Chapter 1

David was born at Blunderstone, in Suffolk, in the east of England, and was given my poor father’s name, David Copperfield.  Sadly, he never saw me. He was much older then my mother when they married, and died six months before I was born.  My father’s death made my beautiful young mother very unhappy, and she knew she would find life extremely difficult with a new baby and no husband.

The richest and most important person in our family was my father’s aunt, Miss Betsey Trotwood.  She had in fact been married once, to a handsome young husband.  But because he demanded money from her, and sometimes beat her, she decided they should separate.  He went abroad, and soon news came of his death.  Miss Trotwood bought a small house by the sea, and lived there alone, with only one servant is Peggotty.