Lanterns over the Lune
Rebellion! Treason! Smuggling! Sunderland Point! Tide on the road! Gosh. A story of intrigue, adventure, and youthful romance. A rip-roaring work of fiction set in our own back yard. Hold on to your hats… the excitement is about to begin…well perhaps.
Published in 1958 ‘Lanterns over the Lune’, is a novel written for older children by Kathleen Fidler. It is the only novel (so far…) based in and around Sunderland Point, so is of great nostalgic and ‘heritage’ interest.
Map showing the area covered by the events in the story: Permission Lutterworth Press
A popular book in its day, it’s now long out of print but still available in local libraries. The story is set in 1715 at the finale of the first Jacobite rebellion. It’s not accurate history but is a cracking adventure story in the style of Robert Louis Stephenson. It features Sunderland Point at the time of Robert Lawson, of the West Indies trade – and smuggling!
We are grateful to the Lutterworth Press for permission to publish a heavily abridged version together with the illustrations (by David Walsh). So, without further ado, here we go.
Opening in Ramsay, Isle of Man, the father of young Simon Corlett - our dashing young hero - has just died, drowned at sea. His unpleasant stepmother has arranged for Simon to work for the odious Thomas Quirk in his chandler’s shop.
But Simon is determined to go to sea, and to discover the Lancashire family of his long dead mother, Janet Bindloss.
Set to work adding up rows of figures in Quirk’s shop, Simon uncovers evidence of smuggling - brandy and tobacco - taken ashore at Sunderland Point by the suspicious Captain Skillhorn from his ship Fenella.
Quirk is organising the next cargo of smuggled goods for the Fenella and - for a substantial fee - is arranging secret passage for a Lieutenant O’Neil.
Overheard by Simon, the contemptible Quirk and Skillhorn - suspecting O’Neil’s true identity as a Jacobite spy - connive behind his back to sell him into the hands of Colonel Charteris, the Government agent in Lancaster.
Escaping Quirk’s store, Simon stows away in the Fenella but is caught and interrogated by Captain Skillhorn. Overhearing the Bindloss family name, O’Neil offers to pay Simon’s passage, and in return Simon warns O’Neil of Quirk and Skillhorn’s treachery.
Approaching Conder Green, a desperate fight breaks out, O’Neil and Simon jump ship attempting escape…
On shore, alarm is raised and O’Neil is fatally shot but, before dying hands Simon a mysterious package of papers telling him find ‘Old Dog Lad’. With his dying breath tells Simon to seek out the innkeeper at the ‘Fighting Cocks’ at Conder Green.
Arriving at the forbidding, smoke-filled inn busy with rough seamen including Skillhorn and his crew; Simon locates the friendly innkeeper and is introduced to the mysterious Mr Dalton. He presses Simon for information about O’Neil and the secret package. Suddenly… a violent commotion breaks out with Colonel Charteris, Captain Skillhorn and the ruffian Curphey searching the inn for Simon.
Aided by the innkeeper and Dalton, Simon narrowly escapes and is instructed how to find ‘Old Dog Lad’, a hastily arranged boat is to take him down river to Pilling, landing there he must find his way to St. Michaels and then on to ‘Myerscough Lodge’.
Drifting down river, they pass Sunderland Point and see ‘a beautiful white house with long windows that touched the ground over a built-out porch with a veranda which faced South down the estuary, below the house was a narrow green lawn sloping to a pebble beach’.
Simon asks about the house….
Fascinated, Simon learns about Robert Lawson the Lancaster merchant credited with many buildings at Sunderland Point, his home - the Old Hall, and the West Indies plantation trade.
‘There was something about Sunderland Point that drew him as though in the past he had known it before and would know it again.’
On landing, Simon falls in with the trustworthy McCready, an itinerant Scots trader who guides him to Myerscough Lodge. There he meets Agnes Tyldesley whose father was the cryptic ‘Old Dog Lad’ But he is dead. Revealing a closely guarded secret, Agnes tells Simon he was an agent vital to the Jacobite cause and has been replaced by – the shadowy Mr Dalton!
Simon gives up the clandestine package of papers to Dalton - there is exciting news - the Jacobite army are marching towards Lancaster.
