Lundy's geographic isolation dictates a recurrent theme through time: the island has been a redoubt for the rebel and the recluse, the reactionary and the refugee. Consequently, Lundy's historical significance features in the footnotes of English history rather than the main text. As a counter-balance to the detailed work of Langham and Ternstrom in documenting Lundy's past, this chapter sets those events in the wider context of English history. It demonstrates why the island was so attractive to mediaeval rebels; Jacobean pirates; Hanovarian smugglers; and a Victorian former slave-owner, not to mention wealthy twentieth-century individualists intent on proving that an Englishman's home is his island.
These larger-than-life figures colour the portrait of Lundy's past. Their stories create the character that lures today's visitors, themselves seeking temporary sanctuary from the maelstrom of modern life. Through broader interpretation, Lundy's footnote local history achieves greater relevance to the story of the British Isles.