The life and murder of Bessie Caroline Goodwin
Forgiveness- A SENSATION NOVEL by
SIMON HOBBS
Local retired lawyer Simon Hobbs has published his first novel based on a notorious Victorian crime committed in Derbyshire.
On a visit to Derby Local Studies Library twenty years ago he stumbled upon a contemporary scrapbook of material relating to the so-called 'Wigwell Grange Murder' of 1863.
'As soon as I read it through I realised that this was a unknown goldmine of material about a controversial case that made national headlines at the time.'
‘Forgiveness' his debut novel is published by The Choir Press.
Bessie Goodwin, a young woman of conscience and spirit, lives with her manipulative grandfather, Captain Francis Goodwin, at Wigwell Grange, near Wirksworth. In August of 1863 she is brutally murdered by George Townley, to whom she had previously been betrothed. Townley discovers that she is now in love with a young clergyman. Bessie refuses to disclose the identity of her new lover to George.
After he has stabbed Bessie, and given himself up, George asserts, to general incredulity, that his actions are morally justified. Samuel Leech, a small-time Derby solicitor, takes on the seemingly thankless task of representing George in court. But he is about to perform miracles...
The book is written in the style of a sensation novel, a groundbreaking type of Victorian novel popular at the time of the murder. It is a tale of love, retribution and atonement as well as suspense and dramatic twists and turns that were associated with the format.
He added: 'As well as being a crime novel 'Forgiveness' is a novel about place. Local readers will recognise many of the Derbyshire settings including Wirksworth, Kedleston, Derby, Cromford and Shining Cliff Wood near Ambergate.'
'In fact I have come to realise it's really above all else a love letter to Derbyshire in general and to Wirksworth in particular'
The book is available from the Haarlem Shop in the Market Place in Wirksworth, or online.
Simon will be taking part in the Buxton Literary Festival on the 14th June 2025 at the Assembly Rooms, The Crescent
https://www.facebook.com/BuxtonCrescentHeritageExperiences/posts/1341130454454640/
Detail Carte Visite of Bessie Goodwin, 1862, courtesy of Paul Frecker, Library of Nineteenth Century Photography
About SIMON
Simon was once a public sector lawyer. ‘Forgiveness' is his debut novel. It was prompted by the chance discovery of a scrapbook about the murder assembled in 1865 by an unnamed but concerned Derby resident. His book blurs the boundaries between fact and fiction- the story makes extensive use of contemporary source material but other apparently genuine historical material is, in fact, made up.
For the Author’s Comments- chapter by chapter- please see below
Book PRICE £10 Now Available in wirksworth from Haarlem, Market place
Summer Opening Hours
Thursday 11-2:30pm
Friday 10-5pm
Saturday 10-5pm
Sunday 11-2:30pm
book ALSO NOW available at Burley Fisher Bookshop, Haggerstone, East London https://burleyfisherbooks.
THE author Comments…
Chapter 1- A betrothal
The book begins with menace.
We learn that Captain Goodwin had bought his granddaughter, Bessie, a scarlet velvet chaise longue for her birthday last year. The gift seems very generous, overly so, but we are immediately told that, in his opinion, it has never really fitted in to the austerity of his library- just as Bessie has never really fitted in to Wigwell Grange. None of his carefully curated volumes appeal to Bessie, even if some of them are about natural phenomenon and she is a nature girl through and through.
We are then transported into Bessie's natural world where green weeds imitate a girl's hair stroked by a breeze- its as if its Bessie's hair that is being stroked. Here again there is menace - a change in the weather brings with it sexual threat. But Bessie is less threatened than fascinated by the river's augmented power and gets as close to the torrent as she dares.
Bessie, it is clear, has a modern sensibility- she rails against the gouging out of the hills to mine their resources and aligns herself with the town’s old dwellings hugging each other for safety and solidarity.
We are taken to the present, April 1863 that is. Bessie is making her way down to town, for what reason we do not know. But the intrusion of a dagger like church spire does not bode well. She physically pauses for thought as she proceeds down the hill. She meets her friend Reuben but ignores him. Only later do we find out he is from an inferior social class and so him being snubbed like this causes extra pain.
At the vicarage she unavoidably encounters Mrs Turner, the housekeeper. It is not a meeting of minds. We are unsure of the cause of Mrs Turner' s passive aggression but suspect it may be that she has unrequited feelings for ‘Her Reverend’. Her youthful appearance may have helped her to think, mistakenly, she has prospects as far as he is concerned. Bessie finds the Reverend with his head in a book. This is not unusual. We are not told what the book is but we can assume it is very different to the tomes favoured by Goodwin.