By fortunate coincidence, Robert Lawson, and his niece Bridget (a close friend of Agnes) arrive on business at Myerscough. In conversation, Lawson describes his failing attempts to get the weavers of Overton to try out his bales of cotton - and of the 6 brass cannons aboard his ship Robert he has refused to surrender to Colonel Charteris.
Sympathetic to Simon’s plight, Lawson offers him a berth on the outward voyage of the Robert. To avoid capture on the journey back to Sunderland Point, Simon is disguised as Bridget’s groom. To show his lowly status, he carries a parcelled up rose-pink gown Agnes has lent Bridget.
Bridget is haughty and frosty towards Simon, but, showing great courage she skilfully evades the lookouts as they pass through Lancaster and on to Overton.
A stormy night and a rising tide is on the causeway. Dropping the package, Simon foolishly risks his life to rescue it. Bridget is alarmed and cries out telling him to save himself. The icicles in her heart are melting…
They arrive on the Point.
‘The end of the terrace was marked by a massive stone pillar with a huge stone ball on top of it, solid stone buildings run the length of the terrace, just above the shingle there was a Smithy and the Smith hard at work forging an anchor spared them a brief glance as they rode past. Next, they came to the inn at the end of its terrace with its two handsome Bay windows and its cobbled approach.’
At the Old Hall is Moss Lawson, Robert’s disagreeable and untrustworthy second son.
The next morning - with billowing sails and the brass cannons glinting in the sun - the two masted Robert enters the estuary. Receiving a hearty welcome is Joshua Lawson, Robert’s other son.
After talking of the voyage and trade, Robert and his two sons depart to do business at nearby towns.
Hearing news of the imminent arrival of the Jacobite army, Bridget convinces Simon to take her to Lancaster to watch the Scottish in procession. In the market square, Prince James Edward Stuart is proclaimed the rightful king of Great Britain and Ireland.
A loyalist shouting support for the King is threatened with hanging!
By the time they are back at the Point, a group of Highlanders with drawn swords and claymores demand the cannons from the Robert. To avoid bloodshed, Bridget (on behalf of her uncle), local fishermen and seafolk decide not to intervene.
The next day, in a dramatic encounter, Simon and Bridget witness smugglers bringing casks of rum and other contraband ashore. Hiding quietly, they recognise Captain Skillhorn, Moss Lawson, and James Burkitt of the Inn all involved.
Simon is discovered and captured, and he is tightly bound and locked in a barn. Waiting until evening Bridget plucks up courage and slips unnoticed from the Hall and using spare keys, rescues Simon.
Hidden under a sack of oats in a baggage cart, Simon is bundled away to Lancaster to join the Jacobite train heading for the rebellion showdown at Preston.
The town is afire with fear and rumour. The Jacobite commanders set their positions but fail to defend the strategic bridge over the Ribble. This is a fatal mistake and after losing a bloody skirmish, they surrender to the English army. The English leaders of the rebellion are taken in chains to London, many to face public execution.
Simon is a named collaborator and is hunted by the authorities.
The owner of the White Bull in Preston is a friend of Robert Lawson, he helps Simon evade capture and sets him to work as a kitchen lad. As soon as the opportunity arises, he is smuggled aboard a boat on the Ribble and returns in secret to Sunderland Point.
He arrives in the nick of time to join Joshua Lawson on the Robert, which is setting sail for the West Indies and freedom.
But not until there is an exchange of fond promises, a keepsake from Simon, and a tearful farewell from Bridget….
The Old Hall today: Photo by Alan Smith
The Stone Pillar at high tide
The dangerous causeway: Photo by Alan Smith
About the Author
Kathleen Fidler (1899 – 1980) was a prolific author of over 80 children's books. She was born in Wigan where she became a teacher and eventually headmistress of the Scot Lane Evening Institute. In 1930 Kathleen married James Goldie and moved firstly to Edinburgh and then to a large, secluded house in Lasswade, Midlothian where she began writing.
Her work has been praised for the depth and detail of research into the background of her stories – as we clearly see in ‘Lanterns over the Lune’. As well as writing over 80 novels for children, she also wrote scripts for the BBC.[2]
Kathleen’s books are still widely read mostly in Scotland where they also continue to be used in teaching.
We are very grateful to the Lutterworth Press for permission to publish this abridged version of the novel and the eight illustrations.