Disappearance of Maria Glenn: A True Life Regency Mystery - Hardcover

Naomi Clifford

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1473863309 ISBN 13: 9781473863309

Publisher: Pen & Sword History, 2016

Synopsis

Taunton, 1817. What seems a simple newspaper report of elopement gone wrong turns out to be a rollercoaster story of crime, coercion, illusory triumph and fraudulent defeat. Barrister George Tuckett wakes to discover that his 16-year-old niece Maria Glenn, reputedly the heiress to West Indian sugar plantations, is missing. He discovers that she has been abducted by the Bowditches, a local farming family, who intend to force her to marry one of their sons. Maria is rescued and Tuckett starts investigating the crime himself, uncovering a complex and disturbing web of lies and impersonation. At a drama-filled trial that is the talk of the country, four people are sentenced to prison. When a cabal of powerful people in Taunton begin a campaign to destroy Maria's testimony, her supporters fall away and she is openly vilified. Her enemies have her arrested for perjury and, after a ramshackle trial, she is forced to flee into exile. Yet the story of conspiracy and deception does not end there, as Maria and her uncle were to suffer one final and devastating betrayal. But was Maria telling the truth? Both sides had given utterly different versions of events during the trial so it was clear that someone had to be lying.

About this title

Review

"The audience for this book includes general readers, history buffs, and scholars in history, law, and women's studies. The book provides an accessible account of the (possibly staged) kidnapping of 16-year-old heiress Maria Glenn from her uncle's home in the village of Taunton, England, in 1817. The kidnapping, rescue, investigation, trial, and imprisonment of many members of the Bowditch family serve to highlight the period's laws surrounding marriage, forced marriage, elopement, and women's property ownership."--ProtoView

About the Author

Naomi Clifford mines old newspapers for glimpses of everyday Georgian life for her blog naomiclifford.com and has been researching 18th-century elopements and abductions for the past four years. She has also written These Were Our Sons: Stories from Stockwell War Memorial, published under the name Naomi Lourie Klein. She is a former journalist and lives in London.

Edition details

• Publisher: Pen & Sword History
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1473863309
• ISBN 13: 9781473863309
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 224