England. The 14th Century. Brace Yourself.
Merrie England is set in a small Benedictine abbey somewhere in rural England, in the fourteenth century. Life is short, faith is compulsory, and the plumbing is non-existent. But people are people — and they were no less ridiculous then than they are now.
The Abbey
Home to the Abbot and his monks, the abbey is the centre of local power, local piety, and local mischief. The Abbot runs it as a personal fiefdom. The monks do their best. The results are mixed.
The Village
Beyond the abbey walls, the village gets on with the business of medieval survival — farming, trading, arguing, and occasionally being turned into something unfortunate by a passing witch.
The Woods
Where Umphrey the hermit lives, where Ives chops wood, and where sensible people do not go after dark.
The Strip
Merrie England is a vertical comic strip, published regularly on Substack. Each strip is a self-contained comedy, but the characters and their feuds accumulate over time into something richer.