The Trials of Mary Johnsdaughter

Shetland, 1773: a land of hand-to-mouth living and tight community ties overshadowed by the ever-watchful eye of the kirk. But for the inhabitants of the crofting-fishing township of Waas, all is about to change when The Batchelor, a ship bursting with emigrants seeking new lives in North Carolina, is left stranded upon their shores. In this fictionalised retelling of historical events, we follow young Waas lass Mary Johnsdaughter as she struggles to keep her head above water in the wake of The Batchelor's visit. All too soon, she stands accused of having sinned in the eyes of the church; will she survive the humiliation? Will she become an outcast? Will one moment cost her everything? A tale of Shetland folk knit out of Shetlandic voices and inspired by real parish records, The Trials of Mary Johnsdaughter pits the bonds of the community against the grip of the kirk with uncertain results. Only one thing is clear: then as now, 'da gaet ta perdition wis a lock aesier ta traivel.'