Abigail S. Cobley

Abigail is an enthusiastic researcher of social history who is fascinated by people and their stories. She loves taking readers into the lives of those who came before and enjoys both the research and writing process. Using original documents in her quest for the bigger picture, she is driven by a desire to uncover details that help piece together the truth of past events. William Parsons: Isle of Man Holidaymaker (1833-1851): Diary Entries of a Nottingham Gentleman Abroad and Nottingham Executions: Chronicles of the Condemned are her first history-based publications.

The written word has never been far from Abigail’s grasp. She has been part of the Manuscripts and Special Collections team at the University of Nottingham since 2008. Prior to this, she was employed in book conservation. She attained a Certificate in Proofreading and Copy-editing from Chapterhouse Publishing in 2009. She holds a BA (Hons) in History and Education Studies from Bishop Grosseteste College in Lincoln, and an MA in Creative Writing from Nottingham Trent University. With a lifelong love of writing, she was encouraged to undertake her postgraduate degree by her late partner, the screenwriter and author, Nigel McCrery, and graduated in 2022 with a distinction. She particularly enjoyed the year she spent studying children’s fiction, a pastime in which she has always delighted. Specialising in middle-grade novels, she quickly realised her forte and confirmed this branch of writing as another great love.

Abigail is Nottingham born and bred. She loves dogs, walking, and classic comedies. When she is not writing she is usually to be found scribbling down story ideas.

·       William Parsons: Isle of Man Holidaymaker (1833-1851): Diary Entries of a Nottingham Gentleman Abroad: When researching for her master’s degree, Abigail consulted the personal diaries of William Parsons (1809-1881), a Nottingham solicitor. These diaries are housed in Manuscripts and Special Collections at the University of Nottingham. It was here that she discovered Parsons’ Manx holiday entries. These entries became the catalyst for the creation of this book, which follows Parsons as he holidays in the Isle of Man with his family and friends between 1833 and 1851.

·       Nottingham Executions: Chronicles of the Condemned: These books examine the true stories behind those executed in Nottingham. They delve deep, uncovering long forgotten details from a range of archival sources. This range includes physical archival materials (namely newspapers, broadsides, and books), which are housed in Manuscripts and Special Collections at the University of Nottingham. It also includes information from digitised primary sources available online through platforms such as FindMyPast (for example, parish records, prison records, and census returns). Whilst nobody will ever know the full truth of exactly what happened in each case, this in-depth research presents the reader with the most likely scenarios and the opportunity to be transported back in time.