Widdershins
(The Newcastle Witch Trials Trilogy, Book 1)
By Helen Steadman
Publication Date: 23rd April 2022
Publisher: Bell Jar Books
Page Length: 298
Genre: Historical Fiction / Horror
Step into the shadowy world of seventeenth-century England with Widdershins, a haunting historical novel that lays bare the terror of the 1650 Newcastle witch trials.
Jane Chandler is a natural healer. Her knowledge of herbal remedies leaves her vulnerable to accusations of witchcraft.
John Sharpe is a witchfinder driven by religious zeal. His crusade against witches is as personal as it is relentless.
In a Puritan society mesmerised by superstition and fear, two destinies collide.
Widdershins is a compelling work of historical witch fiction, blending meticulous research with immersive storytelling.
Bear witness to the quiet courage of the women who endured this harrowing chapter of English history.
The art of herbal healing is one that has existed for centuries, as people, women in particular, turn to nature and the earth’s offerings to find the ingredients lending themselves to tinctures and medicinal purposes. However, the act of such healing brings a dark shadow down over the women helping others with their passed-down knowledge, as the rise of accusations casts the title ‘witch’ down upon any woman determined to be acting suspiciously or in an ungodly manner.
With religious superiority pushing him forward, John Sharpe is determined to uncover as many witches as he can to free the world from the Devil’s influence. Spurred forward by a complicated and traumatic past, and in a bid for vengeance, he makes it his personal mission to prove himself a righteous man, and carry out the work of God in the only way he can see fit – purging any impurities he may come across.
“Widdershins (The Newcastle Witch Trials Trilogy, Book 1)” by Helen Steadman provides an intriguing glimpse into the superstitions so readily accepted during an era when simply being a woman was not considered safe, and trials could so easily be swayed to gain a desired result.
Jane Chandler has learned everything she knows about healing and how to properly use herbs to help those in need from her mother. Such knowledge has helped her, given her a link to nature, and a respect for the natural world and everything it has to offer, but knowing such things and practising the art of healing is a difficult profession. Such women were being accused of witchcraft on a regular basis, and it didn’t take much to raise suspicions. But that is not at the forefront of Jane’s mind. As she grows and matures into a young woman, ideals of love begin to flutter in her mind, and her beloved Tom seems to share her affections. Jane is an utterly lovable character; she is kind-hearted and innocent, despite the wicked ways of the world. Her natural curiosities put her forward as a genuine person, and she comes across as very real in the telling. As different situations plight her, for it was not only superstitions, but also prejudices that swayed the minds of many during this period, she tries to keep her head held high, and her determination to remain true to herself despite harsh treatments is enough to bring a tear to the reader’s eye. With it being so easy to form an attachment to Jane’s character, to watch her go through perilous situations, not knowing whether she will make it through safely, is more than enough to bring an intense level of tension to this novel, while providing an insight into the harsh and harrowing realities of being a woman during this period in history.
The religious undertones of this novel provide a gnarly and twisted backdrop to the harsh and violent minds of men in power. John Sharpe is an antagonist so sick and twisted that the very mention of his name makes your skin crawl as you read. His twisted childhood gives cause for his altered sense of reality, but that does not make his actions any more redeemable. His distrust and hatred for witches stems from his own birth, where his mother passed, and his father blamed the passing on not only him, as a newly born baby, but also on Dora Shaw, the woman who brought him into the world. The harsh words and hands of his father brought about a conditioning, a mistrust towards Dora and women alike to her, turning John sour on the woman who raised him and looked after him in his early years of life. As the novel progresses, his treatment of his own wife is deplorable, and his reasoning behind his hard nature, that he is protecting her soul against corruption, in his own twisted sense of doing right by her, creates a monster out of a man. John is not a character to be liked, and despite his character being manipulated and crafted into one of a religious fanatic by others, it is impossible to pity him. The juxtaposition behind his thoughts and actions, compared to his way of thinking, trying to fulfil God’s wishes and protect others from evil, provides an almost laughable paradox. His character has been crafted into one of intense hatred, and to flip between his and Jane’s perspectives, from his dark hatred to her innocent light, only intensifies the very evil eating away inside of him.
The fear that settles over the pages of this novel is almost tangible. John’s character is one to be feared in itself, and his chapters provide a chilling backdrop to Jane’s as she grows into a young woman and begins to face the prejudices and superstitions of the world. To be tried as a witch was almost certainly a death sentence, and it did not take much to find such an accusation pointed in your direction. Many simple womanly things begin to fall under the title of ‘witchcraft’, and it was very rare that the women accused could speak up for themselves, nor were they listened to. This deepest prejudice against witches meant that, once the accusation was made, it was very easy to sway a trial in favour of the accuser, even if the actual accusation was false. This novel explores the injustice of these trials, bringing to light just how many innocents lost their lives to men like John Sharpe, who thought they were doing God’s work, or were lured into accusations through the promise of payment.
Although offset by Jane’s chapters and her lighthearted descriptions of the different herbs and natural remedies she uses, the dark and cruel treatment of women during this period is described in detail during this novel, and is not for the faint of heart. Treatment was rough, heavy-handed, and in the case of many trials, included forceful examinations of the accused women’s private areas. Such scenes can be incredibly harrowing to read, for the descriptions do not leave much to the imagination. The historical detailing and careful penmanship have created a novel that is incredibly real in the telling, and one that is next to impossible to put down. Despite darkness and evil running through the pages, it is so easy to fall in love with Jane’s character that the reader finds themselves wanting to protect her as she makes her way through life, trying to keep herself from arousing suspicions from anyone.
An incredibly emotional novel of great torment and disturbing cruelty in a period of fear, superstition, and corruption, “Widdershins (The Newcastle Witch Trials Trilogy, Book 1)” by Helen Steadman is certainly a novel that transports you back to such a disturbing period of history, letting you live among the characters and feel the intense fear and mistrust that arose due to lies, deceit, and immorality in the name of God and right doings.
Review by Ellie Yarde
Yarde Book Reviews & Book Promotion
Widdershins
(The Newcastle Witch Trials Trilogy, Book 1)
Read with #KindleUnlimited
Helen Steadman
Helen Steadman mostly writes biographical historical fiction (think herbs, healing, witch trials, swords, shipwrecks and lighthouses) set in the north east of England. So far, she’s written the Newcastle Witch Trials trilogy (Widdershins, Sunwise and Solstice), The Running Wolf (about the Shotley Bridge swordmakers) and Grace (about Grace Darling, the heroic lighthouse keeper’s daughter).
And then — because why not — there’s God of Fire set on Mount Olympus, which is absolutely nowhere near the north east of England. A sequel featuring Aphrodite is planned. Probably. At some point. (Helen is a slow writer. Deadlines tend to pass her by.)
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Take Care,
Mary Anne xxx