The Manningtree Witches by A. K. Blakemore

Fear and destruction take root in a community of women when the Witchfinder General comes to town, in this dark and thrilling debut.

England, 1643. Parliament is battling the King; the war between the Roundheads and the Cavaliers rages. Puritanical fervour has gripped the nation, and the hot terror of damnation burns black in every shadow.

In Manningtree, depleted of men since the wars began, the women are left to their own devices. At the margins of this diminished community are those who are barely tolerated by the affluent villagers – the old, the poor, the unmarried, the sharp-tongued. Rebecca West, daughter of the formidable Beldam West, fatherless and husbandless, chafes against the drudgery of her days, livened only by her infatuation with the clerk John Edes. But then newcomer Matthew Hopkins takes over the Thorn Inn and begins to ask questions about the women of the margins. When a child falls ill with a fever and starts to rave about covens and pacts, the questions take on a bladed edge.

The Manningtree Witches plunges its readers into the fever and menace of the English witch trials, where suspicion, mistrust and betrayal ran amok as the power of men went unchecked and the integrity of women went undefended. It is a visceral, thrilling book that announces a bold new talent.

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The Manningtree Witches is a fictionalised account of events that took place in Manningtree, Essex in the mid-17^th century.  A centre of activity of Matthew Hopkins, self-appointed Witchfinder General, Blakemore charts his arrival in this small community and the almost immediate impact this has on the residents there. 

The novel opens in 1643 and is told from the perspective of Rebecca West – a young woman of around twenty who lives with her mother, Anne (better known as Beldam) West.  Rebecca’s father died some years earlier, leaving the two women alone to manage as best they can, taking in laundry, clothing repair work, sewing etc. to make ends meet.  Rebecca comes across as an entirely normal young woman.  She is enamoured of one of the men in the village, John Edes who has been teaching her to read and write.  Having read the novel, I can’t help but wonder what her life would have been like had Matthew Hopkins not arrived in Manningtree.  

And Hopkins arrival causes something of a stir, the novelty of stranger’s presence attracting attention and setting tongues wagging, particularly as he appears wealthy to many there.  It doesn’t take long for Hopkins to insinuate himself into the small community, and he soon begins to ask pointed questions, his suspicions aroused by very little.  He comes across particularly poorly in this novel, as I think he should – a sad and lonely individual in ill-health whose activities reek of an attempt to obtain some degree of power and esteem where he otherwise has none.   

Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.

When a young boy falls ill – cursed or possessed by all accounts – it doesn’t take long for the men of the village to round up the women on the fringes of this small community.  It will come as no surprise that the women who are accused of witchcraft and cavorting with the devil and his imps fit a certain profile – they have no men in their lives, and hence have a degree of independence.  Some have some skill with herbs, and have other villagers seek their help from time to time.  Some are known or considered to be sharp-tongued, quick-witted, and cunning.  They are formidable when encountered together.  These women – including young Rebecca whose only crime seems to be being the daughter of one of Hopkins’ targets – are rounded up and imprisoned to await trial in appalling conditions. 

Blakemore captures the mood of the time perfectly.  The English Civil War rages on with many young men absent from their homes and families as a result.  Superstition and fearmongering are rife.  It takes very little to turn neighbour against neighbour, particularly as sympathisers and naysayers are likely to be accused of collusion themselves.  And it seems that none can stand up to the extreme piety of the Witchfinder, even though the reader can see that his motives may not be so pure as he would have those around him believe.  While he riles up those in the village to act upon his suspicions, some do begin to find the activity unpalatable as they start to understand the consequences of their actions.  It’s too little, too late, but I hope that regrets were felt by those involved in these activities. 

It would be wrong for me to reveal the ending of the novel here, but Rebecca West’s ultimate fate is unknown.  Blakemore takes the opportunity to create a possible and plausible life for her after these events, which I thoroughly enjoyed – it’s a subtle and yet powerful suggestion of what she may have gone on to afterwards.  We also see Hopkins’ fate, again fictionalised in a satisfying manner.

Blakemore has published two poetry collections prior to this debut novel, and I think that this shows in the writing.  It’s a beautifully wrought novel, and there were many lines over which I lingered.  The Manningtree Witches is a powerful novel which brilliantly highlights a time of persecution and suppression of women.  Highly recommended.