KAREN CHARLTON
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Welcome to the official website of historical novelist KAREN CHARLTON

Article: The Real Stephen Lavender

13/1/2017

40 Comments

 

THE REAL STEPHEN LAVENDER

(TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FICTION)

Thanks to the wonders of the World Wide Web, there is always a risk when you use real-life characters from history in your fiction that someone, or something, will pop up out of the ether and surprise you.
Real-life people, like my Detective Stephen Lavender, have children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. And I knew that if Lavender's descendants ever decided to research their ancestor on the Internet, the chances of them stumbling across my novels was high. This thought actually made me a little nervous because although I’ve used Lavender’s name and two of his real cases in my novels, I knew hardly anything at all about the man himself. I used a lot of artistic license and imagination to flesh out the details of his personality and family life. 

I focused on information I gleaned from reference books and contemporary newspaper articles about his work as a Principal Officer with Bow Street Police Office and just made up the rest. I didn’t even know how old the real Stephen Lavender was when he went up to Northumberland to solve the mystery of the stolen rent money from Kirkley Hall in Ponteland. And when I introduced this hired private detective to my readers in Catching the Eagle I made him a mature thirty-year-old man.
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Kirkley Hall, Ponteland, Northumberland
I’d often wondered if any of Lavender’s descendants were still living and if so, what they would make of my fictional representation of their ancestor? Would they like him and approve of the bookish, educated and slightly-introverted character I’d created? Or would I be facing a court case for defamation of character? As a cheeky, writer friend once pointed out, “the phrase ‘loosely based-upon’ can be very useful in times like these, Karen.”
I finally got my answer in December 2016 when I was contacted by several of Stephen Lavender’s descendants. Thankfully, the first message that landed in my inbox from Australian, Richard Kinch, began with the words:
'Thank you for making my ancestor famous!’ 
Richard’s delight with novels about his ancestor clearly out-weighed any concerns he had about historical inaccuracies. 
The contact from Richard was quickly followed by more messages from other Lavender relatives including Lesley Morgan, another Aussie descendant. In fact, it turns out that Australia is teeming with Stephen Lavender’s relatives. He had nine children. Two of his sons, and one daughter, emigrated to Australia in the 1850s. There are Facebook pages and online groups all over the southern hemisphere dedicated to connecting the Lavender relatives and exploring their genealogy.
Lesley, in particular, was incredibly helpful and informative. She told me about the real-life background to my character and explained the family history to me. She also put me in touch with a British relative, Alister Palmer, who lives in Bristol. We exchanged many emails and a fascinating picture of the real man began to emerge.

I already knew from my research, that several other members of Stephen Lavender’s family worked for Bow Street Police Office in the early nineteenth century but I didn't know that his father, Edward, was a clerk there. In my novels I've given him a father called John and a Church of England vicar for a maternal grandfather.  Also in my fictional character's background is a Grammar School education and an unhappy year spent at Cambridge University studying law. From Lesley I learnt that after starting an apprenticeship in 1803 with the horse patrol, Stephen was created a Principal Officer in 1807. 
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Bow Street Magisgrates' Court & Police Office
But the biggest surprise was that the real Lavender wasn’t born until 1789. This means that he became a Principal Officer at the tender age of eighteen and was barely twenty when he was sent up to Northumberland to solve the mystery of the Kirkley Hall robbery. I know his investigation in this instance was meticulous and thorough – I’ve seen the court case documents at The National Archives in London – so he must have been a real child prodigy in the Regency world of policing. I wonder what thirty-seven-year-old Jamie Charlton, whom Lavender accused of the Kirkley Hall robbery, made of the situation when he was arrested and charged by a young man who was barely shaving?
I’ve always known that the London newspapers adored Stephen Lavender and zealously – and sometimes inaccurately – reported his cases and forays into the seedy underbelly of the crime-ridden capital. In 1818, Lavender solved the mystery of the vicious attack on an elderly man, William Sculthorpe in Northamptonshire (the basis for my novel, ‘The Sculthorpe Murder’) and this case was extensive reported by the London press. I wonder if his fresh-faced youth helped to make him so popular with the newspapers of the time?
Lavender, and his young family, left Bow Street in 1821 when he took up the position of Deputy Chief Constable in the industrial northern city of Manchester. Sadly, he died there in June 1833 at the relatively young age of forty-four. I’ve found his obituary written in over thirty British newspapers. He really was a celebrity in nineteenth century England.
So, what happens now?  I hear my readers ask. Will you chop a decade off Lavender’s age, remove his fictional education and his gorgeous and exotic Spanish wife in order to bring the fictional character back into line with the real man?
No. I intend to carry on as before, ‘loosely basing’ my detective on the life of the real man and occasionally dipping into the archives to find more of Stephen Lavender’s cases to flesh out into an intricate plot. I hope to continue to share information with Lesley Morgan and Alister Palmer for the benefit of all of us who are interested in this fascinating man.
And anyway, I’m not sure that my mystery-reading public is ready for a detective barely out of his teens.
 
