Marple Local History Society

Marple, Marple Bridge, Mellor, Compstall, Strines, Hawk Green, Rose Hill, High Lane.

Abduction - the story of Ellen Turner

coach

Despite the warning given in this newsletter that the talk was not for the faint-hearted, an impressive 96 people turned up on a cold January evening. Neil was there to relate a dastardly crime that took place almost 200 years ago but what sort of crime was it? Taking a young girl from her school by false pretences, whisking her away to Gretna Green, marrying her under false pretences and then fleeing to France must have broken innumerable laws but when the authorities finally caught up with them they could not even decide if it was a felony or a misdemeanour. Nevertheless, there was no doubt about the motive - the young victim was the richest heiress in Cheshire.

Ellen Turner by Henry WyattEllen Turner by Henry Wyatt

 But to start at the beginning. Ellen Turner was the daughter of a wealthy cotton manufacturer. Originally from Blackburn, he had bought Shrigley Hall and the estate adjacent to Lyme Park in order to establish his credentials as a country gentleman and man of substance in the county. Ellen was his only child and heir, not just to her father’s estate but to her uncle’s as well because he was not married. This had not escaped the notice of an impecunious adventurer who, although coming from a well-connected family, had big ambitions but not the means to carry them out. The obvious thing was to marry a rich heiress because, once married, her money would, by law, be at the disposal of her husband. The only problem was that he would not be regarded as a suitable match for such a woman.

Edward Gibbon Wakefield by Benjamin Holl

 Edward Gibbon Wakefield by Benjamin Hall

However, Edward Wakefield had faced this problem a decade previously and his solution was to elope with his chosen victim, marry her and then hope that the family would make every effort to avoid a scandal when he presented them with his fait accompli. It worked just as he had planned. He won over his mother-in-law, he avoided prosecution for marrying a ward of court without permission and he secured a job at the British Embassy in Paris. All seemed set fair, particularly when they had two children but soon after their son was born his young wife, Eliza, died. He was back where he started but with two young children to support.

 He was not completely penniless but his ambitions were just as extravagant as before, particularly when he set his heart on a seat in parliament. What to do? The answer was not long in coming. After all he had done it once and succeeded so why not do it again. And this time he had some help. His father had just married a much younger wife; Frances Davies, the daughter of the headmaster of Macclesfield School. She identified the target with her local knowledge whilst he planned the abduction.

 A servant with a plausible tale collected Ellen from her school but Wakefield and his brother soon took over and took her on a long and wearisome coach ride to Gretna Green. It took more than 24 hours to travel from Liverpool to Gretna via Manchester, Huddersfield, Halifax, Kendal and Carlisle. It must have been a very stressful time for young Ellen, despite the best efforts of the  smooth talking charmer accompanying her.

scoundrel abducts

En route he convinced her that her father was in financial trouble and could only be saved by the two of them getting married. Once married, they embarked on an even longer coach journey and ended in Calais, where they waited for Ellen’s family to catch up.

A5 proof 2

"They embarked on an even longer coach journey and ended in Calais"

After all, Wakefield wanted to see them so that he could negotiate a satisfactory conclusion. Unfortunately for him, the Turner family were tougher nuts than the family of his first wife.The two brothers faced a preliminary trial at Lancaster which attracted national attention, so much so that accommodation was booked for miles around and the coach fare from Manchester to Lancaster increased from twelve shillings to one guinea. The legal matters under contention were resolved and the case sent to the Quarter Sessions in Lancaster the following March, a year after the original abduction. Both brothers were sentenced to three years in prison but Frances, although found guilty of conspiracy, was not sentenced and appeared to get off scot-free, an appropriate term for an offence carried out in Scotland. And that was the end of the matter, or at least the end of the talk. A gripping tale and an insight into the mores of Georgian society.

Trial of Edward Gibbon Wakefield 1826 by Dawson Watson

Lancaster Azzies trial of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, 1826 by Dawson Watson 

 Ronald Southwaite - January 2025