Scandal At The Vicarage

1889 was a bad year for the Reverend Edward Henry Fitch, Vicar of Burgh-by-Sands. He suffered two tragic family bereavements and, in December, he appeared before a Church Commission accused of misconduct with one of his servants.

Who was this unfortunate Cumbrian clergyman, and was he really guilty of ‘unchastity’? John Bainbridge tells his story and paints a vivid picture of Victorian village life.