In this instance alone, the truth is definitely stranger than fiction.

40 Comments

Review: 'To the Grave'

9/3/2013

0 Comments

 

TO THE GRAVE - STEVE ROBINSON

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I have just finished reading ‘To the Grave’ and I loved it.  I think it is a better book than Robinson’s first novel ‘In the Blood ’– and THAT was pretty damned good. I don’t know whether it was because this second mystery was more recent (1940’s rather than early nineteenth century) or because it was a more personal story for the author, but I was completely hooked from start to finish and read it in two days. These novels have tremendous potential for a TV series.

Steve writes about Mena so tenderly and I was completely immersed in her story – to the point that I was horrified and saddened by what happened to her.

The mystery unfolded well with a good selection of red herrings which completely fooled me, and aspects of the book had a literary quality which reminded me of Ian McEwan’s ‘Atonement.’


I'm now looking forward to reading 'The Last Queen of England,' his third book in the series.

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In the Blood: Book Review

1/10/2012

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IN THE BLOOD - Steve Robinson

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‘A genealogical crime mystery’

That’s three of my favourite words in the same phrase; two of my preferred genres of literature with a genealogical angle thrown in for good measure.  No wonder I was curious about this debut novel by Steve Robinson - and it didn’t disappoint.

‘In the Blood’ is a strong thriller with an unlikely hero (American genealogist Jefferson Tayte.) Revelation after revelation is dripped onto the pages before the novel reaches a dramatic climax I did not anticipate.

It is also a fascinating historical mystery which starts with a missing family. We all know the maxim that killers need to keep on killing to hide their crime; well, two hundred years later the descendants of the killers are still killing. It’s in the blood.  I applaud Robinson’s ability to hold onto the many plot threads of this complicated novel which spans two centuries.  He grasps them with the same tenacity his Cornish character Laity clings onto a life-saving fishing line.

Tayte himself is a likeable hero.  Ostensibly, a chubby desk-bound workaholic, he manages to switch into action hero guise when the going gets tough.  He dodges more assassination attempts than the Pope as he gradually uncovers the truth about the tragic Fairbornes.  Tayte’s like a chef peeling back the layers of an onion beneath a volley of kitchen knives.   'Family History was never supposed to be like this' says Tayte.  And it usually isn’t.  Robinson has admirably succeeded in sexing-up a sedentary occupation enjoyed by millions and in the process has created a whole new genre:  genealogical crime mysteries.

Good luck to him with the rest of the series.




'In the Blood' on amazon

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'Seeking Our Eagle' FREE on kindle

11/8/2012

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FREE kindle download! 

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 11th, August 2012.

For one day only, download the eBook of  


'Seeking Our Eagle' 


from amazon.
Simply click on the link below:


'Seeking Our Eagle' on kindle 


But hurry, this offer starts and ends on Saturday, 11th August!

Spread the word!

