The Masters of Walcote, Leicestershire

William Marsters arrived in the Cook Islands in 1856. Not only did he leave behind a wife and son, but an illegitimate daughter,Ann Elizabeth, who was raised by his parents, John and Ann Masters. William was born Richard Masters and changed his name after he left England. The Masters of Walcote tells about his interesting life in the Pacific, and at the same time, it tells of the lives of those of his family whom he left behind in England - never to see again. However, the names of those he loved were given to the children of his new families, and Leicester was the name given to one of the sandy islets that surround the atoll of Palmerston. Only the family of William Marsters live on this isolated island in the middle of the Cook Islands. The story of this wonderful character and his establishment of three families on Palmerston in 1863 is told in another publication called "Stories of Palmerston", a compilation of stories also published by Maureen Hilyard.