The Shrigley Abduction

In one of the most notorious crimes of the 19th century, fifteen-year-old heiress Ellen Turner was abducted from school and forced to marry Edward Gibbon Wakefield, a social climbing diplomat with an eye on her inheritance.
In this compelling true crime story, authors Audrey Jones and Abby Ashby unveil a story of cunning deception and explore how the lure of high society created a terrifying chain of events in 1826. They reveal how, despite spending years in jail for kidnapping a schoolgirl, Wakefield was incredibly still able to enjoy a fruitful political career colonising New Zealand, while his innocent victim would die four years later.
In a tale that has echoes in today’s social climate, The Shrigley Abduction is a compellingly told account of the scandal and outrage surrounding this audacious Georgian crime.
Praise for The Shrigley Abduction...
'A true story, though stranger than fiction...' Manchester Evening News