The Poldark series is a set of historical novels written by Winston Graham. The books were first published between 1945 and 1953, and more were published again from 1973 to 2002. The first book in the series is called Ross Poldark, named after the main character. The novel series was turned into a television show by the BBC in 1975 and again in 2015.

Historical setting

The series includes 12 novels. The first seven are set in the 18th century and end in Christmas 1799. The remaining five focus on the early years of the 19th century and the lives of the descendants of the main characters from the earlier books. Graham wrote the first four Poldark books during the 1940s and 1950s. After a long break, he decided to continue the series and published The Black Moon in 1973.

Novels

Each novel has the subtitle "A Novel of Cornwall." In the introduction to The Black Moon, Graham explained why he chose to bring back the series after a break of 20 years.

Main characters

Ross Poldark is the main character of the series. He is a British Army officer who returns to his home in Cornwall after the American War of Independence. He finds that Elizabeth Chynoweth, who told him she believed he was dead, is about to marry his cousin, Francis Poldark. Ross tries to rebuild his life by reopening one of his family's abandoned copper mines.

After four years, Ross marries Demelza Carne, a servant he took in as a child. Though he does not marry her for love at first, he falls in love with her six weeks later. For a time, Ross still has feelings for Elizabeth. After Elizabeth becomes a widow, a night with her leads Ross to admit that Demelza is his true love.

Over 20 years, Ross and Demelza have five children: Julia, Jeremy, Clowance, Isabella-Rose (called Bella), and Henry (called Harry).

Demelza, a miner's daughter, is taken in by Ross after being brought home from Redruth Fair. Though their relationship starts poorly, she grows into a kind and lively young woman who wins Ross's affection. She is strong and practical, unlike the delicate Elizabeth. The two women are polite but cautious around each other. Demelza is loyal to Ross but sometimes acts without thinking, causing problems. She has six brothers.

A young doctor trained in London moves to Cornwall and becomes close friends with Ross and Demelza. He is kind and helps poor patients without charging them. He has a tragic relationship with a miner's wife. After being rescued from a French prison camp, he marries Caroline Penvenen, a wealthy woman. They have three daughters, but their first child, Sarah Caroline, dies young.

Caroline is raised by her rich uncle, Ray. She is strong-willed and falls in love with Dwight Enys despite her uncle's disapproval. They marry after Dwight is rescued from a French prison. Their first daughter, Sarah, has a heart condition and dies in infancy. They later have two more daughters, Sophie and Meliora.

Elizabeth was Ross's first love. She promised to wait for him to return from the war, but while he was away, she began a relationship with his cousin, Francis. She believed Ross was dead and married Francis. Ross returns to Cornwall on the night of her engagement party and is disappointed. Her marriage to Francis fails, and after 10 years, Francis dies. Elizabeth struggles with poverty and loneliness and later marries George Warleggan, a wealthy man. She has two sons: one with Francis (Geoffrey Charles) and one with George (Valentine), and a daughter with George (Ursula). Elizabeth dies shortly after giving birth to Ursula.

Before marrying George, Ross visits Elizabeth and has a sexual relationship with her. Elizabeth claims it was against her wishes, but Ross believes she was not opposed after the initial shock. It is later confirmed that Valentine is Ross's son, though Elizabeth always told George he was his. This causes tension in her marriage to George.

Ross's main rival is George Warleggan, a wealthy industrialist who becomes a powerful figure in Cornwall. He is well-dressed and manipulative, often harming others to gain wealth. He marries Elizabeth after she becomes a widow and has two children with her: Valentine and Ursula. He later remarries a wealthy woman named Harriet and has twin daughters.

Ross's cousin, Francis, is often carefree but has strong feelings and can be stubborn. He and Ross were friends as children, but their relationship is strained when Francis marries Elizabeth. He has one son with Elizabeth, Geoffrey Charles, and later dies in a mining accident.

Francis's sister, Verity, is described as plain with fluffy hair and a mobile mouth. She manages her father's estate and marries Andrew Blamey, a sea captain. After a secret is revealed, their relationship is tested, but they eventually marry. They have a son named Andrew.

Osborne Whitworth is introduced in the first Poldark books and becomes important later when he marries Morwenna Chynoweth, Elizabeth's cousin. He is greedy and abusive, mistreating his wife and having an affair with his wife's younger sister. He has children with his first wife: a son named John Conan and two daughters.

