SKU: 6680615568

The Cooper's Wife Is Missing: The Trials of Bridget Cleary

Sale price$19.12 Regular price$21.24
Save 10%

Pay in installments of $5.31 with ShopPay, AfterPay and Klarna

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 31 - Aug 5

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

The Cooper's Wife Is Missing: The Trials of Bridget ClearyOn March 15, 1895, twenty eight year old Bridget Cleary, a cooper's wife, disappeared from her cottage in rural County Tipperary. Immediately, strange and lurid rumors began circulating the neighborhood about what had happened. Some said she ran off with an egg seller; others supposed it was an aristocratic foxhunter who had taken young Bridget away. Swirling amid rumors was the barely whispered, but widely held, belief that Bridget had gone with no

On March 15, 1895, twenty-eight year old Bridget Cleary, a cooper's wife, disappeared from her cottage in rural County Tipperary. Immediately, strange and lurid rumors began circulating the neighborhood about what had happened. Some said she ran off with an egg seller; others supposed it was an aristocratic foxhunter who had taken young Bridget away. Swirling amid rumors was the barely whispered, but widely held, belief that Bridget had gone with no mortal man; rather, she had gone off with the fairies. The mystery deepened when seven days later her body was discovered, bent, broken and badly burned in a shallow grave. Within a few days, the unimaginable truth came to light: for almost a week before her death Bridget had been confined, ritually starved, threatened, physically and verbally abused, exorcised, and, finally, burned to death by her husband, Michael Cleary, her father, and extended family who confused bronchitis with a "fairy dart." They had all become convinced that "their Bridgie" had been taken from them and her fairy-possessed body left behind to deceive them. In The Cooper's Wife Is Missing, Joan Hoff and Marian Yeates make sense of this ancient, rarely publicized, ritual exorcism and explain how the incident went on to become a national and international incident. Set against a backdrop of renewed Irish nationalism, a Church crackdown on lingering pagan practices and the ongoing British humiliation of Catholic Ireland, the authors deftly map the dislocating anxieties that beset the rural peasantry in late nineteenth-century Ireland. Bewildered and frightened by the changes occurring all around them, pulled in all directions by their politicians, priests, landlords and English overlords, the Clearys were not alone in retreating to the relative comfort of pagan ritual. Drawing on first-hand accounts, contemporary newspaper reports, police records, trial testimony and a rich wealth of folklore, the authors weave a mesmerizing tale that touches upon magic, madness and mystery as it details, day by day, Bridget's ordeal and the resulting investigation. This is narrative history at its evocative best. It fascinates as it illuminates.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 08/23/2001
ISBN: 9780465030880
Pages: 458
Weight: 1.18lbs
Size: 8.04h x 5.07w x 1.12d
Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 6680615568

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.8 ★★★★★
Based on 15 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
M
Verified Purchase
Melissa P
Belleville, US
★★★★★ 3
Not as tall as anticipated
Color: Black, Size: Wheel-6 Panel
Definitely not 6 feet tall, more like 5 1/2. Very sturdy and the fabric is thick. Works well for what we're using it for.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2025
V
Verified Purchase
Vickie Dovel
Waukegan, US
★★★★★ 5
Easy to put together
Color: Grey, Size: Wheel-6 Panel
Love them
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2025
D
Verified Purchase
Debbie Flynn
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
Love it it was perfect for what I needed it for. Good quality!
Size: 4 Panel, Color: Black
It like a very dark chocolate brown/black. What I liked most about it is that you just pull it out of the box take the long plastic film off of it and it's ready to go. It has protective feet on the bottom. It's very attractive and it was so easy. It's so nice when you have a product you don't have to assemble.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2026
S
Verified Purchase
Suphisara B.
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 5
Good quality. Nice design
Size: 4 Panel, Color: Chocolate Brown
Love it. Beautiful and good material. Just a little bit too high for my room.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2026
G
Verified Purchase
GrandmaJeanie
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 4
Shipped quickly and as described
It was what I expected as functionality, lightweight and easy to move about. I plan to use it in my enclosed patio to obscure weight bench and wts. My only complaint is that the bamboo cover on one edge is not secure. But I will probably use a magic marker to cover the natural back that is showing. I don’t have time to return it as my event is coming soon.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2025

recommand products