Jessie Childs was born in 1976 and educated at West Heath and Stowe School. She took a first in history at Brasenose College, Oxford in 1999 and has worked in television as a researcher for historical documentaries. Her proposal for Henry VIII's Last Victim was a runner-up in the 2001 Biographers' Club/Daily Mail Prize. Her second book will tell the story of the persecuted Catholics in the reign of Elizabeth I. She lives in London.
Rarely have I felt so utterly captivated by a history book. It is stunning! Jessie Childs is a major new talent. She brings her characters to life so vividly, and the narrative just flows, packed with amazing detail. This, for me, is a surprisingly fresh view on a period with which I am very familiar. -- Alison Weir A truly superb biography. -- A. N Wilson Clatters along like an epic gangster movie... gripping. -- Roger Lewis * Daily Express * Jessie Childs is a rising star among historians. Just when we thought everything had been said about Henry VIII she makes us see him from a completely new angle - through the eyes of a poet aristocrat. -- Desmond Seward Childs's description of these complex manoeuvrings [at Henry's court], as of the French wars, is excellent...this book opens a fascinating window on the mid-Tudor world. * Guardian *