User:Thestonenovel/The Stone

The Stone is a novel by Claire Nolan, which details a fictional account of the life of Alice Kyteler and of her trial for witchcraft in 1324. The novel was published in November 2008 by Legend Press.

Alice Kyteler
Dame Alice Kyteler was a moneylender in Kilkenny city, Ireland, during the late 12th Century and early 13th Century. She was married four times in the course of her life. She had at least one son, William Outlaw, by her first husband of the same name. She may also have had a daughter, Rose, but this is not known for sure. In or around 1324, it was alleged by Bishop Richard Le Drede that Alice Kyteler was in league with the Devil in an effort to gain wealth for her and her son. After an inquisition in the town, writs were issued against her, her son and her maid as well as several others. Alice fled Kilkenny for Dublin. After her maid was flogged, she gave a confession to the crimes. Alice's son was found guilty of heresy and fined a huge amount of money, and Alice's maid, Petronella de Meath, was burnt at the stake at the town hall (or Thosel). She was the first person burnt for witchcraft in Ireland.

The Novel
The story of the novel details the four marriages of Alice, to William Outlaw, Adam Le Blund, Richard de Valle and John Le Poer. It shows Alice gathering enourmous wealth throughout the course of her life, and her tremedous will to survive and to be victorious. This will to survive very often comes at the cost of those around her, as she moves through the social mores of the time.

The novel also shows the arrival and reception of Bishop Le Drede, a bishop transported from the Papal Court in Avignon France to the outpost of Kilkenny in Ireland. His inflexible attempts to assert order are rejected immediately by the local Nobility and Clergy, and his decision to pursue the powerful House of Kyteler is widely rejected and fought against, not least by Alice herself. The insistance on his part to battle Alice was to end his career, and to eventually see him recalled to the Papal Court.

The plot of The Stone differs from some of the known facts of Alice's life in some respects. In the novel, the final marriage of Alice to John Le Poer was a very happy one. However, accoring to Le Drede, it is possible that Alice was trying to kill John by arsenic posioning.

The Author Claire Nolan was born in Kilkenny and now lives in Dublin, Ireland. She is currently working on her second novel which will deal with the Ladies Marathon that takes place each June in Dublin, Ireland.