Beric the Briton: A Story of the Roman Invasion was published by Blackie and Son in 1893. Beric, a young chief of the Iceni tribe, fights alongside Queen Boudica in the great British revolt against Roman occupation in AD 61. After the revolt is crushed, Beric is captured and taken to Rome, where he fights as a gladiator, navigates imperial politics, and eventually earns his freedom before returning to Britain.
The novel gave Henty an opportunity to portray resistance to empire rather than its extension — an unusual thematic position for him. Beric is fighting against foreign occupation of his homeland, which aligned him with the nationalist resistance movements that Victorian readers would have recognized from Ireland, India, and South Africa. Whether Henty intended this parallel is debatable, but the narrative sympathy is clearly with the Britons.
Collecting Beric the Briton
First edition (Blackie and Son, London, 1893): Pictorial cloth.
Market values:
- Fine condition: $200–$500
- Very good: $75–$200
- Good: $25–$75
Projected values (2026–2036): Moderate appreciation.
Roman Britain
Set during Boudica’s revolt against Roman occupation in AD 61, the novel follows Beric, a young British chieftain educated in Rome, who must choose between the civilization of his captors and loyalty to his own people. Henty’s treatment of the Roman-British conflict is relatively nuanced for a Victorian boys’ book — he admires both Roman engineering and British courage, and the novel’s best scenes capture the horrifying violence of ancient warfare without flinching.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Henty research his novels? Henty was systematic: he read the primary historical sources for each period, consulted military histories, and drew on his own experience of warfare and travel. His research was accurate enough that some of his novels were used as supplementary reading in British schools well into the twentieth century.