The Wonderful Discovery of Elizabeth Sawyer

In 1621, Elizabeth Sawyer, a mother of eleven children, is imprisoned in Newgate Prison in London. Accused of witchcraft by her neighbors, she is condemned to death. Through her confessions to the prison chaplain, she tells three stories about her life, challenging the beliefs and superstitions of the time. The chaplain initially condemns her, but as her execution approaches, he begins to question his own beliefs. The novel explores the power of women and the fear and superstitions surrounding those who spoke their minds in a time of paranoia and religious turmoil.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 28 September 2022
Publisher: The Book Guild Ltd

The year is 1621, a time of paranoia following the English Reformation. Elizabeth Sawyer, the mother of eleven children, is shackled in her cell in London's Newgate prison, denounced as a witch by her woodland neighbors and condemned to death by the court. With her execution drawing near, Elizabeth has one last chance to make peace with the world. By way of confession, she tells the prison chaplain three stories about her life.

Chaplain Goodcole initially responds with revulsion. Like the court, he condemns Elizabeth as wicked and depraved, but as her execution nears, his opinion shifts. Does this "ignorant countrywoman know something that he doesn't? Has she, as his colleagues suspect, fallen under the spell of a wily and malign witch?

Based on a true story, this novel is rooted in the struggles of rural women 400 years ago. Exploring different types of power, it unravels the fear and superstitions surrounding any girl or woman who spoke her mind.

Weight: 298g
Dimension: 198 x 128 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781915352019