Unravelling a mystery (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Unravelling a mystery

THE Campden Wonder is a 344-year-old mystery that is part of Cotswolds folklore and legend.

It concerns William Harrison, a steward at the Chipping Campden estate of the wealthy Noel family, who disappeared on August 16, 1660, and his reappearance two years later claiming to have been kidnapped and sold into slavery in Turkey.

There were doubts about the 70-year-old Mr Harrison's story at the time, especially as three innocent people were hanged for their alleged part in his murder.

Since then there has been much speculation as to the true reasons for the faithful retainer's disappearance, including claims in some quarters that he was the victim of witchcraft.

Now first-time novelist Vicky Bennett with her book 'The poorest he' seeks to offer an alternative reason for the mystery that has fascinated historians and writers for years.

Vicky's book, launched last week at Chipping Campden Town Hall, is subtitled A Retelling of the Campden Wonder.

The cover boldly proclaims it to be "A novel which provides a historically possible solution to a 300-year-old mystery."

It is also described as "A dark tale touching on the cases of civil war and its aftermath. A tale of superstition, intolerance and injustice, but above all a tale of different kinds of love."

With a front cover showing a black and white image of the ruins of Campden Manor, the novel, which Vicky has self-published as Gemini - under the heading of "historical fiction/crime", is a clever mix of fact and fiction, portraying a world in which the eventual solution to the mystery is completely believable.

"I don't know what's true but I think it's possible," says Vicky, an Exeter University history graduate, who runs Bennetts Fine Wines with Charlie, her husband of almost 30 years.

"People thought it was unlikely he was taken against his will. The assumption is that if he was taken he was taken and kept somewhere nearby or he's gone off on his own volition.

"I don't know why you would leave a wife and 30-year-old son of your own volition after you've been in a job for 40 years."

Vicky's depiction of life in Campden and the surrounding area during a dark and difficult period in the country's history is as plausible as her mystery solution.

"I wanted to have a picture of the community at the time and the kinds of viewpoints going on at the time, as well as the excitement. It was an extraordinary thing for the steward of the manor to disappear," says Vicky.

"I think some people have the idea of a rural idyll but it was idyllic for only a very few," she adds.

Vicky hopes the novel, which is available from the Campden Bookshop and other local bookshops, will have wider than just local appeal. She has already written a second novel, a contemporary tale about a woman obsessed with growing her lawn, which she hopes will find a publisher.

In the meantime, following the recent departure of the manager, she is back in the shop, serving up fine wines rather than fine words.

l 'The poorest he' is available in paperback from the Chipping Campden Bookshop on 01386 840944 or email nrj@campdenbooks.co.uk

A lunch, with readings from and discussion of the novel, is due to be held at The Cotswold House Hotel, The Square, Chipping Campden on Thursday, September 16. Contact the hotel on 01386 840330 for further information.