Books / News
Telling the story of the woman who lived in a haystack
She was only known as Louisa and slept rough for more than four years in a haystack near Bristol.
Louisa lived in the haystack in Flax Bourton from 1776, spawning an international conspiracy theory, drawing the attention of some influential people of the day and even becoming a tourist attraction for people visiting the spa at Hotwells.
The so-called ‘maid of the haystack’ is now the subject of a new historical novel of the same name by writer and journalist Martin J Powell, who has spent years researching Louisa’s fascinating story.
is needed now More than ever
Maid of The Haystack, published by Bristol Books, is a dramatised account of Louisa’s life.
The novel has been dubbed “an 18th century conspiracy mystery”, with Powell recounting what is known about Louisa’s story as well as creating new characters and drawing conclusions on who the mystery woman was and how she came to be in the haystack.
Maid of the Haystack by Martin J Powell is published by Bristol Books
“For decades, I found myself going back from time to time to look at this story again and try to find out who this woman was, why she acted so oddly and which of the many tales about her were true,” Powell said.
“Poetry was written about her, an oil painting created of her and she attracted the attention of Hannah More, John Wesley and wealthy and influential people of the time. During her lifetime rumours about her circulated in printed pamphlets.
“Somehow, she became associated with the romantic movement, but her life as a person who clearly had mental health issues sleeping rough in a very uncomfortable way was far from romantic.
“I set out with the intention of writing a factual book about her but there was so much mystery and intrigue and so many conflicting theories about her that it eventually became a novel, based on true events. I filled in the gaps with reasonable speculation!
“History books often fail to give the reader a real insight into what life is really like in different periods. So, I set out to describe the sights, sounds and smells of Bristol and surrounding villages in the 1770s. I wanted to relate what was important to local people then.”
Powell said that Louisa’s story “also holds a mirror up to attitudes to mental health, the treatment of women and acts of charity by the rich and famous, which have relevance to life today”.
Maid of the Haystack is available now from Bristol’s independent bookshops, at online retailers or direct from the publisher at www.bristolbooks.org/shop/maidofthehaystack
Main image: a 1788 engraving of Louisa by William Palmer, courtesy Trustees of the British Museum
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