Young Fleetwood Shuttleworth, a noblewoman, is with child again. None of her previous pregnancies have borne fruit, and her husband, Richard, is anxious for an heir.

Then Fleetwood discovers a hidden doctor’s letter that carries a dire prediction: she will not survive another birth. By chance she meets a midwife named Alice Grey, who promises to help her deliver a healthy baby. But Alice soon stands accused of witchcraft.

Is there more to Alice than meets the eye? Fleetwood must risk everything to prove her innocence. As the two women’s lives become intertwined, the Witch Trials of 1612 loom. Time is running out; both their lives are at stake. Only they know the truth. Only they can save each other.

Rich and compelling, set against the frenzy of the real Pendle Hill Witch Trials, this novel explores the rights of 17th-century women and raises the question: Was witch-hunting really women-hunting? Fleetwood Shuttleworth, Alice Grey and the other characters are actual historical figures. King James I was obsessed with asserting power over the lawless countryside (even woodland creatures, or “familiars,” were suspected of dark magic) by capturing “witches”—in reality mostly poor and illiterate women.

My Review

I read The Foundling by this author with my online book club in 2020. I adored it, but not sure why I didn’t pick up another of her books until I listened to Mrs England just over a month ago. I loved that as well, so I thought I’d better listen to The Familiars. I used Borrowbox from the Library for both.

The Familiars is based on the real case of the Pendle Hill witch trials in Lancashire in 1612. ‘The trials occurred during the reign of King James I, a staunch believer in witchcraft who introduced the death penalty for it.’ The characters in the book are mostly real people of the time, but the story is pure fiction.

It’s crazy that at the time anything unexplained could be ‘explained’ by witchcraft. For instance when Jon Law is taken ill, his face having collapsed on one side, his arm having lost its use and he is unable to speak, it’s obvious that he has had a stroke. But Alizon Demdike, who was seen nearby with a black dog, confessed to having putting a curse on him. And God help you if a frog or toad was found in your house.

Seventeen-year-old Fleetwood Shuttleworth has already lost three babies and is now pregnant again. In the woods, she meets a strange girl called Alice Grey, who is carrying a bag of dead rabbits. Alice is technically trespassing on Shuttleworth land, but Fleetwood is intrigued by her. They meet up again and Alice tells Fleetwood that she is a midwife. And that is the beginning of their friendship.

In the meantime, lifelong friend of her husband Richard, Roger Nowell (he was a real person) is determined to make a name for himself in his twilight years by seeking out witches and sending them for trial and certain death.

We have to remember that this was the 17th century when women had no voice and were subservient to their husbands. It’s maddening at times!

I loved this book so much, and it’s perfect as an audiobook.

About the Author

Stacey Halls was born in Lancashire and worked as a journalist before her debut The Familiars was published in 2019. The Familiars was the bestselling debut hardback novel of that year, won a Betty Trask Award and was shortlisted for the British Book Awards’ Debut Book of the Year. The Foundling, her second novel, was also a Sunday Times top ten bestseller. Mrs England is her third novel.