Lorna Doone is the tale of a young boy, John Ridd, whose father is killed by Scottish outlaws – the Doones. Exiled to a remote part of Exmoor (which is in England’s West Country and now a National Park), they rob travellers and local farms. Living amongst them is the pretty Lorna Doone, kidnapped by them as an infant. John enters the forbidden Doone Valley by climbing a steep and difficult waterfall, the ‘waterslide’, and meets Lorna for the first time. Some years later he rescues her and as they marry Lorna is shot through the window of Oare church by the wicked Carver Doone. John pursues him and after a struggle Carver perishes in a bog. Lorna recovers from her wounds and so the story has a happy ending.
Oare Church
But is it true? The simple answer to the question is that the answer isn’t simple. When Richard Dodderidge Blackmore wrote his historic novel in the late 1800’s he mixed fact with fiction and local legend with the names of local people.
Because the precise location of the Doone Valley is uncertain it is no longer described as such on maps, the Ordnance Survey now describing the area more accurately as Doone Country. A rewarding walk can be taken along the whole length of Badgworthy Water starting from Brendon Common by parking the car at Brendon Two Gates. Here there are wide views of both the open heather moorland and also the grass moor of the Royal Forest ‘improved’ in the nineteenth century. Badgworthy Water changes in character along its length from fast running rapids to smoother, deeper pools.
Badgworthy Water
Further along the lane nestles the village of Oare and the church where Lorna and John wed. Inside is a memorial to Blackmore, a smaller copy of the one in Exeter cathedral. A memorial can also be seen to the Snow family who lived at Oare manor and also feature in Lorna Doone. It is recorded that as Blackmore didn’t write kindly of the Snows he was afterwards much disliked by them. Other local characters also existed: Tom Faggus, the highwayman was – in real life – from nearby North Molton and Ridd is still a local surname.
Oare village and church nestle in a deep combe
The Valley of Rocks
Life in the English Cotswolds 
One of those books we all read as a child. Not as popular for me as Wuthering Heights, I much preferred Heathcliffe. So memorable that those book stay in your heart forever, Thanks for the memory
Janice
and the lovely pictures too……….
You’re right, Janice, some books we never forget the pleasure of reading for the first time. With Lorna Doone, I ended up on Exmoor just a couple of miles from the Doone Valley – completely by chance – at the age of 16 and have been returning several times a year ever since. The more I get to know the area the more I love it and, of course, have developed many good friendships down there over the years.
Gorgeous photos!
Thanks!
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I was interested to read your account local connections to real people in “Lorna Doone.
In fact my gt gt grandmother, Ann Ridd of Bratton Fleming, b 1821, had a brother called John Ridd, and in my family it was always said that he was the original person upon whom Blackmore based his character, ‘Jan’ Ridd. He was born in 1826 and was the son of a farmer at Bratton Fleming, also called John Ridd, b 1781. John Ridd and Blackmore were supposedly friends at school, though I have never verified whether John Ridd went to Blundells – which was not far from where they lived – but the family were Methodists and Blundells was founded by Samuel Wesley, so it may have been. My gt gt grandfather , John Gould Hayman, who married Ann Ridd, kept many newspaper cuttings about the Doone valley and the later C19th tourism associated with the novel, and my grandmother, who was Ann Ridd’s granddughter, always believed that her great uncle John was the original for the novel.
Best wishes, Lisa Vine
Thank you for your response, Lisa. How fascinating to have that connection – even if it is difficult to prove conclusively. One of the problems is that Ridd is such a local surname that there are rather a lot of them when it comes to genealogical research!
hi i always had interest and heard through family rumor that my family goes back to john ridd. funny enough a family member only tonight spoke to me about it. mainly due to recently loosing my mum. my dad was frederick ridd. his mum a blackmore i believe. i started a family tree. and ridd is such a smith name within devon. i again been led tobelieve story is just story but with in old lost members of family and me a child i often heard there ment to be a link to this story as true. i will keep searching on though proving hard at present as my grand parents seem rather hard to trace through with definate accrucary at present
Thanks for getting in touch and sorry to hear about the loss of your mum. Always a hard thing. As I mentioned, the problem is that Blackmore muddled fact and fiction and used one of the most common surnames in that part of Devon to confuse things even more! You might get some assistance with the family history from one of the genealogy sites on Facebook. People always seem rather helpful on the ones I’ve looked at. Good luck and let us know what you find out.
If Lorna was kidnapped, she must have been from a family able to pay ransom? Any clue her real name? Any records of child kidnapped in that time? Rumor possible connection. What years about for her life?
Sorry about the rather late reply!! Not sure how I missed your comment for which many thanks for taking time. Glad you found the post interesting.
In answer to your question, the real problem is that Blackmore mixed up fact with fiction, imagined places with real places and imagined people with real people. As a result, no-one is quite sure where the true real-life story lies. To my knowledge, no written evidence has been discovered although we’re talking of events of many hundreds of years ago so that isn’t too surprising.
i was named after lorna doone
Me too! Father was enchanted with Blackmore aqnd I have a leather bound copy dated 1876………..
Me too! Father was enchanted with Blackmore and I have a leather bound copy dated 1876………..
Gosh, that’s an early one. How lucky!
A map, drawn to include real and fictional locations, with light notations of modern items where changed, would add immensely for fans of the novel and history from the other side of the pond.
Thank you for the work.
I’m sure there is one out there somewhere! There’s a book published in the 1950s called “The story of the Doones in fact, fiction and photo” which can probably be picked up on Ebay or Amazon. Just how much is fact and how much is fiction in it is questionable! Thanks, Bob, for your thoughtful message and glad you enjoyed the post.