On the instructions of the Reverend Mrs T reluctantly goes off to make tea. Bessie has a favourite worn armchair and quickly claims it. The Reverend Robert perches, being like a heron, on a rattan chair whilst Bessie looks for familiar objects to calm herself- no easy task in such a puritanical setting.
Bessie's reference to the Gisborne book is echoed in the frontispiece to Forgiveness also taken from the same book . Her reference to her grandfather's misogyny scarcely comes as a surprise to us even at this early stage.
Robert and Bessie's subsequent violent misunderstanding is perhaps inevitable given their very different world views. In the process Bessie berates Providence. As we will see she will soon have good reason to do so. Robert's reference to the ministering gentlewomen is not only to Bessie but also to subsequent events...
Chapter 2- A Challenge
We are thrust forward in time to an apparently unrelated correspondence between lawyer father Samuel and newly minted lawyer son Frederick.
This is to be the form of each alternate chapter for most of the novel. Only at the end of the book do we hear directly from Fred. Otherwise the reader is left to deduce the son's reactions from his father's comments.
Fred is keen to secure Samuel's papers relating to 'the Townley case' that he was involved in but Samuel is noticeably less keen to share them.
There are, however, confessions to be made by the father to the son even in this early stage of their correspondence.
Firstly Samuel has assembled a secret stash of papers relating to 'the Townley case'. He denies that there is any ego involved but we cannot be sure about that at this stage.
Secondly, and more personally, he confesses to being a worrier by nature.
According to Francis O'Gorman 'Worrying a Social and Cultural History ( Bloomsbury 2015) worrying as we know it did not really get underway in literature until Trollope's The Last Chronicle of Barset (1867). I have located it somewhat earlier for example in Trollope's 'The Warden' ( 1855) and have justified this reference in the chapter, though the novel itself is not named.
Even so Samuel is undoubtedly a early adopter of the art of worrying. It was prompted by his father's early death and Samuel's consequent loss of faith. He no longer has any faith in Providence. This aligns him with Bessie in so far as she has no time for Providence either.
The chapter ends with his unexpected instruction on the case which we now learn is a murder case and to Samuel's confession that there is much foolishness to come from his actions and omissions in defending the case. The quote comes from Alexander Pope's 'An Essay on Criticism (1711).'
It seems at this stage inconceivable that a good lawyer as Samuel avowedly is ( and we have no reason to doubt him), has been a victim of his own recklessness and we perhaps think he must be overstating his personal culpability.
Chapter 3
A Betrothal Revisited
We are back with Bessie as she reacts to her dressing down by the Revd Harris.
She records her frustrations in her 'diary' - it has to be a significant event for her to do so as she is not a habitual diarist. She apparently has nobody close to hand to share her distress with. Even her inanimate mermaids are unable to console her.
She then locates a letter from the previous summer from George, whom we have now gathered she is, or was, betrothed to. The controlling nature of George's over blown letter is clear to us and it seems to Bessie too now, even though it was not at the time. The letter seems lacking in any real emotion- it is almost a performance piece and the French flourishes it contains, that we will see George is prone to, only add to this impression.
She meekly agrees to her photograph being taken but then rails against the resultant picture. The background of rolling hills and wooded valleys she would like to have been photographed against has more than a whiff of Thomas Gainsborough's 'Mr and Mrs Andrews' 1750, which,appropriately, apparently celebrates an inheritance rather than a marriage!
Bessie is summoned by her grandfather's special bell before she can consult other entries in the diary and therefore as a reader we are left in suspense as to what their content may have been.
This special bell is the epitome of control.
That Bessie has at least two controlling men in her life now seems incontrovertible. The grandfather's absurdly over generous and inappropriate birthday present referred to in the opening line of the book can be seen as another attempt at control, as can his active disapproval of women reading in Chapter 2. Captain Goodwin seems at this stage to have few, if any, redeeming features.
Chapter 4
A Murder
We get a greater sense here as to just how uncomfortable Samuel is about spilling the beans about the Townley case to Frederick. Why we know not.
He tries to appeal to his son's better nature by describing how he was unwillingly plucked from obscurity on to the floor of the House of Commons and the tender mercies of the Home Secretary. But we get the impression that Frederick is unimpressed and is not to be deflected in his mission to unearth the true story of the Townley case. We too are keen to know what Samuel knows and so our sympathies with him are also limited.
