In the 18th century, there is a ban on wool exports, brought about by men like Sir Roger Ackerman who grow rich on it. Mary Tufton leads a gang of smugglers known as “The Owlers” to defy the ban and Ackerman by smuggling wool to France.
Plot:
When maidservant Emily Carter is wrongly accused of theft, she runs away in a terrible state and drowns. Emily’s sister Rosie goes into service in the household to unmask the real thief and clear Emily’s name. But the thief rumbles Rosie and starts sending her death threats.
Plot:
When the pleasure steamer Storm founders, the only survivors are a handful of wealthy children and a maidservant called Tweenie (who had sneaked aboard). The children are taken in by fishing folk who exploit them and are out to profit from the fund that is being set up for “The Orphans of the Storm” as the press have dubbed them.
In Victorian times, Rosie Simpson runs away from her cruel guardians – only to fall into the power of Ma Kelly, who runs a gang of child thieves. Ma Kelly uses Rosie’s talent for dancing as a cover while the other children go stealing. But Rosie is determined to find a way to escape and pursue a career in ballet.
Plot:
Zelda Smith works with her cruel uncle and aunt in a fake mind-reading act and is billed as Princess Zelda. She runs away and is befriended by some urchins who take her for a real princess. She maintains the pretence to keep herself in hiding.
In 1840, the Shaw children are orphaned and Rose, the eldest, is left in charge. They move into a cave in the roots of a tree they call the Guardian Tree because it seems to watch over them, protect them and give them advice and comfort in their fight for survival. They also have to keep their tree home secret from Matthew Crowe, the Parish beadle who means to put the younger children in the workhouse.
Other Appearances:
Plot:
As a baby, the Countess of Monte Cristo was washed ashore on a remote island and brought up by Quentin Sloan, who had been cast away by his half-brother, Giles. When the Countess grew up, she and Uncle, as she called Quentin, sailed to England and lived in grand style in his old mansion. Quentin had vowed to give up all pleasures until those who had marooned him had been punished. The Countess aided in his quest for vengeance.
The Countess of Monte Cristo – Judy: #840 (14 February 1976) – #850 (24 April 1976)
Unknown to gipsy sisters Bettina and Nina Kayak, an agent of the young Helena of Moritania had sewn the diamonds of the Coronation necklace on the girls’ dancing dresses in their caravan. It was a law of the country that the Coronation could not take place if the queen were not wearing the necklace; and the queen’s enemies, led-by William, the Prince Regent, were determined to find it.
Plot:
Lucy Fielding, an orphan living in the early 19th Century, has been sent by her guardian to a girls’ school in the North run by a cruel widow, Mrs Armstrong. To make extra money, Mrs Armstrong sends Lucy and two other girls, Mary and Betty, to work in a nearby coal mine.
Emily and Victoria Willoughby become destitute when their father is lost at sea and their mother is injured in an accident. All their servants leave except the kitchen maid Jenny. The girls are too proud to let anyone find out about their poverty, so they they all turn to running the household themselves with Jenny’s help. But they soon find they have hard lessons to learn, including raising income and Victorian house-cleaning.
