The Low Road
By Katharine Quarmby
The Convictions of Hannah Tyrrell
Publication date: Summer 2023
Support this project
Notebook

Bundle

Investigative journalism masterclass

Behind The Low Road virtual masterclass

Book club

Sold out!
Name a character - lower tier
* The author will have a right of veto over the names to be included.
PLUS:
- Only 5 available

Name a character - higher tier
* The author will have a right of veto over the names to be included.
PLUS:
- Only 3 available

Patron
PLUS:
- Only 4 available

Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I get my book delivered to?
How do supporter names work?
Will the book and rewards that I receive look the same as the images shown on the Unbound website?
The Low Road is set in rural England, London and Australia in the early nineteenth century. It is based on a true story I found whilst visiting my parents in the quiet Waveney Valley of a Norfolk woman, Mary Tyrell, who was staked through the heart after death in 1813. She had been questioned repeatedly about a suspected infanticide.
An older daughter, known only by the initials A.T., had survived. I traced her to the Refuge for the Destitute in Hackney. She had met another destitute, Anne Simpkins, there and they forged a friendship that deepened into love. In December 1821 they stole laundry from the Refuge, but were caught, stood trial at the Old Bailey, and were sentenced to transportation. They went first to the Millbank Penitentiary, survived marsh fever and were transferred to the prison hulks before being pardoned in 1824. They then went ‘on the town’ as prostitute. They both disappeared from the records - with just one last archive entry suggesting they were transported. The trail went cold so I decided to novelise their story but base it on a mosaic of the lives of men and women who were exiled in the largest forced migration in British history.
This novel is about uncovering lost histories: the stories of poor women from rural areas, the stories of the imprisoned, the stories of convicts sent to penal colonies, the stories of people who often left no records as a result of illiteracy and hardship. It also contains an important strand of narrative that explores experiences left out of the history books: a same-sex romance that evolves into a marriage of sorts two centuries before this was legally possible.
Pledge to help uncover these lost and hidden histories; bring them to light for a generation for whom this history of transgressive love is more relevant than ever.
ABOUT THE BOOK
- A high-quality, demy hardback book
- Approximately 400 pages and 90,000 words
- The first novel by author and journalist Katharine Quarmby
- Exclusive pledge levels available!
*Image credits: Design by Mecob. Images © Shutterstock. Book designs, cover and other images are for illustrative purposes and may differ from final design.