Why a Booktrail?
1700s – Visit a beautiful historical site in North East England and feel the history from these pages really come to life before your eyes.
Wedlock
What you need to know before your trail
If you want to get to know the real story behind Gibside, the stunning Georgian gem in the North East, then forget the official guidebooks and websites and pick up a copy of Wedlock by Wendy Moore. This book brings the place to life – it’s riveting, fascinating story and a strange insight into life in the 1700s.
Wedlock is about the life of the Bowes family – a notable family in the North East and Mary Eleanor Bowes in particular. Her story is so beyond belief that it almost defies it. And this of course makes for a very interesting background story to any visit to Gibside.
In 1760, at the age of only 11 years, Mary ‘s rich businessman father died, leaving her his sole heiress with an estimated net worth of millions and millions. When her first husband died she was expected to marry again – enter Andrew Robinson Stoney – a charming and psychopathic man.
Travel Guide
If you really want to know the true story behind the beautiful setting of Gibside, then the stark brutality of this true story will shock you – for it is in direct contrast to the beauty of the area and the stunning architecture and buildings.
Gibside is a National Trust site and is well worth a visit – it has everything from Farmers Markets to regular activities for children and adults alike. But it is the story of how it all came about which will really linger in your mind.
Visiting Gibside is a direct contrast to its turbulent history. It is a calm oasis on the outskirts of a busy city yet has retained its tranquil and stunning appearance. The beauty of its nature is in direct contrast to its story and this gives it an eerie quality once you’ve read the book and have appreciated what it has taken to keep Gibside ‘alive’.
What Wedlock does however is raise a lot of interesting issues such as the superiority of man in the eyes of the law, the view of divorce and the scandal it created at the time and the treatment of woman in general –their rights concerning their inheritance and children. The issue of domestic abuse is particularly hard to read about but gives a further insight into society of the time.
Trail Gallery
Booktrailer Review
Susan @thebooktrailer :
A true story that is perhaps more eventful and shocking than any kind of fiction! This story – the torment of one woman, the stigma attached to divorce and domestic abuse is all the more shocking when you realise that this all happened in a time where many such subjects were taboo and women second class citizens.
Whilst the story of Gibside is an unbelievable account of what women had to endure back in the 1700’s, it is a very well researched and thrilling book of an historical and turbulent past – now I would suggest that it be a starting point for a visit to one of the most historically interesting places I have had the pleasure to visit.
There are miles of woodland walks and stunning views across the Derwent Valley. There’s the stunning chapel and the Main house (I’ve always thought this a little reminiscent of Jane Eyre’s Thornfield hall). The whole atmosphere now is one of amazing calmness and beauty and historical architecture.
The book and booktrail really shine a light on a remarkable place and a remarkable story!
Booktrail Boarding Pass Information:
Twitter: @wendymoore99
Web: wendymoore.org
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