The legacy of Rhodri ap Merfyn, commonly known as Rhodri the Great (Rhodri Mawr in Welsh) reaches far beyond his lifetime. The ruler of Gwynedd, Rhodri was one of the earliest Welsh leaders to unite the fragmented Welsh kingdoms under a single king. He was also a fierce warrior, leading his people against Viking invasion.

The picturesque village of Modbury is situated just a few miles from the Devon coast in the beautiful South Hams. However this tranquil setting belies a bloody past, as Royalist Modbury was attacked twice by Parliamentary troops during the English Civil Wars.

The illegitimate daughter of Captain John Lindsay and Maria Belle, a slave of African origin, Dido Elizabeth Belle’s story is quite remarkable for its time, as she was brought up in an aristocratic English family…