Today is my stop on The Silvered Heart blog tour and, following the book synopsis below, I have a guest post from the author, Katherine Clements.
1648: Civil war is devastating England. The privileged world of Katherine Ferrers is crumbling under Cromwell's army and, as an orphaned heiress, she has no choice but to marry for the sake of family.
But as her marriage turns into a prison and her fortune is forfeit, Katherine becomes increasingly desperate. So when she meets a man who shows her a way out, she seizes the chance. It is dangerous and brutal, and she knows if they're caught, there's only one way it can end...
The mystery of Lady Katherine Ferrers, legendary highwaywoman, has captured the collective imagination of generations. Now, based on the real woman, the original 'Wicked Lady' is brought gloriously to life in this tale of infatuation, betrayal and survival.
Guest Post
Haunted Locations in The Silvered Heart
According to popular legend, Lady
Katherine Ferrers, the notorious highwaywoman known as ‘The Wicked
Lady’, died in Hertfordshire in June 1660. Rumours of her hauntings
have circulated local towns and villages ever since.
Katherine has been seen, and heard,
wandering the staircases at her family home, Markyate Cell, and
swinging beneath the branches of an old sycamore tree in the grounds.
She appears on Nomansland Common, a nearby heathland that was
supposedly the site of her criminal activity and the place she was
fatally shot. Ramblers and travellers report the sight and sounds of
a rider, galloping hard across the common on a grey horse, as
recently as the 1970’s.
Both these places feature in The
Silvered Heart, my novel about Katherine Ferrers, but is there
any truth in the tales?
Illustration by Eric Fraser from
Folklore Myths and Legends, 1973.
Markyate Cell, the Ferrers’ family
home, lies at the heart of Katherine’s story and plays a
significant role in the legend. She is supposed to have embarked on
her highway robberies from here, via a secret staircase, at the foot
of which she is said to have died.
Originally the site of a 12th
century Benedictine priory, the building was adapted into a
family home after the dissolution of the monasteries. The Ferrers
family took it over in the mid 16th century. We have no
images from the time that the real Katherine would have lived there;
the earliest is this illustration from The Gentlemans’ Magazine,
drawn in 1805.
The house we see today dates from the
1840s. It was rebuilt after most of the original building was
destroyed by fire. The blaze was rumoured to have been kindled by
Katherine’s ghost – those fighting the flames are said to have
sensed her malevolent presence. And there is indeed a concealed
chamber in the house, revealed by builders in the 19th
century.
To my fictional Katherine, the house is
just as important; it represents everything she’s lost and her
failure to keep hold of the Ferrers fortune. Her single-minded
determination to return is a theme throughout the book.
In
a strange twist of fate, the real Markyate Cell has been out of reach
to me too. During the time I was researching and writing, the
privately owned house was repossessed and has been on the market for
some time. Though I’ve tried making enquiries, I’ve been unable
to gain access. It would be a great shame to see
Katherine’s house completely abandoned and I
still hope I’ll be able to visit one day. As
far as I know, it is still standing empty. Perhaps Katherine has her
house to herself after all!
Markyate Cell as it is today.
Nomansland Common, near Wheathampstead,
still exists and is transected by Ferrers Lane, named after our
heroine. The spot certainly has a chequered past. The road that runs
north across the common (now the B651) was prone to highway thieves
and brigands who terrorized travellers in the 17th and
18th centuries, and there has been an inn on the spot for
hundreds of years (now called The Wicked Lady).
In the late
Middle Ages it was briefly the site of a gallows, and a significant
battle – The Second Battle of St Albans – was fought nearby
during the Wars of the Roses. Skeletons and cannonballs, recovered in
the 18th century, are thought to date from the battle, and
have perhaps added to the macabre myths surrounding it. Sadly, the
common is associated with a couple of grisly 20th century
murders too. It’s not so surprising it’s grown to be a place
imbued with local legends.
The case of the Wicked Lady is an
intriguing example of how the stories we tell have a life that lasts
long after the facts of the matter have been lost. The Silvered
Heart is my own version of the legend, based on what little we
know about the real Katherine Ferrers. Whether or not she’s still
with us in spirit, I hope the book helps to keep her story alive.
Follow the blog tour:
Monday 18th May - When Fact Mirrors Fiction
Tuesday 19th May - Q&A with Katherine Clements
Wednesday 20th May - The Real Wicked Lady: The Legend Behind the Book
Thursday 21st May - Haunted Locations in The Silvered Heart <--- today's stop
Friday 22nd May - Katherine's Top Ten Costume Dramas
Saturday 23rd May - Women of the Road: Real Life Highwaywomen
Check out The Book Magnet's review of The Silvered Heart
Follow the blog tour:
Monday 18th May - When Fact Mirrors Fiction
Tuesday 19th May - Q&A with Katherine Clements
Wednesday 20th May - The Real Wicked Lady: The Legend Behind the Book
Thursday 21st May - Haunted Locations in The Silvered Heart <--- today's stop
Friday 22nd May - Katherine's Top Ten Costume Dramas
Saturday 23rd May - Women of the Road: Real Life Highwaywomen
Check out The Book Magnet's review of The Silvered Heart
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