A Cluster of Feathers

A Cluster of Feathers is a personal memoir, yet so much more than Mary?s own story: it spans 150 years of family history, covering several generations of her family and that of her husband.

Her account vividly captures life in Victorian times, remembered from stories told by her grandmother, the daughter of a London firework maker. Her Welsh mother-in-law passed on fascinating details of life in North Wales in a bygone era.

Mary chronicles her life in the war years, including a narrow escape from death one night when a time bomb fell so close that it clipped feathers from her pillow. Then came a complete change in lifestyle when she moved to Conwy and married Welshman John Williams. There, living conditions were primitive and hard, against the backdrop of the stunning Welsh scenery. She recounts how they raised their three children, cared for their sometimes wayward animals, and restored their beloved Welsh cottage.

Mary?s involvement with the WI led to a friendly chat with the Prince of Wales and an invitation to Highgrove. She was also among the WI audience who famously let Prime Minister Tony Blair know what they thought of him. The pages of A Cluster of Feathers abound with warmth, colour and fascinating historical detail.