THE MINISTER AND THE MAIDEN

Inspired by the court cases in which she was involved, this true story is based on newspaper reports from Victorian England in 1883.

In a world ruled by powerful men, a woman must know her place. None more so than a girl from a poor background. Raised in the sheltered world of her family’s Primitive Methodist faith, Fanny Herbert claims that the Church Minister has fathered her child.

Fanny yearns to raise her illegitimate son by herself. Can she find the courage to take the Reverend to court and force him to contribute to Fred’s upbringing?

Fanny’s fight for justice for her child leads her to the courtroom where the Old Boy’s network of society is stacked against her. She finds herself pitted against wealthy and religious men who have no qualms about lying and bribing people to uphold their good names. Their one aim, to silence her voice.

Fanny must decide how much she is willing to risk for the truth and what kind of future she and her child will have.

And a twist in the tale. Will a DNA match, one hundred and forty years later, prove that Fanny was telling the truth?