J. D. Davies

J. D. (David) Davies (born 1 April 1957, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire) is a British historian, specialising primarily in naval history, and the author of both fiction and non-fiction books.
Life and career.
Davies was educated at Llanelli Boys' Grammar School and Jesus College, Oxford. After teaching for some years in Newquay, Cornwall, he returned to Oxford to undertake doctoral research on the naval history of the Restoration period. He was awarded the degree of DPhil in 1986. He subsequently taught history and politics at Bedford Modern School, also serving as a Sub-Lieutenant RNR (CCF). Ultimately, he served as Deputy Head (Academic) at BMS from 2000 to 2004. He then gave up full-time teaching to develop his writing career.
Published works.
Davies's first book, "Gentlemen and Tarpaulins: The Officers and Men of the Restoration Navy" (1991) was a revised version of his doctoral thesis . His second book, "Pepys's Navy: Ships, Men and Warfare 1649–89", was published in 2008, followed in 2010 by his first non-naval book, "Blood of Kings: the Stuarts, the Ruthvens and the ‘Gowrie Conspiracy’". "Britannia’s Dragon: A Naval History of Wales" followed in 2013. His latest non-fiction book "Kings of the Sea: Charles II, James II and the Royal Navy", was published by in 2017. It discusses how the two monarchs developed the navy but also provides new information about Charles II.
Davies has contributed many articles and essays to historical journals and other works, including 67 entries in the "Oxford Dictionary of National Biography" and a chapter in the "Oxford History of the Royal Navy". "H"e is working on a history of the Stepney family, baronets of Llanelli.
Matthew Quinton novels.
Set in the period Davies had been researching for over 30 years, the series of novels centre on the adventures of Captain Matthew Quinton, one of the young "gentlemen captains" promoted by King Charles II of England despite their almost complete lack of experience of the sea. The first book, "Gentleman Captain", published in North America in 2009, was very well received, being described by Booklist as "a splendid book, with terrific characters, a thrilling adventure, and a wonderful sense of time and place" and by Kirkus Reviews as "a delightful tale". The subsequent books in the series (as of June 2018) include "The Mountain of Gold", "The Blast that Tears the Skies", "The Lion of Midnight", "The Battle Of All The Ages", "Death's Bright Angel", "The Rage of Fortune" and "The Devil Upon the Wave".
Not officially one of the series in some lists, another book (2014), "Ensign Royal", also features Matthew Quinton but is a shorter novella.
Jack Stannard novels.
Set in the Tudor period, the Stannard trilogy follows the fortunes of a seafaring family from Dunwich, Suffolk, during the forty year period from the sinking of the "Mary Rose" to the fight against the Spanish Armada. The stories are also set against the backdrops of the switchback religious changes in Tudor England and Dunwich’s relentless battle against the encroaching sea. The trilogy consists of "Destiny’s Tide, Battle’s Flood'' and "Armada’s Wake."
Awards and positions of responsibility.
Davies won the Julian Corbett essay prize for naval history in 1986, and in 2009 "Pepys’s Navy" was awarded the Samuel Pepys prize and Latham medal. "Kings of the Sea" won the Anderson prize for 2017, and also received a certificate of merit for the Mountbatten prize. Davies served as chairman of the Naval Dockyards Society from 2005 to 2013 and as Vice-President of the Navy Records Society from 2008 to 2012, having previously served several terms on the society's council. He was elected Chairman of the Society for Nautical Research in 2020. Davies was elected a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society in 2010 .
Personal life.
Davies lives in Bedfordshire with his partner Wendy Berliner, an award-winning education journalist and author.