The high-flying author with Salisbury roots

People of relevance: Following the story of an author, broadcaster, geologist and pilot

Salisbury History

Bringing people of the past to life

by Annette J Beveridge

THERE is a richness of history within our city and its surrounding areas. Inside Salisbury aims to bring the story of its influential people to life and to shine a spotlight on those who lived astonishing lives, as well as those who made a ‘less than favourable’ impact on local history.

Our aim is to delve into the past and to bring these people to life for you, the reader.

We begin with the story of a Salisbury-born woman who became a broadcaster, geologist, photographer, and pilot and was known as a ‘courageous pioneer, a scientist and a free spirit’.

Daphne Desiree Charlotte Pochin Mould was born in 1920 and was the only child of teacher Walter Mould and his wife Marguerite née Steer. Growing up in an area close to Stonehenge, she referred to her hometown as the ‘heart of Englishry’ often recalling her visits to the ‘domineering cathedral.’ She also recalled the times she played upon the stones at Stonehenge although, had apparently been ‘hauled off by an irate official’.

During her childhood, Pochin Mould lived with her parents and her aunt. Home-schooled, it was her aunt - a Greek scholar, who mainly tended to her education. She was introduced to Greek classics and taken on nature rambles and encouraged to study rocks and uncover fossils.

Later in life, Pochin Mould had revealed her urge to write and to study science when young. In the Catholic Authors publication, she’d stated: ‘I looked at the rocks too and found fossils in the English chalk pits which pit my "calf country" with white scars.’

There was also an enthusiasm for her to study and identify plants and animals.

Calling for the truth

The family followed the Anglican - Church of England faith, and so, Pochin Mould was brought up to be Anglican too. Her scientific studies made her question the foundations of the religion and she wanted to know whether the existence of God could be proven. She abandoned her allegiance to the Church of England and determined to rally against this and become agnostic in the name of truth. This stance changed later in life.

Unable to enlist into national service due to a life-threatening heart condition, she instead embarked upon a research fellowship. Eventually, completing her Ph.D. in Geology in 1946, she was granted permission to study for a research fellowship and to undertake a Ph.D. in geology.

The Highlands and Islands

Following her academic achievements, she chose to take up writing instead of the expected career in academia. Known for her free-spirited attitude, Pochin Mould moved to Scotland.

On a creative and spiritual level, time in the Highlands and Islands favoured her. Her first book The Roads from the Isles was a study of the north-west Highland tracks on which the cattle of the Highlands and Hebrides used when driven south.

She also took out a five-year lease on a somewhat dilapidated house known as