The Coiner's Wife - A play in five acts: The untold story of Grace Hartley of Cragg Vale, wife of the infamous counterfeiter, 'King' David Hartley of the Yorkshire Coiners - Couverture souple

Claypole, Maurice

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1911369628 ISBN 13 : 9781911369622

Editeur : LinguaBooks, 2023

Synopsis

Synopsis: From a remote weaver’s cottage in the bleak Yorkshire moors, a gang of counterfeiters (the ‘Cragg Vale Coiners’) launch a nefarious scheme that threatens to unsettle the currency of 18th century England. Bound in marriage to their leader, known locally as ‘King’ David, Grace Hartley is torn between the forces of love, duty and conscience, whilst at the same time struggling with motherhood and the need to keep hunger at bay. After the counterfeiters’ initial success, opposing forces gather, led by William Dighton, Supervisor of Excises, who sets in motion a series of events that have momentous consequences. This play is based on a true story that has gripped the inhabitants of the Upper Calder Valley for centuries, but has so far received little prominence elsewhere. The Calder Valley is known to many as the setting for the hit television series Happy Valley. A unique feature of this play is that it presents the historic and tumultuous events of this episode in history from a woman’s point of view. Very little is known about the real Grace Hartley or the other women in this story. In the male-dominated world of the late eighteenth century, documentation focuses almost exclusively on the role played by men. Part of the purpose of this play is to redress this imbalance. Casting: 10 M, 6 F with opportunities for doubling. 'A gripping story of love, betrayal and survival.' 'Based on true events.'

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Maurice Claypole has a close association with the the cultural and theatrical life of the Calder Valley, having appeared on stage in Todmorden and Hebden Bridge, not far from where the Cragg Vale Coiners were based. He is an active member of the RSC's Shakespeare Nation project run in conjunction with the Alhambra Theatre in Bradford, where he appeared in A Drop in the Ocean, based on Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors. His comedy drama Narrowboat Blues was performed at the Halifax Playhouse in June 2021. His other works include a clollection of short stories entitled A Parting Shot and The Legend of Sidora, a waterways fantasy in prose and verse.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: LinguaBooks
• Date d'édition: 2023
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1911369628
• ISBN 13: 9781911369622
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 168
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible