A tale of murder, a trial, post-natal depression and injustice in 1850’s rural Essex, based on painstaking family history research, has been published by Margate resident Timandra Francis (French).
The 71-year-old, who says it is her ‘first and only’ book, began writing the tale a decade ago but after shelving it several times, finally took the plunge and published this summer.
The story delves into poverty, the treatment of women, religion and public morality, the agricultural revolution and injustice.
It follows the tale of a woman who endures a brutal assault, finds herself trapped in a violent marriage and living amid crushing poverty until a catastrophic event unfolds.
Former teacher and South East Coast Ambulance worker, Timandra said the book comes from her family research.
She said: “I was researching my family tree and the family completely disappeared from the census’ so I was intrigued and wondered where they had gone.
“I found out what happened through newspapers and the story shocked me and made me so angry.
“My ancestral relative – a great-great-great uncle- got murdered. When I read all the reports and saw the history and court cases I got so angry for this poor woman (his wife).
“In those days women were powerless, how they were treated and thought of, it made me angry. There was a gulf between rich and poor, there was the agricultural revolution and work dried up, people were going to Australia to get away. I was angry at the injustice of it all.
“My great-great-great uncle was not a very nice person, he had been in court a few times and one time she was with him but she was acquitted and ended up in the workhouse.”
Following the murder, there was a trial and what we know now as post-natal depression featured in the defence and was considered in the sentence – all is revealed in the book.
Timandra says she thinks her protagonist may have been innocent and wonders whether readers will come to the same conclusion.
She said: “The prologue ends with “How did it come to this?” The book is in answer to that question. It starts off a little slow, setting the scene, but then ramps up.”
Despite first putting pen to paper a decade ago, Burnt House Yard was only published last month.
Timandra said: “I finished it in about six months and then set it aside for a bit. Then I spent about three years editing it and I sent it to a couple of publishers but they get thousands of manuscripts so I just put it back on the shelf.”
A house clear out this summer saw anything unused put in a skip and Timandra did not want that to be the fate for her book and so she published with Panda Publishing.
Burnt House Yard is on Kindle and in paperback and can be found on Amazon at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1808405986
May I wish Timandra every success with her publication. Timandra’s determination and perseverance to get her work published, can only be an inspiration to all of us.