Sins as Red as Scarlet: a true story of a Devon town in turmoil

Sins as Red as Scarlet is set in Devon and is based on actual events that took place between 1640 and 1682; a time when the Age of Reason had begun and scientific thought was ousting superstitious belief. The menacing days of the witchfinder had all but gone. Nevertheless, in Devon’s county town, three impoverished women were condemned to death for the crime of witchcraft. They came from Bideford, a prosperous port, with flourishing tobacco warehouses and ships departing for the Newfoundland cod-banks or taking pottery across the Atlantic. It was a time of plague, of war and of religious dissent, all of which fashioned the prejudices and fears of the town’s inhabitants. There is also a modern strand to the book, which follows sixteen-year-old Martha, as she researches the seventeenth century history of her home-town and comes to realise that human nature does not change; intolerance and peer pressure have always exerted their power. Yet there have been and still are, those who stand aside from the bigotry and the victimisation. Probing the motivations and beliefs of Bideford’s seventeenth century residents, Martha comes to understand how past events might lead ordinary people to become the victims, the accusers, or the accused. In the process, Martha finds a new resilience, enabling her to rise above those who seek to demean her.

The author has meticulously researched the life of each of her characters, using the techniques of the family historian. In this way, she has uncovered some facts that are not widely known about the individuals who feature in her story.