Summer Strevens

A fascinating, horrific account of the last woman to be burned at the stake in Dorset. In 1706, 19 year old Mary Channing was executed in the old Roman amphitheatre outside Dorchester, for the murder of her husband. Because murder of a husband was considered as a crime against the natural order, she had been convicted of Petty treason, the penalty for which was being burnt at the stake. The author gives a vivid account of her life as a spoilt girl from a wealthy family who loved the high life, partying and dalliance with various men. Her family decided to put her onto the straight and narrow by marrying her to a boring but respectable gentleman, however Mary despised him, denied him her conjugal favours, and went right on spending him into bankruptcy with her love of luxury and partying. Her unwanted husband soon sickened and died, after Mary had been seen to order a quantity of mercury from an apothecary, and she was charged with his murder. In a desperate attempt to avoid execution, Mary "pleaded her belly", revealing she was pregnant by another man, and thus saving herself until the baby was born. However, when the baby was only a few weeks old, she was torn away from it, dragged out to the old amphitheatre and chained to a stake. She was supposed to be humanely strangled before being burnt, but horrifically the strangulation failed, and she was burnt alive. Her tragic story may have been forgotten, but for the West Country's most famous writer, Thomas Hardy, who was obsessed with her story, wrote about it, and turned Mary into the model of one of his characters in The Mayor of Casterbridge. This is a great little book, full of pathos, tragedy, great historical detail and superb writing skill, it is a wonderful account of life in the English countryside of the early 18th century, in all its wonder and ugliness.… (plus d'informations)

I recieved this book from Netgalley and Pen and Sword History in exchange for a honest and fair review. Thank you!

I enjoyed this book. It tells the story of Mary Bateman, an English criminal and alleged witch, the Yorkshire Witch. During the 1780s, she became a minor thief and con artist who often convinced many of her victims she possessed supernatural powers. A con-artist, she seems to have had little moral principles, always on the look out for a soft target.

In 1806 she created the hoax known as The Prophet Hen of Leeds, in which eggs laid by a hen were purported to predict the end times. She also became a prominent fortune-teller and gave potions to her "clients" to ward off evil spirits.

Her downfall came when she poisoned Rebecca Perigo...... But that's for you to read. ;)

A factual and genuinely interesting book, I had never heard of Mary Bateman, and the author managed to keep my interest up to the read.… (plus d'informations)