I’ve been fascinated by the de la Poles’ history for a long time now. This booklet covers the family’s elevation from obscurity to the wealthiest merchants in England, setting the paving stones for the next generation’s rise to the nobility.

Of the three brothers who started it all, the middle one – William – is the prime mover and main focus of this account. He, like his older brother Richard, were unscrupulous, but they did what they did for their families as much as for themselves.

It’s unfortunate that more info hasn’t survived through the years, but what we do have makes for an interesting read.

It would’ve been a shorter read if the author used the active voice, though like most historians she writes in the passive voice, which is my only criticism.

I’ve also lived in Hull for ten years – and East Yorkshire all my life – so this added to my interest in the early de la Poles. ( )