Widdershins by Helen Steadman
Widdershins
Helen Steadman
5 Stars
Pages: 300
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: 08 April 2022
Publisher: Bell Jar Books
Genre: Historical Fiction
Published: 08 April 2022
Publisher: Bell Jar Books
Publisher's Blurb
‘Did all women have something of the witch about them?’
Jane Chandler is an apprentice healer. From childhood, she and her mother have used herbs to cure the sick. But Jane will soon learn that her sheltered life in a small village is not safe from the troubles of the wider world.
From his father’s beatings to his uncle’s raging sermons, John Sharpe is beset by bad fortune. Fighting through personal tragedy, he finds his purpose: to become a witch-finder and save innocents from the scourge of witchcraft.
Inspired by true events, Widdershins tells the story of the women who were persecuted and the men who condemned them.
Jane Chandler is an apprentice healer. From childhood, she and her mother have used herbs to cure the sick. But Jane will soon learn that her sheltered life in a small village is not safe from the troubles of the wider world.
From his father’s beatings to his uncle’s raging sermons, John Sharpe is beset by bad fortune. Fighting through personal tragedy, he finds his purpose: to become a witch-finder and save innocents from the scourge of witchcraft.
Inspired by true events, Widdershins tells the story of the women who were persecuted and the men who condemned them.
My Review
Based on a real life witch trial in northern England, Widdershins is a fascinating look at the motivation and methods of the so-called Witchfinders who persecuted innocent women, and the odd man, during a period in our history that is barely believable looking at it with modern knowledge.
I listened to the audio book and the narration was top class with great character differentiation and authentic accents of the region.
Well developed believable characters really brought the story to life
I listened to the audio book and the narration was top class with great character differentiation and authentic accents of the region.
Well developed believable characters really brought the story to life
About The Author
Helen Steadman is a historical novelist. She recently completed her fifth book, Solstice, the final part of The Widdershins Trilogy. The trilogy was inspired by several witch trials in the north east of England, including the Newcastle witch trials of 21 August, 1650 where fifteen women and one man were hanged as witches.
Despite the Newcastle witch trials being one of the largest mass executions of witches on a single day in England, they are not widely known about. Helen is particularly interested in revealing hidden histories and she is a thorough researcher who goes to great lengths in pursuit of historical accuracy. To get under the skin of the various cunning women in The Widdershins Trilogy, Helen trained in herbalism and learned how to identify, grow and harvest plants and then made herbal medicines from bark, seeds, flowers and berries.
Helen Steadman is a historical novelist. She recently completed her fifth book, Solstice, the final part of The Widdershins Trilogy. The trilogy was inspired by several witch trials in the north east of England, including the Newcastle witch trials of 21 August, 1650 where fifteen women and one man were hanged as witches.
Despite the Newcastle witch trials being one of the largest mass executions of witches on a single day in England, they are not widely known about. Helen is particularly interested in revealing hidden histories and she is a thorough researcher who goes to great lengths in pursuit of historical accuracy. To get under the skin of the various cunning women in The Widdershins Trilogy, Helen trained in herbalism and learned how to identify, grow and harvest plants and then made herbal medicines from bark, seeds, flowers and berries.
The Running Wolf tells the tale of a group of master swordmakers who defected from Solingen, Germany and moved to Shotley Bridge, England in 1687. As well as carrying out in-depth archive research and visiting forges in Solingen to bring her story to life, Helen also undertook blacksmith training, which culminated in making her own sword. During her archive research, she uncovered some new evidence and published her findings in the Northern History journal.
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