Drake Carne, Demelza's brother, moves in with Ross and Demelza after his father's death. He befriends Geoffrey Charles Poldark and falls in love with Morwenna Chynoweth, who is forced to marry Osborne Whitworth. After Osborne dies, Drake marries Morwenna and they have a child named Loveday.

Jeremy Poldark is the second child of Ross and Demelza. He is interested in his father's mines and early cars. He falls in love with Cuby Trevanion, a local noblewoman, but she refuses him because she is expected to marry into a richer family. They eventually run away together, move to France, and Jeremy dies at the Battle of Waterloo, leaving Cuby heartbroken and pregnant.

Valentine Warleggan is the son of Elizabeth Warleggan (née Chynoweth and Poldark) and George Warleggan. It is later confirmed that he is Ross Poldark's son.

Television adaptations of the novels

• The BBC made a television series called Poldark based on the first seven books of the novel series. It first aired in 1975 with 16 episodes and again in 1976–77 with 13 episodes. Actor Robin Ellis played Ross Poldark, and Angharad Rees played Demelza.
• In 1996, HTV created a pilot episode for a show titled The Stranger from the Sea, written by Robin Mukherjee. This version used a new cast, with John Bowe as Ross Poldark and Mel Martin as Demelza. Fans disagreed with the changes, and more than 50 members of the Poldark Appreciation Society protested outside HTV’s office in Bristol by wearing 18th-century costumes. The pilot was not successful, and no more episodes were made.
• In 2015, the BBC started a new television series based on the first seven books of the novel series, again called Poldark. Aidan Turner played Ross Poldark, and Eleanor Tomlinson played Demelza. Like the 1975 version, this series was also shown in the United States by the PBS network. The BBC aired the series in five parts, with the final episode of the fifth series broadcast on August 26, 2019.

People who inspired the characters

• In his autobiography Memoirs of a Private Man, Graham writes that the character Demelza is partly based on his wife, Jean.
• In Poldark's Cornwall, Graham explains that the Bodmin Moor hamlet of Demelza, in the parish of St Wenn, inspired the first name of his character.
• In Poldark's Cornwall, Graham says the name "Poldark" was created by him. He first used the name of his friend, a chemist named Polgreen, but changed it to Poldark because Polgreen did not sound strong or mysterious enough.
• In his autobiography, Graham states that Ross Poldark's physical traits are based on those of an injured flying officer he met on a train during the Second World War.
• About Elizabeth's character, Graham told Radio Times magazine, "She's not really a very nice character. Although there was a model for her, I'd prefer not to say who."

Allusions to historical events and real places

In his autobiography Memoirs of a Private Man, Graham explains that some stories and events in his book are based on real people and events from Cornish history. He notes that the names of the original people, places, and sometimes dates have been changed or renamed, but the basic facts remain accurate. Examples from Winston Graham’s work include:

• A story about a doctor (Dr. Enys) who is called to help a young girl (Caroline Penvenen) with her dog.
• An event where Caroline believes she has a bad throat and later sees Dr. Enys, who removes a fishbone to treat her.
• The fifth Poldark novel, Black Moon, is set between 1794 and 1795. The title comes from a total lunar eclipse visible in the UK on February 14, 1794. This date also marks the birth of Valentine Warleggan, who is named after Valentine’s Day. However, the book incorrectly describes the eclipse. Scientifically, Earth’s shadow on the Moon is always curved toward the darker part of the Moon during an eclipse. In the book, the shadow is shown as curved toward the lighter part as the eclipse ends.
• The name "Hendrawna" in the book is Graham’s version of the real place Perranporth.
• Graham’s description of Launceston Gaol comes from John Howard’s The State of Prisons in England and Wales, published in 1777. He used the 1784 reprinted version of the book.

Real historical figures are included in the story. For example, Ross and Demelza’s son Jeremy becomes interested in Cuby, the fictional sister of John Bettesworth-Trevanion, a real Cornish politician who ran away to Paris after accumulating debt from rebuilding Caerhays Castle. The book includes details about Trevanion’s financial struggles, his attempts to marry his sisters to wealthy families, and his escape to Paris.

Publication history

• The first novel, Ross Poldark, was published in the UK in 1945. When it was reprinted in the US in 1951, the title was changed to The Renegade, and the book was cut by about 12%. Most editions since then have used the shorter version.
• The second novel, Demelza, was published in the UK in 1946. When it was reprinted in the US in 1953, the book was also cut by about 14%. Most editions since then have used the shorter version.