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1700s: Many stories are told about the five Mansfield sisters.
The Hounding
What you need to know before your trail
Many stories are told about the five Mansfield sisters. They are haughty, thinking themselves better than their neighbours in the picturesque village of Little Nettlebed. They have taken the death of their grandmother hard. They are liars, troublemakers, untamed and dangerous… Accounts of their behaviour differ, but the villagers all agree that the girls are odd.
One long summer, a heatwave descends. Bloated sea creatures wash up along the parched riverbed, animals grow frenzied, ravens gather on the roofs of those about to die. As the stifling heat grips the village, so does a strange rumour: the Mansfield sisters have been seen transforming into a pack of dogs.
With the witch trials only a recent memory, hysteria sets in. Slowly but surely, the villagers become convinced that something strange is taking root in Little Nettlebed. And when a bark finally leads to a bite, the sisters will be the ones to pay for it.
Locations
Reset- England - Oxfordshire - Nettlebed
- A: High St
- B: Nettlebed Pudding Stones
- C: Nettlebed Sea Pond
- D: River Thames
Travel Guide
Nettlebed
The village in the book is called Little Nettlebed but it’s exactly where it is on the map above. The village is known for having a rich supply of the clay suitable for brick making that ran in a vein through the Chilterns. Not so much the witchy link but you never know.
It is steeped in medieval history – because of its position on the point where the Henley –Oxford road intersects the Chiltern Ridgeway. Later it became a noted staging post. Legend has it that many Kings and Queens stayed at the former Red Lion in the High Street.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Hounding
Destination/location: Nettlebed, Oxfordshire Author/guide: Xenobe Purvis Departure Time: 1700s
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