The Chapter contains the only extant description of Samuel when, by mistake, he catches sight of himself in the mirror. It is far from flattering. Many of us have been there with him.
George's appearance at the inquest does not lack drama especially when the possibility of the mysterious clergyman being identified appears briefly in play. But it is the discussion afterwards, or rather the legal lecture George favours Samuel with, that is more revealing. George seems impervious to the fact that both the lecture and his characterisation of his legal representation ( i.e. Samuel) as second rate cannot fail to irritate the latter. As Samuel's footnote reveals it does indeed get under his skin.
Samuel is underwhelmed by George's 'hard luck' story and wonders if his sense of duty will be enough to see him through. In fact his professional ethics are to come under pressure in ways that Samuel cannot presently imagine.
Chapter 5
- A Dinner
We begin ( as we should) with feasting.
The annual Volunteers Dinner is taking place. It soon becomes clear that Bessie is the mastermind behind the event with innovations such as the lanterns in the trees and the home-grown grapes. The Captain purports to indulge her ideas but in fact Bessie is in his control. She also tries to walk the talk by asking the servants to give her jobs. She does not wish to be a spectre at the feast. They don't do this, of course, but at least she has tried.
The Caption hogs the limelight with his dressing down of 'Emperor' Napoleon the Third. Then the singing begins. There is a Hardyesque quality to this rural celebration.
But the most crucial plot development is that Bessie meets 'Will'.
Their conversation quickly moves beyond platitudes. Bessie draws an ironic distinction between civilised Surrey ( where Will is from) and uncivilised Derbyshire ( Bessie) but Will does not fall for this, at least entirely. There is good 'raw material' in Derbyshire, he can see that. They quote poetry at each other ( Byron and Gisborne respectively) and discuss, on markedly equal terms, the issue of whether an artist's conduct in life affects the validity of their artistic work. They also discuss slavery and are pleased to find that they are pretty much of one mind as to its evils.
Sneaking off from the dinner they stand close to each other whilst admiring the (real) stars. In fact Will is reluctant to return to the marquee as he is already clearly falling for Bessie.
Bessie's diary entry of 25th September reveals a quiet but rather wicked sense of humour.
Chapter 6
-An Eccentricity
Samuel first PROclaims himself TO BE St Jude, the patron saint of lost causes.
Samuel expects his son to have looked up the reference but we suspect from Samuel's tone that he fears that he has not done so.
Samuel is still in the Wirksworth area staying for two nights at Whatstandwell in an establishment now known as 'The Family Tree', even though his home in Derby is not far away. It seems he has had special dispensation from his wife to do so.We know from this that she ‘wears the trousers’! The robust arched bridge he refers to is, of course, the same bridge that is observed in Chapter 1 being assaulted by flood water.
Samuel takes an evening stroll along the Derwent and discovers the old quarry workings of the Duke of Chatsworth as he calls him, more properly of course the Duke of Devonshire. His quarries are neglected, they thus contrast with the active exploitation of those in Wirksworth.
Samuel reflects on George's likely fate and the irony that his cooperation with the authorities paints him in a worst light than if he had fled desperate and wild. Samuel makes the shocking confession that even he thinks it would have been better if George had drowned himself in a ditch - hardly a very promising omen as to the future of their professional relationship which has already had such a rocky start!
Samuel then encounters George's mother and sister, Mary and Caroline. Even at this point he seems somewhat in awe of both of them, Mary in particular. His awe is mixed with apprehension as to how they will fare when George comes to trial and the popular press are looking for a scapegoat. They will be natural targets. Samuel berates himself for not taking up the challenge Mary threw down for him to agree with her on the distinction between eccentricity and insanity.
Of course Samuel will soon find himself on the other side of the argument when he attempts to promote George's insanity as a way of him avoiding the death penalty.
Chapter 7
A judgment
Bessie and Will’S stroll over Farthing Downs taKes us back again to a rural idyll but their invented parlour game has an edge to it.
Bessie's jibe that her wealth is an advantage she has over Will quickly backfires as she realises that by doing so she has inadvertently conceded the moral high ground to him.
