Harpsichord owned by author behind Shropshire mystery books set for auction

A harpsichord which belonged to the late novelist whose books were adapted for the British mystery television series Cadfael in the 1990s will be auctioned next month.

Consigned by a Shropshire collector to Halls Fine Art’s antiques auction in Shrewsbury on June 17, the harpsichord was owned by Edith Mary Pargeter OBE, author of the Brother Cadfael books under the alias Ellis Peters.

Made by Donald Garrod in Suffolk in 1974, the harpsichord is valued at £300 to £500 and Halls Fine Art’s senior auctioneer Alexander Clement expects it to attract international interest from Cadfael fans around the world.

“With the Brother Cadfael books and the television series being so popular in the United States, I am hoping the harpsichord will attract a lot of interest due to its provenance,” he said.

“The harpsichord was something Edith wanted to own even though she didn’t actually play it. She instead relied on a family member to play it for her.”

Edith, who died in 1995 aged 82 whilst living in Madeley, was noted for the mystery series featuring Brother Cadfael, a medieval herbalist monk.

She worked in a pharmacy in the 1930s when she began writing historical fiction and crime novels. Following the publication of her first crime novel Murder in the Dispensary, in 1938 under the name Jolyon Car, she focused on other genres for most of the next 20 years.

She Goes to War (1942) is based on her wartime experiences in the Women’s Royal Navy Service and the mystery Fallen into the Pit (1951) was published under her own name, featuring 13-year-old Dominic Felse who returns in Death and the Joyful Woman (1961).

Edith’s interest in Shropshire history led her to write the mystery A Morbid Taste for Bones (1977), set in the 12th century and based on Shrewsbury Abbey, which introduced Brother Cadfael for the first time.

He returns in One Corpse Too Many (1979) and she published 18 Cadfael novels and one book of stories featuring him during the1980s and ’90s, including The Virgin in the Ice (1982) and The Heretic’s Apprentice (1989). Actor Derek Jacobi played the title role in the Cadfael TV series.

Under her own name, Edith also wrote crime and historical fiction, including the four-volume Brothers of Gwynedd series (1974-‘77).

For more information about the harpsichord, or to consign items to future sales at Halls Fine Art, contact the fine art team on 01743 450700 option 4 or email [email protected].