THE CUTTING OF MARY PARK by Ted Sherrell
Set in the most scenic and rural county of Devon, these stories by author Ted
Sherrell reflect both the farming and village community life of the area.
Many of the stories are told with a good slice of humour, as with the title
story
where ‘newcomers’ appear to outwit the local inhabitants, or when the recalcitrant Arthur Bowman meets head-on with the health inspector in The ’At. Others are thought-provoking and sometimes just occasionally sad, portraying the
more vulnerable side of human life; these would include
The Rocks Below, the Sky Above, where Frank discovers just how perplexing an over-bearing wife can become and
how ready people are to assume his guilt.
Within this wide range of Devonshire tales the author draws from his own
experiences extending from early days in farming to becoming a local councillor
and magistrate; all good sources to appreciate the vagaries of human nature and
behaviour.
Ted Sherrell
Born and educated in Tavistock, Devon, Ted Sherrell has had an interesting and
diverse working career; past work including being a civil servant, a fireman,
factory worker and insurance agent. But it is his intimate knowledge of farming
and rural life in Devon that readers have come to love, and this is something
deep-rooted in Ted Sherrell’s life.
From his early years as a farmer’s son he has worked and been around the farming community all his life, and now
works part-time as a business adviser exclusively dealing with farms in the
South West.
As well as his writing career, both as a novelist and a freelance journalist,
Ted Sherrell has for many years been involved in local government as a member
of Tavistock Town Council and West Devon Borough Council. He is also a
magistrate and regularly sits on the Plymouth bench.
