River of Time - Why Is Everyone Talking to Philippa?

June Goodfield

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Why I wrote this book

I wrote this book primarily for two reasons.  First because I was intrigued by the words spoken to me by the gentle Nevisian; secondly, because when realised that the tablet commemorated the life of one of the very first ever to go to the West Indies.  From that period we only know about famous women, Queen Elisabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Fanny Nisbett who was to marry Nelson, Nell Gwynne, Charles II's mistress.  But countries and societies are made by ordinary men and women who have had courage and tenacity.  I was fascinated to find out more about her and the man she married.  I embarked on one of the most interesting pieces of research I have ever done and believe I have solved a mystery which has puzzled people for years.  Though I don't know how Philippa looked or how she spoke, nevertheless I think now we know a huge amount about her and the dramatic life she lived.
It is different from many other books by virtue of its uniqueness – see above – and my remarkable adventure in solving the puzzle.  My clues came from a wide variety of unlikely sources.  The French burnt all the earlier records about Nevis when they invaded the island in 1706.  Nothing remained, so the names of the planters on the island when Philippa went there were unknown.  But a labour of love 200 years later undertaken by the second son of wealthy plantation owners proved a veritable goldmine.  He had collected many unknown records including details of a case in Chancery when, in 1632, every single planter on Nevis was sued by a London merchant who had supplied them with goods but none of them had paid.  At the other end of the temporal scale, oral evidence from a man who celebrated his 100th birthday in October 2008, and who is still going strong, provided me with vital evidence about the land which Philippa and her husband worked.

The links with us today are obvious and strong.  Many people, who are related to some of the main characters, have by now contacted the author – for through us the story continues.

Synopsis

Rivers of Time is an absorbing historical detective story that starts with just a name, Philippa Prentis Phillips, and a date on a 17th century gravestone in a beautiful, isolated spot on Nevis, the island of Horatio Nelson and Alexander Hamilton. In 1985 June Goodfield was shown the gravestone by a gentle Nevisian who owned the land. The words he spoke raised many questions and triggered this quest. For he said "She loved it up here. I come up every day to talk to her and when I die I am going to be buried here too."

Why did he say this of a white woman whose descendants might well have owned his ancestors as slaves. Who was Philippa? And why has she acquired such iconic status that people still trek up to Saddle Hill to talk to her?

Using authentic historical records and living testimony as her guides, the author traced Philippa's elusive trail and uncovered a romantic saga of a dramatic life where tenacious courage and unflagging energy overcame appalling odds. This is an inspiring tale of a dirt-poor English woman and how she came to a live and die in a place as foreign to her as another planet. There, triumphing over danger and adversity, she helped lay the foundations of the present day Caribbean society.

The settlement of the Caribbean is popularly associated with swash-buckling privateers and little is known about the ordinary men and women who first faced the challenges of those earliest years. This book breaks new ground and its appearance is a remarkable contribution to the current 25th Anniversary Celebrations of the independence Nevis and St Kitts.

Reviews

Edna Healey: "A haunting story, which touches life at many points. The author's love of the island and its people, her powerful need to resurrect the unknown and long-buried Philippa, together with her determination and tenacity in creating a life and character from a mere handful of facts, make compulsive reading.  Biography, autobiography, history - this is a moving story, beautifully told."

Vincent K Hubbard, author: Swords, Ships & Sugar: History of Nevis: "Combining diligent research with a perceptive understanding of a people and a country she knows well, the author has solved a mystery that for years has puzzled many people.   Based on true facts, this is a romantic and inspiring tale of a dirt-poor English woman and how she came to live and die in a place as foreign to her as another planet.  There, triumphing over danger and adversity, she helped lay the foundations of the present day Caribbean society.  Anyone who visits or lives in the West Indies should read this book.  I wager that they will love it – as I do."

About the Author

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