Their competition reaches its apogee with Will claiming to be an amalgam of some of the most famous personages of the Age- Queen Vic, The Iron Duke and the Lady of the Lamp-- but also that Bessie and Will are like a pair of parakeets occupying a single perch. This latter comparison originates from Anna Seward's observation of the newly married Mr and Mrs John Gisborne ( the brother of Thomas- see above). Or so I thought. However I have since been unable to trace the reference so maybe it was invented after all!
Bessie finds the (Chaldon) church mural very affecting and indeed a modern viewer can hardly fail to be equally moved by it. The mural certainly does prick Bessie's conscience- Will's reference to adulterers as wicked occurring just before her melt down. But the abiding impression is that she reacts to it as a young woman with a very strong sense of social justice would do. This is exactly what we have come to expect of Bessie.
Her adept recapitulation of the earlier discussion about art and the artist shows her intellectual agility. But she does not wish to belittle him as she also has feelings for Will and so she swiftly, but softly, brings the debate to an end- for the time being that is.
They leave the church arm-in-arm.
Chapter 8
A Viscount
It is rare I think that a defence solicitor his or herself becomes the target of public anger, even in the most notorious of cases.
The defender himself certainly. His relatives possibly.
But generally speaking a defence lawyer is a figure in the shadows, if not respected then at least tolerated as a necessary part of the judicial system and of fairness.
Here we are in very different territory.
Firstly Samuel is the subject of a verbal mugging by his social superior Lord Curzon. A conversation that begins civilly enough soon degenerates as Samuel is taunted for his 'milk and water' attitudes by Curzon. Lord Curzon is Trump to Samuel's Joe Biden!
Then Samuel is physically attacked by an unknown assailant within a stone's throw of his office and is mentally very shaken by the encounter. It is the fact that happens more or less on his own doorstep that really upsets him.
Finally Samuel is the subject of a blistering attack from his own wife who demands that he ceases to be involved in the case forthwith. Samuel is especially riled by her comparison of him to Magistrate Hulton of Hulton Hall who led the massacre at Peterloo.
Even so Samuel refuses to budge banking on his wife coming round.
Chapter 9
A Mountain
Bessie's many and various virtues come to the fore on the excursion to Leith Hill.
Will's ill advised jibe concerning Bessie's love for the common people badly misfires and he spends most of the chapter in a sulk. Bessie, by contrast, find a soul mate in Will's sister Emily. Emily rapidly becomes almost a mentor figure through her advanced views on women becoming doctors (Elizabeth Garrett Anderson finally achieved this three years later in 1865 ) and women getting the vote ( not to be fully realised until 1928.) The contrast between Emily's views ( with which Bessie aligns herself) and those of Thomas Gisborne ( as apparently endorsed by her grandfather) could hardly be greater.
When they are finally left alone the growing strength of Will and Bessie's feelings cannot however be denied.
Even God cannot stand in their way.
Bessie love for Will is not poe faced or even platonic. She finds herself already imagining the full experience of being married to Will and she relishes all aspects of this.
But she still has a conscience other her treatment of George. Her last remarks see her struggling to reconcile feelings of self vindication on the one hand with a residual guilt on the other.
She is not perfect but she is perfectly able to see her own faults as well as her virtues.
Chapter 10
An Investigation
Reuben Conway- aka the amiable scarecrow- is revealed as a man of some complexity.
He cannot contain his emotion when describing Bessie's last hours- and he cannot hold back his tears- but equally he cannot help but be somewhat censorious of her recent actions, even though he only knows part of the story.
He fervently hopes that Bessie got some enjoyment out of her tragically short life. The implication is that this includes love. He reveals he observed the two young people very late one night walking home down the turnpike. He says no more about this.
Mostly though he feels he should have done more to save her. We feel for him even though it is self evident that there was nothing more that he could have done.
He's honest to a fault, even confessing that his first instinct was to avoid whatever ghastliness awaited him in Wigwell Lane End by taking a different route home- to pass by on the other side- Luke 10;31-32. But he does not do so.
The later arrival of Captain Goodwin to provide his statement changes the tone entirely
Goodwin's comment about having to walk the dogs now that Bessie was unable to do so, though it is doubtless born of his own grief, is in bad taste and strikes a most inappropriate note here.
Chapter 11
A Winter
Bessie returns to Wigwell and , after the excitement of the last few months, this is bound to BE an anti climax for her.
She has her walking and her dogs to amuse her but really she is missing Will badly.
The Reverend Harris, he of the passionate argument to come, springs to her aid by engineering a further visit from Will on the pretext of some further spiritual guidance- how much spiritual guidance can one man take we might wonder?!
