Lady Margaret's Ghost

Lady Margaret's Ghost is a Historical Character Mystery that is part of Felicity's books.

Characters

From the Central Series

• Felicity Merriman
• Martha Merriman
• Edward Merriman
• Nan Merriman
• William Merriman
• Polly Merriman
• Rose
• Marcus
• Benjamin Davidson
• Elizabeth Cole
• Penny
• Patriot
• Mr. Galt

Introduced

• Sir Edward
• Lady Margaret
• Aunt Prudence
• Dawson
• Anne
• William Yancey
• Mr. Minton
• Mrs. Hewitt
• Reverend Mr. Ullfers
• Mrs. Whitehurst

Returning

• Mr. Whythe

Chapter By Chapter Summary

Looking Back

Discusses Publick Times in the era. Topics discussed:

• When Publick Times was held, usually at the same time Virginia's highest court was in session. Williamsburg's population would double almost overnight.
• The Fair held during the Publick Times that included shopping, merchandise from Europe, street performances, games and races, and evening theatrical plays. Colonists also came to hear news and hear the court trials.
• Taverns, which served as inns and a hub for news, business, and gossip. They overflowed during these times.
• The variety of visitors to Williamsburg, such as travelers, boatmen, and wagon drivers, who would share news from the places they visited in the colonies and abroad.
• Dangers colonists faced during Publick Times such as thieves and pickpockets.
• Consequences of thievery, such as having the hand branded for the first offense, subsequent brandings or hanging.
• The exploitation of orphans by dishonest people who exploited them.
• The lack of options for orphaned children as almshouses offered orphans and poor people room and board in exchange for hard work.
• How some orphans found apprenticeships. While boys were generally apprenticed to learn a trade regardless of their backgrounds, girls were rarely apprenticed unless they had been orphaned.
• Skills female apprentices would have learned such as sewing, weaving, and spinning.
• How apprenticeships offered orphans the chance to earn a living and respect in society.

Errors

• Martha's Aunt Prudence is said to live in Norfolk, and at the start of the book, Martha and the three younger children are leaving to visit her. However, the city had been destroyed in January 1776 in the Burning of Norfolk with only one building, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, remaining in any form after after the burning, and the city struggled to rebuild and was not restored as a city proper until post-war. (See Norfolk during the Revolutionary War, on Wikipedia).
• The text mentions chariot wheel pattern coverlets. Although Colonial Williamsburg owns an example of this woven pattern, it dates from the 1830s at the earliest.