's The Antiquities of England and Wales, not Marryat's novel. Liam Quin took the photo around 2003. Commons lists it as public domain in the U.S. and out of copyright in Canada. We make no claim for other places. This copy is cropped and resized.
The New Forest is more than a backdrop
Marryat first shows the forest's paths, homes, keepers, and daily work. Jacob knows the woods and helps the children find shelter there. The forest is more than a hiding place. The children learn to live there and help one another.
A historical setting, told as fiction
The first chapter tells of King Charles I and the English Civil War, then turns to the made-up Beverley family. Keep the two parts apart. The book is a story set in the past, not a history of the war.
Which text to read
Project Gutenberg lists the novel as eBooks 6471 and 21558. These are two records for the same book, not two novels. Both pages link to the text and list the author. This page covers one work, not Marryat's full list of books.
Verdict
Start with The Children of the New Forest for a first read of Marryat. The opening sets the date, family, and forest. Read it as a children's story set in the past. Use another source for facts about the Civil War.