Mrs Turner pops up again- it is noted that she is far too busy to have any extra guests as she is fully employed in being devoted to her vicar. The couple meet up again at Whatstandwell - the same station as George will arrive in that fateful day in August of the following year. The bridge is the same one over the River Derwent the flooding of which Bessie later luxuriates in.
Her grandfather making his excuses and exiting stage left assists Bessie's enjoyment of Will. For we have entered into a brief but bucolic period when seemingly respectable parlour games can be exploited for maximum physical contact and Will is transformed in Bessie’s eyes into Apollo, surely a promotion from being compared to Byron?!
Bessie loves Will for his ability to cope with crisis, even to revel in it- after a storm he sails on unscathed into the sunset. Perhaps Bessie has in mind here Byron's famous swim across the unpredictable and unforgiving Hellespont?
Chapter 12
An Argument
Samuel's interview of Captain Goodwin was never going to be plain sailing.
And it most certainly lived up to its billing!.
Goodwin's dismissive attitude to Samuel, and towards the statement he had produced on behalf of George, was predictable. It was the visceral nature of his derision which was less predictable.
In writing about the way that he forces Samuel to stand up facing him whilst he sits at his grand desk I had in mind 'And When Did You Last See Your Father? ' the poignant W. F. Yeame painting even though the circumstances are very different .In retrospect, i have to admit that the connection does seem quite tenuous.
Samuel is forced to try to make notes whilst standing up- which makes an already difficult task almost impossible.
The laying of the two statements- by Goodwin and Townley- side by side ( for defence counsel’s use) permits a weird and other-worldly dialogue between the warring parties. They are not talking to each other but yet they are talking to each other in so far as they are picking up points of dispute from the other's statement.
Goodwin's reported claim to have saved his granddaughter by burning her letters is intended to reference a scene in a Chekov play, 'The Seagull', when a script is burnt- again, in retrospect, the comparison seems rather strained!
We already know that George expects very little of Samuel.
Chapter 13
A Kiss
Bessie's propensity for midnight walking has already been established.
Her proposition to Will that they go on such a walk does not therefore seem particularly scandalous, of itself.
However, it is quickly evident that this is not to be an entirely innocent stroll in the moonlight.
Even the landscape itself recognises this. Thus the icy field where the menhir is situated crackles with excitement as they walk slowly across towards it.
Bessie’s rather lame jokes which precede their passionate kissing, are an expression of her extreme distraction. She has her mind on other things and is saying things for the sake of it.
Even more than their actual kisses their mutual decision to dispense with their gloves in the interests of greater intimacy is not only a brave decision given the extreme cold but also a flagrant breach of Victorian morality. Even holding hands before marriage was considered to be a daring act- see Charley and Eustasia's dialogue in Hardy's 'The Return of the Native' where Charley bargains 15 minutes of holding her hand in exchange for providing boys clothes to Eustasia.
That the kissing takes place against the mehir also feels very Hardyesque though I have not found an actual source!
The Return Of Mrs Turner is a shared joke which we guess has some heritage to it. It also takes us back to Chapter 2 and explains why Mrs Turner had behaved badly in her unwillingness to admit Bessie, a possible rival for Robert's affections, into the vicarage.
Finally there is their almost betrothal.
Will's potent question goes unanswered due to the inconsiderate arrival of the train but Bessie's vigorous nod is ample evidence of their intended life-long commitment to each other.
Chapter 14
A Doctor
This Chapter is not short of ambition, tackling, as it does. some vital legal and moral questions of the day.
First Samuel considers the peculiarities of the law when it comes to recognising a wife's rights in a marriage. He quotes from Blackstone in support of his obvious distaste for the current law
Second the requirement for insanity to be established then as a defence to criminality under the law receives some attention .
And, finally, the nature of insanity itself is briefly considered .
Samuel is fully cognisant of the unfairness of the treatment of women by the law, He highlights its underlying hypocrisy going so far as to suggest that George’s extreme conduct is, in a perverse way, not inconsistent with that institutional unfairness.
There follows an extended consultation between Dr Hitchman and George. Dr Hitchman is not without a personal interest in the outcome lining up his account of the interview for the Journal of Medical Science. Townley takes his revenge on those parts of Dr Hitchman's opinions he dislikes via a series of ex post facto but visceral footnotes.
The only point at which the Doctor seems to make some headway in his questioning is when he presses Townley on the extent to which the killing was pre-mediated. Townley reacts by first getting angry, then self pitying until, finally. he is shockingly abusive of Bessie.