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'Seeking Our Eagle' Published

9/8/2012

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New Book Published!

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I am delighted to announce that my latest book, Seeking Our Eagle, is now available to buy in paperback and eBook format.
 
Seeking Our Eagle is the second book I have written about Jamie Charlton and the Kirkley Hall robbery.  This time it is the story behind the story.  In Seeking Our Eagle, I explain how we uncovered a Regency convict in our family tree, and then turned his sorry tale of injustice into a historical novel.  

After the book launch of Catching the Eagle in 2011, the interest in the background to the novel took me by surprise.  Newspapers, radio, magazines and even a TV station all wanted to know how Chris and I had discovered our unusual skeleton in the closet.   Genealogy groups, libraries and local historical societies invited me to appear as a guest speaker at their events.  I soon realised that there might also be a wider audience for this extraordinary story and decided to write a complimentary factual book, called Seeking Our Eagle, which mapped our genealogical experience, the social history of our Charlton ancestors and my creative journey into fiction.

I like to think of Seeking the Eagle as a semi-autobiographical romp through the centuries.  It explains how we chased Bad Granddad Jamie (four times removed) through the dusty records and the even dustier Northumberland lanes. It also shows how we learned about the devastating impact of World War One on our ancestors; the role they played in the Railway Boom of the Victorian era and how our family was torn apart by dissension in the late eighteenth century.  The Charltons were ordinary people but many of them were caught up in extraordinary events.

I warmly invite you to join myself and Chris, as I take you back to the beginning and show you how we embarked on our remarkable journey of discovery.  



'Seeking Our Eagle' is available from amazon as a kindle eBook Price: : £3.06. Please use the link below.


'Seeking Our Eagle' on Kindle

* * * * *


Paperback: £8.99


20% savings! Ends Friday, 10 August 2012.

Buy a paperback copy of 'Seeking Our Eagle' from lulu.com @ a 20% discount.
Simply click on the link below and use the code: ASTOUND20 to claim your discount. (Code is case sensitive.)
But hurry, offer ends Friday, 10th August!



'Seeking Our Eagle' in paperback
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Forthcoming events

4/7/2012

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Charity fund-raiser and Book Signing

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I have two fabulous local events coming up in the next fortnight and would like to invite folks to join me.

Firstly, I will be the guest speaker at a fund-raising event at the Holistics Cancer Care Centre at the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough on Friday 13th July 6.30 -8pm.

The Holistics Cancer Care Centre is a wonderful resource and treatment centre for the people of Teesside and deserves our support.  Cancer sufferers and partners can access a range of treatments, ranging from acupuncture to aromatherapy massage to help relieve  their stress and help them sleep.


At the event I will be explaining how genealogical research helped us uncover the story of our skeleton in the closet and then turn his sorry tale of Regency injustice into a novel, Catching the Eagle. 

Please telephone 01642 854839 for tickets for what I hope will be an enjoyable evening.  The cost is £10 and includes refreshments. All proceeds will go directly to the Holistics Cancer Care Centre.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The following day, I have been invited back to the lovely Guisborough Bookshop to do a book signing of the paperback edition of my novel, Catching the Eagle.

I am really looking forward to this event and hope that you can join me.

Book Signing @
The Guisborough Bookshop
4, Chaloner Street,
Guisborough
North Yorkshire.

11am - 1 pm

0 Comments

YouTube video of 'Catching the Eagle'

18/5/2012

2 Comments

 

YouTube video of 'Catching the Eagle'

  1. Fantastic News!

    Earlier this year, genes reunited encouraged me to make a promotional video about my novel, Catching the Eagle which is, of course, based on the true story of our criminal ancestor. I have been a member of genesreuinted since 2003. Their organisation helped me to research our family history and uncover valuable information about the main characters, Jamie, William and Cilla Charlton.

    Thanks to lot of help from the wonderful (and very patient) Dave Cocks of Redcar RNLI, I made a video and now genes reunited have linked it to their website for their eleven million members.

