Wessex in classical heraldry and is found on a number of church windows in derived shields such as the Arms of the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster (Westminster Abbey, which was founded by the king). At its greatest extent Wessex encompassed the modern areas of Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Dorset and Wiltshire, as well as the western half of Berkshire and the eastern hilly flank of Somerset. This covers an area of about . The English author Thomas Hardy used a fictionalised Wessex as a setting for many of his novels, adopting his friend William Barnes' term "Wessex" for
Historical novels by Nigel Tranter set after 1603 his death in 1650. 1650-1654 1680-7? 1678–1707 Andrew Fletcher MacGregor's Gathering (1957) 1706–1708 The central character is Glun Dubh, a nephew of Rob Roy MacGregor, although Rob Roy himself plays an important role. It covers events around the Union of Parliaments in 1707 and the abortive Jacobite invasion of 1708. The Clansman (1959) 1711–1716 Gold for Prince Charlie (1972) 1743–1746 Collin Joseph MacGregor Historical novels by Nigel Tranter set after 1603 Nigel Tranter is a Scottish author who wrote many novels based on actual historical events and characters. This page includes those of his historical novels set in Scotland after