Hitchman's point as to George’s variable attitude towards personal responsibility is well made but overall one would say that Townley gives as much as he gets.
Samuel has the last laugh though as he reveals that he has subsequently found two doctors only two willing to disagree fundementally with Dr Hitchman.
Chapter 15
A Silence
'Between 1851 and 1910 in England and Wales four million died from consumption. ‘
More than one-third of those fatalities were aged 15 to 34; half of those aged 20 to 24, giving Consumption the name the robber of youth.'[1]
The fact that Will turns out to have so rapidly contracted a deadly disease, which we may assume was consumption, is rightly therefore a matter of great concern to his family and to Bessie, once she eventually becomes aware of it.
Will's father's letter is invented but draws on the experiences of John Gisborne, the poet , who lived in Darley Dale, Derbyshire for much of his life. He was the brother of Thomas Gisborne who we have met previously.
The hopes and fears expressed by Will's father reflect observations contained in John Gisborne's diary- in particular his expression of agony that consumption' goes on mowing down the young, and the flowers in the Cottage, as well as in the Mansions of the rich and noble , sink beneath the sweep of his scythe'[2]
Will's eventual recovery is therefore nothing short of miraculous.
His father has already imagined in detail the minutiae of Will's funeral but, thankfully, this proves to be redundant.
Goodwin begins his rear guard action to protect Bessie's reputation by emptying the contents of her cabinet.
[1]SOURCE- https://www.valmcbeath.com/victorian-era-england-1837-1901/victorian-era-consumption/#:~:text=Between%201851%20and%201910%20in,name%20the%20robber%20of%20youth.
[2] page 154 'A brief Memoir Of The Life of John Gisborne To Which Are Added Extracts From His Diary' London 1852
Ghost trains play an honourable role in Victorian Literature in general, and Sensation novels in particular.[1]
Here the funny goings on the train are avowedly part of a dream but nonetheless valid for that.
Mary volunteering an account of her dream to Samuel is an intimate and personal thing to do and evidence of their developing friendship.
It is also unbearably poignant in the context of her son’s apparently unavoidable and imminent fate.
Her absurd wondering that the Prison Governor must have sanctioned the trip shows the power of a dream to reconcile the practical with the bizarre.
Finally Samuel feeling able to pull her leg even after her account of such a doom laden dream again shows the extent to which he feels at ease in the company of this ‘remarkable woman’.
[1] Railing through reality: Trains and Mobility in Victorian ghost stories Alicia Barnes The Journal Of Transport History Volume 45, Issue 1
Chapter 16
A Dream
Chapter 17
A Confession
The artistry of Joseph Wright, Wright of Derby, both moves and provokes Bessie.
First his picture of the old man with the girl reading over his shoulder is a poignant reminder to Bessie of the familial love that is possible between different generations.
But his picture of the Arkwright cotton mills at night causes her to reflect on the misery of her fellow man and woman and the immorality of the factory system, here dressed up in a pretty picture.
Then via a brief discussion on the subject of the Hush -a-Bye Baby tree it is off to what is left of a grand house Oakhurst also in the middle of Shining Cliff Wood. The house is just about still standing even today.
Will's banter with Bessie on the subject of the surveyor ghost takes a slightly wrong turn when Bessie threatens him (in jest it is true) with her Grandpa and he, in turn, pretends to be mad with terror. Madness and a vengeful grandfather are both to play a role as the story develops.
Finally we learn the grisly detail of Bessie's on- off engagement to George. Will does know quite what to make of this Bessie's confession. He feels great sympathy towards her (and even to George) but at the same time cannot quite get out of his head that Bessie's conduct might constitute a mortal sin. We get the first inklings here that the course of true love may not be running entirely smoothly.
Captain Goodwin, it turns out, is not adverse to an engagement. His grudging admission that Bessie could do a lot worse than Will (i.e. George ) seems to be a turning point.
Will though seems to still be dwelling on his newly acquired doubts about Bessie.
Chapter 18
A trial
The presence of NE (Nicholas) Cave at the trial may be a modern intrusion into the book.
but one can hardly imagine a better Times Law Correspondent than the 'Prince of Darkness' with his swept back jet black hair, smart suit and acerbic wit.
That the majority of the applicants to attend the trial were women is capable of several explanations. But whilst these (presumably leisured) ladies dominate one part of the public gallery this is more that compensated for by the entirely male members of the press ( viz Nick) and of the Bar who had pre reserved seats.