    On top of this, they are posting the news on their face book page on Saturday. I would be really grateful if anyone with a face book account could leave a comment beneath the post when it appears in order to keep it near the top of the page. Thanks a lot.

    Face book page for Saturday: http://www.facebook.com/genesreunited

    You can view the video on YouTube by following the link below.
  2.  Enjoy!

  3. "Catching the Eagle - How one family's true crime past became a novel"
2 Comments

Who were the 'Border Reivers?'

8/11/2011

66 Comments

 

Who were the 'Border Reivers?'

Since choosing the title 'The Regency Reivers' for my first series of historical novels, I have frequently been asked:  'Who were the Reivers?' 

‘Reive’ is an early English word meaning "to rob",

Border Reivers were raiders along the Anglo–Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century.  During this time, England and Scotland were frequently at war and the area was lawless, godless and often decimated by opposing armies. 

A tough area breeds tough people.  The families who lived there – on both sides of the border – grouped together in clans for protection and survival.  Loyalty to a feeble or distant monarch or reliance on the effectiveness of the law, were not good survival strategies for the people of the borders.  Instead, they sought security through their own strength and cunning and set out in large mobs to raid other families.  ‘Reiving’  - raiding for cattle and sheep (and whatever else which could be transported) was the only way to survive and it became an established way of life, a profession, which was regarded with no discredit amongst the Borderers.  The Reivers moved only at night, taking advantage of their intimate knowledge of the remote and rugged terrain, to spirit away their ill-gotten plunder.
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Border Reivers
As George MacDonald Fraser says in The Steel Bonnets, ‘they lived by despoiling each other’…  ‘It was a time when the great border tribes, both English and Scottish, feuded continuously amongst themselves, when robbery and blackmail, were everyday professions, when raiding, arson, kidnapping, murder and extortion were an important part of the social system.’ 

Their heyday was perhaps in the last hundred years of their existence, during the time of the Stuart Kings in Scotland and the Tudor Dynasty in England. 

The attitudes of the English and Scottish governments towards the border clans alternated between indulgence and encouragement.  Secure in their rule in the majority of the two countries, the authorities in England and Scotland were happy to let the Reivers battle it out for supremacy in the narrow hill country between the two nations.   These fierce families served as the first line of defence against invasion and it suited authorities to have gangs of outlaws harassing the enemy on the border.  However, the royalty of both countries would only travel through the region with a large and heavily armed escort.  Even they were afraid of the Reivers.

As soldiers, the Border Reivers were considered among the finest light cavalry in all of Europe; they were outstanding horsemen.  Living on the frontier between two warring nations sharpened their soldiering skills.  Many worked as mercenaries abroad. 

Of course, the notion of Scottish Clans is now legendary around the world – mostly thanks to Sir Walter Scott and his ballads.  What is not so well known, perhaps, is that on the English side of the border there were also large, unruly English clans like the Charltons, the Armstrongs, the Milburns, the Robsons, the Fenwicks and the Dodds.

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66 Comments

Canadian Charltons...

11/8/2011

1 Comment

 

Canadian Charltons...

Many thanks to Judith Cantin (nee Charlton) from Canada who has recently got in touch via this website and sent me the picture below.

Judith is a direct descendant of Henry Charlton born in 1729 at North Carter Moor. Henry was the uncle of Jamie and William, the main characters in Catching the Eagle,
although it is highly unlikely they ever met him.  It is believed that Henry emigrated in 1750's.  We believe he eventually settled in Nova Scotia, married and had ten children of his own.  Many of his descendants, including Judith, still live there. 

Of course, it was unlikely that our families still bear any family resemblance after two hundred years on different continents but it turns out that we do have one thing in common.   Judith tells me that: 'all our (Canadian) Charltons are are big-boned...I don't believe I've ever met a small, petite Charlton.' 

Anyone who has ever met my hubby and my children - or Chris' father, Arthur, and his siblings - will be smiling at this.  Our Charltons also tend to rather stand out in a crowd.

