Description
‘This I remember . . . ‘
Polstead, Suffolk, May 1827
Maria Martin has arranged to meet her lover, William Corder. After months of delay, they are to travel to Ipswich to be married. But she is mourning the loss of their child only weeks before and is exhausted and confused. She has been promised so much before by other men and no longer knows which way to turn.
She enters the Red Barn and is never seen again.
The mystery of Maria Martin’s disappearance and the subsequent arrest of William Corder gripped the imagination of the whole country. Witness after witness condemned him – but was William telling the truth?
This is Maria’s story, told in her voice. Lost beneath the weight of words written about the case over the last two hundred years, Maria is brought back to life in this gripping novel, bringing a new dimension to the story of the Red Barn.
Background
The story of Maria Martin and William Corder has been the subject of thousands of words and hundreds of entertainments, from peep and puppet shows to plays, cartoons and ballads. But in all the words written about the case, one person seems to have become lost. You can read all about William, his family, and his motivation; and plenty has been written about the Martins (especially Ann) and their background, but the victim in all this, Maria, is seldom mentioned. She is mostly portrayed as either the simple village girl, seduced by the wicked squire, or as little more than a prostitute, no better than she ought to be and therefore not worthy of consideration. Even her surname was changed. From the trial until now it is commonly spelt as ‘Marten’, but the birth, marriage and death records show that the family name was Martin, so that is what I have called her here.
The case continues to fascinate and horrify and, even now, nearly two hundred years later, conjecture and rumours abound. For no one knows what really happened. This book is a work of fiction, but based on as many truths as I could find. I wanted this to be Maria’s story, told from her point of view as a complex and intelligent young woman who made mistakes but ultimately just wanted to be loved and cherished. Her voice deserves to be heard.
L M West is the author of books based on real events during the East Anglian witchcraft persecutions of 1645. The Red Barn is her fourth novel.
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