A ruler of the rural night

Of all the many books written on the subject of poaching in these islands, perhaps the most outstanding is I Walked by Night, The Life and History of the King of the Norfolk Poachers. Written in old age by poacher Frederick Rolfe, and edited by Lilias Rider Haggard, this work was first published in 1935.

From a comfortable position in the early 21st century, it would be easy to judge such a man harshly, but Rolfe’s life was set against a backdrop of poverty and brutality that is now difficult for us to imagine.

Born in 1862, Fred Rolfe experienced great hardship in his early life and,