The picture below overlooks Wolfville in the Annapolis Valley, Novia Scotia, near where Henry Charlton finally settled with his family.
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The Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia
1 Comment

Photography and trespassing...

1/6/2011

8 Comments

 

Photography and trespassing...

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North Carter Moor
Just returned from a fabulous afternoon with the camera up in Ponteland.

We resolved to try and photograph as many of the places as we could which had links to the family research and the places mentioned in
Catching the Eagle.

As Robbie Burns would say:
  The best laid schemes o' Mice an' Men, Gang aft agley,...'

The first problem came at the beautiful North Carter Moor Farmhouse, the birthplace of Jamie Charlton and the home of three generations of his family (1720 - 1817.)  North Carter Moor is not easy to find and it is guarded by a herd of extremely curious young cows, who clearly wanted to play with me as I scurried out of the car to open and close the gate.  Chris, being the perfect gentleman, steadfastly remained in the driver's seat.  Armed with a copy of the family tree as proof that we were not there to case the joint (well, you never can tell with us Charltons, can you?)  I knocked on the farm door to ask if we could take a few pictures of our family's 18th century home.  Sadly, no one was in. 

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Side view of North carter Moor
We waited a while, and then decided to be cheeky and take a few photographs any way.  Extremely conscious that somebody, somewhere, would have seen us and would report our curious behaviour back to the present owners, I scribbled an explanatory note and shoved it through the letter box.  I'm guessing that this could now go one of two ways:  the current owners of North Carter Moor may choose to log on here and and enjoy discovering some more about the  history about their home; or, they may instruct their solicitor to sue us for trespass, breach of privacy and disturbing the peace of their cows.  Watch this space...

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Front view of North Carter Moor - once home to a Charlton generation with ten children.
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St. Mary's church, Ponteland
Next we went to St. Mary's church, Ponteland where the records tell us, many of Chris' ancestors are buried.  Sadly, it would seem that if they are buried there, then the sexton  just dug a hole and dropped them in - we couldn't find any of them.  As the family's fortunes dwindled, it is possible that they just reused old family graves.  No doubt they always intended to come back later, when they had more money and add a headstone...and then forgot (or got themselves transported.)  Any gravestones which did once 'mark the spot' are now either absent or so badly eroded they are unreadable.  I suspect that several have been removed on health and safety grounds - including that of James (1700-1770) and Isabel.  The monumental inscription records for St. Mary's, tell us that it was 'on it's side by the wall' years ago.  It has now either collapsed face down or been taken away.

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One gravestone of interest which we did find was that of Jane Nimmo (1799-1841.)

The full inscription reads:  'Sacred to the memory of Jane Nimmo who died April 22nd 1841 aged 42 years.'

This lady had to be related to Priscilla (Cilla) Charlton in some way.  Nimmo was her maiden name and Nimmos were as rare in that part of Northumberland as a teetotal Charlton.   More research beckons, methinks...

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The Seven Stars', otherwise known as 'Ma Shotton's'
Photographing the Ponteland public houses frequented by Jamie Charlton also proved a bit disappointing.  The Newhamm Edge coaching inn, now known as The Highlander,  where Jamie was drinking on the night of the Kirkley Hall robbery, is surrounded by scaffolding and bright blue tarpaulin.  In addition to that, The Seven Stars - constantly referred to as 'Ma Shotton's' in the court case documents, was closed and up for sale. 

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However, there was a consolation prize weaiting for us on Ponteland High street - the old Toll House.  This was the workplace of one Robert Wilson - keeper of the the Turnpike gate in Ponteland.  He was also witness against Jamie in the trial, and in the novel is the man who eventually succeeds in 'catching the eagle.'  If you look hard enough, you may just be able to make out the words 'Toll House' across the door lintel.

All in all, a very enjoyable day out in Ponteland - and if we can avoid being sued by the owners of North Carter Moor, then I think we can class it as a success!

8 Comments
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