📖 About This Book · Starvecrow Farm · by Stanley J. Weyman
First published in 1905 by LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. NEW YORK LONDON AND BOMBAY
Setting: Lake District, 1819 – a period of post-war economic depression, political unrest, and radical agitation.
Key Themes: elopement and romantic idealism · class conflict · political radicalism · surveillance and authority · women's independence.
Major Characters: Henrietta (young heroine, impulsive and romantic) · Alan Stewart / Walterson (her lover, radical, bigamist) · Mrs. Gilson (landlady, blunt and perceptive) · Mr. Bishop (Bow Street runner) · Mr. Hornyold (magistrate, patronising) · Mr. Dobbie (clerk).
Plot Arc: The novel follows the elopement of Henrietta and Alan Stewart, their flight through the Lake District, and the shadow of pursuit and political conspiracy that hangs over their romance.
Chapter VI · The Inquiry
Summary
- Henrietta has locked herself in her bedroom, overcome by misery, shame and repentance. She acknowledges her own folly and vanity in falling for Stewart's deception.
- Modest Ann summons her downstairs. Henrietta is led into Mr. Rogers's room, where a magistrate's inquiry is being held. She finds herself facing Mr. Hornyold, the rector and magistrate, with his clerk Mr. Dobbie, Bishop and others present.
- Hornyold realises that Henrietta is from gentry background, however, out of habit, speaks to her with condescension and familiarity. She is outraged but struggles to maintain her composure.
- The clerk informs her that she will be charged with receiving, harbouring and assisting William Walterson (Stewart) and with aiding and abetting his escape, as well as being accessory after the fact to various felonies, including murder.
- The word "murder" causes Henrietta to faint. Mrs. Gilson revives her with wine and encourages her to speak, but Henrietta refuses to reveal her identity, choosing instead to go to Appleby jail rather than betray her family's name.
- Hornyold offers her a last chance to cooperate, promising leniency if she is truthful. She refuses. The clerk begins to write out the committal order to send her to Appleby jail on charges of murder and treason felony.
📖 Glossary of Period Terms
- Still-room
- A room in a large household used for distilling, preserving and preparing medicines, cordials and perfumes.
- Calf-bound
- A book bound in calfskin leather.
- Hauteur
- Haughtiness or arrogance in manner; proud superiority.
- Exordium
- The opening or introductory part of a speech, discourse or formal address.
- Harbouring
- Concealing or sheltering a person who is wanted by the law.
- Aiding and abetting
- Assisting or encouraging another person to commit a crime.
- Trollope
- A loose, disreputable woman; a promiscuous woman.
Analysis
- Henrietta's Humiliation: Hornyold's condescension, and his thinly veiled interest are all forms of degradation. The contrast between her refined appearance and the charges against her creates a dramatic tension that Weyman exploits to its fullest.
- The Magistrate's Character: Hornyold rules his parishes through curates, reserves disciplinary powers for himself, and enjoys the spectacle of a beautiful woman being brought low. His sly smile, his hard eyes and his "paternal" tone are all tinged with hypocrisy.
- Mrs. Gilson as Protector: The landlady continues to act as Henrietta's unlikely guardian. She revives her with wine, encourages her to speak, and defies the clerk's objections. Her gruff pragmatism is a counterweight to Hornyold's pomposity. She represents a different kind of authority — rooted in practical wisdom rather than legal formality.
- Henrietta's Stubborn Pride: Her refusal to reveal her identity is a form of resistance. She would rather go to jail than bring shame on her family. This is not simply foolishness; it is the only power she has left. By withholding her name, she maintains a shred of control over her fate.
- The Spectacle of Justice: The audience at the inquiry, the "row of people" in the passage, the group by the door, highlights the public, performative nature of justice in this period. Henrietta is not just a defendant; she is a spectacle, a source of gossip and excitement. The crowd's "greedy excitement" and the "delicious sense of privilege" of those inside the room reveal the voyeuristic cruelty of provincial society.
Treason felony was a legal category created by the Treason Felony Act of 1848, but the term in the novel refers to the serious political offences that were prosecuted as treason in the early 19th century. The charges against Walterson include "indictments for various felonies and treason felonies" — meaning crimes against the state, such as conspiracy to overthrow the government or inciting rebellion.
In 1819, treason was punishable by hanging, drawing and quartering (though the drawing and quartering was rarely carried out by this time). The clerk's mention of "hanging, drawing, and quartering" is a grim reminder of the penalties that faced political radicals. Henrietta's terror at the word "murder" is compounded by the knowledge that she could be tried as an accessory to these capital offences.
In 1819, treason was punishable by hanging, drawing and quartering (though the drawing and quartering was rarely carried out by this time). The clerk's mention of "hanging, drawing, and quartering" is a grim reminder of the penalties that faced political radicals. Henrietta's terror at the word "murder" is compounded by the knowledge that she could be tried as an accessory to these capital offences.
Appleby Gaol was the county prison for Westmorland, located in the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland (now Appleby-in-Cumbria). It was a typical county gaol of the period — often overcrowded, unsanitary and brutal. Prisoners were held in common cells with little regard for age, gender or the nature of their crime.
The clerk's warning that Appleby is "no very comfortable place" is an understatement. County gaols were notorious for disease, vermin and the mixing of hardened criminals with petty offenders. For a young woman of Henrietta's upbringing, a spell in Appleby Gaol would have been a terrifying prospect. The magistrate knows this, and he uses it as a threat to break her resistance.
The clerk's warning that Appleby is "no very comfortable place" is an understatement. County gaols were notorious for disease, vermin and the mixing of hardened criminals with petty offenders. For a young woman of Henrietta's upbringing, a spell in Appleby Gaol would have been a terrifying prospect. The magistrate knows this, and he uses it as a threat to break her resistance.
The "hue and cry" was an ancient legal obligation requiring every able-bodied citizen to pursue and capture a felon upon being alerted. When a crime was committed, the victim or a witness would raise the hue and cry — shouting to alert the community — and all who heard were required to join the pursuit.
In practice, the hue and cry was often ineffective. Parish constables were frequently incompetent, and ordinary people were reluctant to risk their lives for a reward that might never materialise. The system placed the burden of law enforcement on the victim, not on any organised police force. This explains why rural communities were so vulnerable to crime and why a figure like Mr. Bishop, a Bow Street Runner, was such a rarity outside London.
In practice, the hue and cry was often ineffective. Parish constables were frequently incompetent, and ordinary people were reluctant to risk their lives for a reward that might never materialise. The system placed the burden of law enforcement on the victim, not on any organised police force. This explains why rural communities were so vulnerable to crime and why a figure like Mr. Bishop, a Bow Street Runner, was such a rarity outside London.
John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon (1751–1838), was Lord Chancellor of Great Britain for much of the period from 1801 to 1827. He was a staunch Tory and a fierce opponent of reform. His long tenure made him a symbol of the conservative establishment's resistance to change. He was known for his cautious, precedent-bound approach to the law and his hostility to any relaxation of the penal code.
Mrs. Gilson's frown being compared to "the Lord Chancellor Eldon himself" is a characteristically sardonic touch by Weyman. It suggests that the landlady's authority is as formidable as the highest legal officer in the land — a comic exaggeration that also reinforces the novel's theme of local power resisting state authority.
Mrs. Gilson's frown being compared to "the Lord Chancellor Eldon himself" is a characteristically sardonic touch by Weyman. It suggests that the landlady's authority is as formidable as the highest legal officer in the land — a comic exaggeration that also reinforces the novel's theme of local power resisting state authority.
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