The Chapter does contain a few plot advances. the revelation that George bought a pocket knife in Manchester on the way to Wigwell Grange is potentially the most significant. But it remains to be seen whether this 'fact' will make it into the evidence.
We are then thrust into the full theatre of the court- Gothic buildings and Goths in the form of the QCs and the Judge.
George though remains underwhelmed. He has already gained a pre trial victory of sorts by gaining permission to write notes as the trial develops and to pass messages to Samuel. He clearly intends to make the most of this and licks his pencil to allow his thoughts to flow more freely
Chapter 19
A New Regime
Disappointingly Will seems, in a small way, to be adopting the kind of manipulative behaviour that so far we associate primarily with Captain Goodwin.
It is Will who suggest that best thing would be for her grandpa take the fall for Bessie's mistake.
He is also rather sharp in his exchanges with Bessie making it clear that he, for one, does not want to be taken for a ride and also having a go at her for being born with a silver spoon in her mouth.
Bessie is stoic in the face of his rather withering comments even as she disapproves of his self-pity.
It is emblematic of the emerging power imbalance between them that Will takes the grand desk whilst she is relegated to the knee hole one.
She finds herself writing at a distance both physically and emotionally. Will is parent like in his encouragement of her efforts- again it seems that she is (untypically ) passive in these exchanges.
She seeks refuge by drinking in the tapestry she is sitting opposite to.
Embroidery is usually associated with gentility and femininity but here it is being called upon to take a much more masculine and unsentimental role. Charles is unsparingly depicted complete with spurting scarlet thread-blood. Maybe that is a gross oversimplification of the role of embroidery. In The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of the Feminine, Rozika Parker states “embroidery has been the means of educating women into the feminine …it has also provided a weapon of resistance to the constraints of femininity.”1[1]
Bessie certainly envies the unknown seamstress her tangible achievement, something that Bessie feels she has not yet achieved in her own life.
She finds writing the letter, even under Will's tutelage, perhaps especially under that, to be a formidable challenge. The reference she makes to not marrying at all puzzles us as well as confounding Will, When it is finished she surrenders the letter to Will who presses it into the hands of Ann Poyser.
Finally Will is left alone in the library. We see him basking in the luxury of his new found prospects. For an instant his courting of Bessie seem as much about its financial advantages as love. Even a hint of this leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
[1] Rozika Parker, The Subversive Stitch: Embroidery and the Making of the Feminie, 4th edition, (London: I.B. Tauris, 2010
Chapter 20
A Prosecution
Frederick has taken his father's semi-jocular remark to heart. He is not amused
Charles Boden QC is rarely ever amused and certainly isn't when the joke is at his expense.
Samuel's grandmother's warning not to frown lest the wind change was a phrase my own gran was fond of and it is good to have preserved this for posterity as she was a woman who faced many trials in her life including the early death of her son, my father.
Mr Biden's two attempts to catch Mary off guard was potentially an effective cross examination strategy. Mary though keeps her nerve and she remains defiant to the point where she proceeds to delivers a monologue and Boden seems powerless to intervene
George seems to have a brief epiphany at the suffering his mother has, and is, enduring but this is short-lived and he soon resumes his angry scribbling.
The strange hand gesture that Mr Boden offers both mother and daughter is said to be almost like an offer of benediction. This puts Boden firmly in the position of a high priest offering a blessing to the two sinners- but only, of course, if they deliver the goods in terms of their evidence,
Caroline's evidence is brief as she quickly becomes upset. But her guilt at having encouraged George to meet with Bessie one last time are largely negated by Bessie's lack of candour with her as to how things stood.
Chapter 21
A Visitor
Bessie’s last letter to George is hopeless. She is reduced to inventing that she is leaving Wigwell but this is not going to fool anyone, least of all George.
Nevertheless there is still some joy in the day for Bessie. The posy that Ann brings her along with her breakfast is a delightful gesture from the servant she trusts so completely. However, as she counterpales the day ahead Bessie is full of dread and foreboding. A more unwelcome visitor could not be imagined.
She is disappointed in Will. He had not pressed her quite as much as she had hoped he would to let him stay for her interview with George even though she appreciates that logically his presence might only have exacerbated the problem.
She has warned Reverend Harris of the likely visits from George but failed to brief him as to what he should say, though by this stage probably any confirmation of a rival would have been enough to tip George over the edge.
