Join Michael Cawood Green for this fascinating, illustrated talk about his book ‘The Ghosting of Anne Armstong’.
Michael’s novel calls up the lost voice of a fourteen year old girl who, between January and May 1673, made some of the most dramatic accusations in the history of English witchcraft and then disappeared, leaving behind the mystery of what drove her to insist, in the face of rejection after rejection, on telling so strange a story – ultimately at the cost of her own life.
Fantastic yet compelling, Anne Armstrong’s accusations against her neighbours in an isolated part of the Tyne Valley were recorded in the court depositions that form the basis for this literary thriller from Goldsmith Press. Following a fictional historian who becomes obsessed with tracking Anne through each twist and turn of the legal proceedings, the reader is drawn ineluctably into the shadowy world where Anne’s dark tale plays out to its devastating end.
The narrative is shot through with questions: Why does Anne risk being suspected of witchcraft herself as she accused an ever-increasing number of others? Is she seeking revenge, or does she want to earn money as a witch finder? How does a young, illiterate woman have such detailed knowledge of the esoteric forms of witchcraft? How does she learn to understand and manipulate the legal process? Is she a victim of her own hallucinations? Or is she telling the truth – the truth as she sees it, as perhaps only she can see it?
And, finally, how does she meet her lonely death in the building, which – if reports about appearances of her ghost are to be believed – she has never left?
Rumours that she haunts what is now the Wellington Hotel in Riding Mill in which it was said she committed suicide – or was murdered by the people she accused – continue to this day.
An intriguing talk followed by a Q & A and book signing. Tickets £12.50 including a glass of wine (or soft drink) and platter of nibbles at the Heritage Centre. Put the date in your diary and book soon.
Please note you may need to share a table with other guests.