This macabre story of a mother trying to conceal the death of her daughter is not for the faint hearted. It finishes with the triple death (a blow to the head, strangulation and drowning) being meted out to the mother by a mob.
This may date back much further than the story’s Victorian setting, Ellesmere could be named after the early Viking Deity Elle (or Ulle) who demanded the triple death for transgressing her rule.
A Yr 12 student tells the tale…
How this film was made
This video is one of 10 made as part of a two-day event in ‘Arts Week’ July 2012.
Older pupils from Years 12 and 10, all experienced young storytellers, joined a mixed class of Year 7/8 pupils new to the artform. They participated in a half-day introductory basic storytelling skills workshop lead by a professional storyteller on the first morning and helped a small group of Year 7/8s work on their chosen story in the afternoon. On the second day they directed the filming of their group on location, and led on editing the films back at school. They also found time to film and edit their own stories, one of which is featured here.
If your school does not have the budget to bring in a professional storyteller, you can put together your own basic storytelling skills workshop using some of the ideas in our on-line series ‘A Storytelling Club in your School’. We would suggest you include activities from:
Week Three – Sensations,
Week Five – Repetition and Sequencing,
Week Six – Characterization,
Week Eight – Composition (developing Firework moments),
Week Eleven – Gestures.
Part of Wordscape North Shropshire, a “Young Roots” project funded by