Finally following an unusual show of empathy from her grandfather she retreats to her bedroom. She longs for the day to pass quickly and uneventfully and being finally free of George.
Chapter 22
A Captain
The Captain maintains his well earned reputation for irascibility, not to mention dishonesty.
He is not the slightest bit cowed by being up against a QC. Indeed ha seems to rather relish the opportunity to cross swords with him.
That the dialogue resembles a gladiatorial combat has an unlikely source.[1] but does seem a fair description of their clash.
In one sense the whole 'conversation ' is engineered. Mccaualy knows exactly what has happened to Bessie's letters but wishes to make Goodwin squirm as he has to confess that he burned the letters and did so for essentially PR reasons.
We do not know at this stage the significance of the question as to whether the Captain had burnt any other papers either then or later. It feels rather like a shot in the dark to us. As it turns out it is either brilliant cross examination or a lucky fluke but either way Goodwin stonewalls this.
Macaulay's association of Bessie with deception is a dangerous tactic and one that Samuel has previously foresworn to avoid. As he himself had predicted he feels humiliated and ignored by the very QC that he has instructed.
[1] Raphael Samuel, ‘People's History and Socialist Theory’ London 1981
Chapter 23
An Apology
It takes us a few moments to realise that the 'I' here is Bessie.
Goodwin's illogical, but understandable, desire to make her (corpse) more comfortable is not unappreciated by Bessie. That he then tries to carry out that improvement also touches Bessie ( of rather her ghost) at some level.
Even as a soldier Goodwin is uncomfortable in the presence of his granddaughter's corpse not just became he is very sad ( which he is) but also because he fears her body rising up to confront him- that is the stuff of nightmares.
The image of him kneeling ( on his knobbly knees) before an altar and committing to a crusade to seeking justice ( as he sees it) for Bessie draws on the imagery of 'The Vigil' though this painting is later.[1] I was once sent this painting on a postcard and ii has stuck with me.
Goodwin professes himself unsure if he has done right or wrong and we can believe that that is so. His reference to virginal garlands and well laundered gloves alludes to the maiden garlands found in many Derbyshire churches, [2]
Finally Bessie, for her part, seems to get close to absolving him of his actions-one of several instances of forgiveness.
1. The Tate, exhibited 1884 John Pettie
[2] 'The history of maiden's garlands or crants in Derbyshire' Derbyshire Life 14TH FEBRUARY 2023
THE ROAD TO BEDLAM
This cartoon lampooning the principal characters in the Townley scandal was produced and circulated locally in 1864 – Ye Pilgrimage to Bedlam is inscribed with humble apologies to the shade of Chaucer. The cartoon cost one shilling, or two shillings for the coloured version. The full size cartoon can also be viewed at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Ye_Pilgrimage_to_Bedlam._1864_%28BM_1868%2C0808.13091%29.jpg
The drawing, a copy of which is held in the British Museum, depicts a procession of donkey-riders proceeding from Derby to Bedlam – the direction they need to travel is signposted as right to left across the page. The distance alone would make for a demanding journey. The cast includes some identifiable personages.
From left to right we have:
Ye Home Secretaire
This is Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet, PC.
He is depicted carrying a set of bagpipes bearing reference to a previously obscure Act of Parliament – 3 and 4 Victoria. Perhaps the bagpipes are a suggestion that he is prone to blowing his own trumpet?
Ye Cute Attornie
Samuel. He is shown with much exaggerated burnsides and an unflattering cap. He has, over both shoulders, a bag marked ‘costs’. It might have as well have been labelled ‘loot’ or ‘swag’ – since it was, without question, designed to provoke feelings of disgust towards him.
Ye Barristers
All shamelessly counting coin out from a bag of money. One is Macaulay The other has an obviously, and apparently permanently, furrowed brow.
Ye Magistrates
A portly group of three gentleman. One struggles with an oversize mace and chain – and a grim look on his face. This is the then Mayor of Derby one assumes. Another lawyer, for his sins.
Ye Justice
And so it goes on until, last of all, we see Justice herself.
Justice is the only female figure shown. She stands alone to one side facing forwards but wearing a blindfold and wringing her hands in despair. Despite her youth and physical attractiveness she is shown as a desperately sad figure, isolated and forlorn. She is, apparently, unable to find anyone interested in pleading her case, despite the phalanx of lawyers who are present. Samuel would have found this depiction very hurtful.