Michael and Clare Morpurgo have spent decades balancing their personal and professional lives, centered around a shared commitment to education, literature, and rural life. Their story begins in the early 1960s, marked by an unconventional courtship and a partnership that would span more than six decades.
The couple first met in Corfu during a holiday Clare took with her sister Christine. Clare had arranged for the Morpurgo family to visit, leading to an encounter that Michael recalls vividly. At the time, he was 18 and preparing to attend the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Clare, two years his senior, remembers the initial meeting somewhat less romantically, describing it as far from an immediate romantic spark. Despite that, their relationship soon deepened, and a few months later Clare proposed marriage. The wedding was brought forward when she became pregnant.
The early stages of their union faced familial challenges. Clare’s father, Allen Lane, founder of Penguin Books, opposed the marriage. Although he had a close relationship with Clare, he was reportedly unhappy about her marrying a younger man who was not from the literary world. Michael’s own background was similarly unconventional; he never met his biological father and was raised by his mother and stepfather, the latter having connections to Penguin Books and aspiring for Michael a military career. The impending marriage meant Michael would have to leave Sandhurst, as married cadets were not permitted, further straining family relations.
The couple married in 1963 in a modest ceremony at the Lane family home in Holland Park, attended only by their parents. The occasion was reportedly muted, with limited celebration. Following the wedding, Clare took the lead in driving during their honeymoon after Michael failed his driving test.
Michael and Clare started their family quickly, having three children—Sebastian, Horatio, and Rosalind—while working as teachers first at Wickhambreaux Primary School in Kent and later at St Faith’s School in Cambridge. Their desire to return to the countryside, reflecting Clare’s Devon upbringing, eventually prompted a major life change.
In 1970, following the death of Allen Lane, Clare inherited a substantial sum that allowed the couple to leave their teaching positions. They moved into Langlands, a cottage in Iddesleigh, Devon, characterized by its narrow, grassy lane. From this base, they welcomed schoolchildren to stay at Nethercott House, a large nearby property, to share the natural environment that had inspired them.
Throughout their life together, Michael and Clare Morpurgo have maintained a partnership defined by mutual respect, shared values, and a passion for rural education and storytelling, fostering a legacy that extends beyond their family to benefit many through their charitable work and literary contributions.