ACCUSED: British Witches Throughout History by Willow Winsham

5 GOLD stars

Non-fiction: British witches throughout history

On Amazon UK (published on July 30) HERE
On Amazon.com (not available until Nov 2) HERE
On Goodreads HERE

This an incredibly well researched and cleverly put together book, and fascinating with it.  Accused is a series of studies of just a few of the witches of our history, each one explored in great depth, giving details not only of the accusations levelled against the so-called sorceress in question but also her life.  Each paints the picture of the woman and the time in which she lived, providing insight into the social structure of the time (such as how a woman might be demoted from the title 'Mistress' to that of 'Goodwife'), the effects of economic instablity, fears of divine retribution ~ and, sadly, how easily events could be manipulated by those higher up the social strata for their own benefit, as in the case of Joan Flowers.  She was accused of causing the deaths of the two heirs to the title Earl of Rutland, but others suggest that the deaths were caused by the man who sought the hand in marriage of their sister, who would, thus, bring the lands with her as a dowry if her brothers were no more.

Willow Winsham talks of the swimming of witches, the ducking stools, the rarity of burning in this country, and of corsned, something I hadn't heard of before, which involved the 'witch' eating consecrated bread to see if she could swallow it.  Then there is Isobel Gowdie and her Scottish coven, the case of Welsh witch Gwen fetch Ellis, and possibly the most well-known English witch, Jane Wenham.  

The book moves into the 18th century, when belief in witchcraft itself was outlawed, leading to more support for anyone, like Susannah Sellick, who was accused ... and then to the case of spiritualist Helen Duncan, in 1944, who strikes me as being little more than a charlatan aiming to make money from people who had lost loved ones in the war.  However, one thing I noticed about this books is that, to a certain extent, Ms Winsham leaves the reader to make up his or her own mind as to whether or not certain whisperings of the supernatural kind might have been present at any one time.  I liked that.

I read the hardback edition of this book, which is definitely worth getting.  The middle includes many pictures of the locations mentioned, of the indictments of the witches of hundreds of years ago, and the art and literature of the time based on the belief of the existence of witches.  Finally, the author suggests that in these modern times, other groups of people have risen to be victimised in the place of the witch, people who, in the eyes of the common man, threaten 'to consume all that is held dear'.  In other words, nothing changes....

A stunning and admirable piece of work, highly recommended.

I received a review copy of this book from the publishers, Pen and Sword books, the receipt of which has not influenced my assessment.

LIFE IN THE GEORGIAN COURT by Catherine Curzon

5 out of 5 stars

Hardback, 18th century non-fiction

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com (not yet available to buy) HERE
On Goodreads HERE

This is a book that serves the format of hardback perfectly and is worth the outlay, even if it will later be available in paperback or Kindle editions.  It would grace any coffee table and make the most delightful present for a person with even a vague interest in this era, consisting of magazine article length chapters about the era from not only the English court but also that of the Bourbons, the Romanovs and more, arranged into the groupings of 'Children', 'Marriage', 'Scandal' and 'Death'.  This serves to give a general impression of the whole era, and shows the background behind some of its most colourful characters.

I first came across Catherine Curzon's pieces on her blog, via Twitter (you can follow her @madamegilflurt), and was impressed by the light but compelling way in which she writes.  There is much humour involved as she paints her cameos of the wayward George IV ('King Bling'!), Christian VII of Denmark, William IV, the unfortunate Caroline of Brunswick and the young Marie Antoinette, amongst many, many others.  It's immensely readable.  The eighteenth century is probably the one I know the least about so much of the information was new to me, but this book made me realise why it is such a popular subject for the producers of books and television dramas.

George IV

I think my favourite section was 'Death', and there is a satisfying wad of portraits and humorous drawings in the middle of the book, to which I kept flicking back as I read about each character.  If I have any complaint it's that I kept thinking 'hang on, I haven't finished, I want to know more' at the end of many of the chapters, as they showed only snapshots of a character's history and I'd just be getting into one when it would end, but this in itself is a testament to Ms Curzon's writing, that she'd managed to make the person come alive in just a few pages.  In any case that character would, inevitably, pop up again in another section. Incidentally, there is a timeline at the beginning of the book showing dates of all key events from 1660-1837.

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

I started off being frustrated by the stopping and starting, but the more I read on the more I saw how the book comes together as a whole and realised what a terrific achievement it is, indeed worthy of more than the 4* I was initially going to award it.  A delightful book, beautifully presented, and one I shall return to again and again.

This book is based on a review copy, which in no way influenced my opinion.

George III

ANGEL MEADOW by Dean Kirby

4 out of 5 stars

Non-fiction: history of a 19th Century Mancunian slum

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

I have the paperback of this book, which is worth getting if you're into nicely produced hard copies.  Beautifully presented, with a section of old photographs and drawings from the time, in the middle.

Angel Meadow was a slum that evolved in Manchester, near the river Irk, at the time of the Industrial Revolution; once green fields and pastures and hedgerows, the cotton mills and factories brought forth the necessity to house its workers, which soon became 'Victorian Britain's most savage slum'.  Eventually, the area was occupied by drunks, tramps, hustlers, prostitutes, pickpockets, and just about every other type of criminal, as well as the people who worked in the mill.  Violence, hunger, early pregnancy, infant death and illness were the norm for the people ekeing out an existence, often living in such filthy conditions that it actually turned my stomach to read some parts.  Warning: don't read this while eating.  I did, alas...

Picture from the Friends of Angel Meadow website

The amount of intricate research that has gone into this book is apparent; there is scarcely a stone of the area unwalked, and there are many case histories taken from archives held by various institutions in the area.  A couple of reviews have said it relies on sensationalism, but many want to know about and wish to view this sort of historical horror with appalled fascination.  I'd like to say that it's unbelievable that thousands of people could be left to live as they did in this so-called civilised country, but it's not surprising, given the social structure of the Victorian age.  One thing that I couldn't understand, though, is why anyone stayed in such a living hell; however penniless a person is, surely a better life could have been had roaming the countryside.  Maybe some did think that, and left.  One teacher said:

"The parents are a disgrace to the city so far as their bodies are concerned.  Years of heredity have gifted these animals - for they are as unclean as monkeys, and their gestures and their learning unconscious of shame remind me irresistibly as apes - with peculiar characteristics which it will take a century of proper treatment to remove."

The book is split into chapters such as Family Life, The Cholera Riot, Living Conditions, etc.  The result is that it becomes a little repetitive; once you have read about the state of the lavatorial facilities in one group of houses, for instance, you don't really need to read it again, about the next street.  However, Dean Kirby has made a spectacularly good job of this book that he began to research after discovering that one of his forefathers had lived there.  An achievement, indeed.